[THE INVESTOR] Yozma Group chairman Yigal Erlich on June 30 hinted at new funding worth up to US$100 million in Korea’s biotech venture firms. Yozma Group chairman Yigal Erlich　The head of the leading venture capitalist based in Israel was visiting Seoul to attend a conference among bioscience experts and industry officials. Touting Korea’s advanced medical techniques, he showed expectations about the growth potential of the nation’s biotech industry. During his visit, Yozma Group also signed a

[THE INVESTOR] Gyeonggi Province on June 29 announced the construction of a new tech complex, tentatively called “North Gyeonggi Techno Valley,” in Ilsan, Goyang City, to attract some 1,900 tech companies from 2020. The new facility is the fourth of its kind to be built in the province, following two in Pangyo and one in Gwanggyo. “The Pangyo Techno Valley has exceeded 70 trillion won (US$60 billion) in revenue last year with some 72,000 jobs being created. Its success story will be revived at t

[THE INVESTOR] Network operator SK Telecom said June 29 that a leading Chinese telecommunications firm has decided to invest in two Korean start-ups, which had participated in a start-up program run by the Korean telecom firm.SKT said the two start-ups -- Wisejet and Ezbelle -- have secured 900 million won ($769,500) of funding, respectively, from China Unicom, the second largest telecom firm in China. Jang Dong-hyun(second from left), the chief executive of SK Telecom, looks at products made by

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s state-run agencies held a conference in New York City on June 15 (local time) to help local start-ups gain foothold in the U.S. Korea’s trade promotion agency KOTRA and Small and Medium Business Administration hosted “Korea Startup Summit NYC 2016” at New York City’s Microsoft Technology Center, inviting 15 promising local start-ups and five start-ups that have already entered the U.S. market. More than 50 investors from major American cities, including New York City, Bost

[THE INVESTOR] Start-up company 247 Korea announced that it would be launching a self-defense smartphone case through crowdfunding site Kickstarter in July. If the launch via Kickstarter is successful, the company plans to pitch its product on Indiegogo, another crowdfunding site, as well. Intended to serve as a means of self-defense, the smartphone case developed and produced by 247 Korea is equipped with a Taser-like stun gun that extends from the case upon the recognition of the user’s finger

[THE INVESTOR] A “global business support center” was opened in the Pangyo Startup Campus – the hub for digital business startups – on June 15. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said that the center will be a “gateway” for local startups to engage with overseas investors and to enter foreign markets. The center is responsible for establishing a database of information related to startups here and provide potential overseas investors with this information.  Pangyo Startup Campus.It

Serial entrepreneur eyes global talents for business expansion