Kate Park, Author at TechCrunch

Terraform Labs co-founder and crypto fugitive Do Kwon set for extradition to South Korea

Kate Park — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:54:43 +0000

The ruling confirmed an earlier decision in April from the High Court of Podgorica which rejected a request to extradite the crypto fugitive to the United States.

Sybill raises $11M for its AI assistant that helps salespeople reduce administrative burden

Kate Park, Jagmeet Singh — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:18:06 +0000

Sybill, a startup that has built an AI assistant specifically for sales reps, has raised $11 million in a Series A round led by Greycroft.

Qoo10’s CEO pledges personal assets worth $58M to compensate Korean merchants affected by its liquidity crisis

Kate Park — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 07:59:55 +0000

During an emergency hearing held by the South Korean government, Young-bae Ku, Qoo10's founder said he would secure the amount over the next 30 days.

Singaporean e-commerce firm Qoo10’s Korean units face probe due to payment delays to merchants

Kate Park — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:58:50 +0000

The e-commerce market in South Korea ranks as one of the largest in the world, but it’s also proving to be a precarious one. On Thursday, South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission announced that it had launched an investigation into two major South Korean e-commerce platforms owned by Qoo10 — Ticket Monster (TMON) and WeMakePrice — […]

Grab acquires Singapore’s restaurant reservation platform Chope

Kate Park — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 11:06:29 +0000

Singapore’s ride-hailing and food delivery company Grab is expanding its services beyond ride and food delivery by doubling down on the competitive restaurant booking industry in Southeast Asia. Grab confirmed to TechCrunch that it acquired a Singapore-based dining reservation platform, Chope, for an undisclosed amount. Grab already offers restaurant reservations in Singapore by way of […]

Kakao founder issued arrest warrant by Seoul court

Kate Park — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 04:48:14 +0000

A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Brian Kim, the founder of South Korean internet giant Kakao, on allegations of stock price manipulation related to the company’s takeover of K-pop agency SM Entertainment in 2023. The Seoul Southern District Court said on Tuesday that it had issued a warrant for Kim’s arrest after a […]

Samsung to acquire UK-based knowledge graph startup Oxford Semantic Technologies

Kate Park — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:14:52 +0000

The Korean tech giant is acquiring Oxford Semantic Technologies, a U.K.-based knowledge graph startup that has built an AI reasoning engine.

Korean prosecutors file warrant to arrest Kakao founder for stock manipulation

Kate Park — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:13:00 +0000

The warrant is part of an investigation into alleged stock market manipulation related to a high-profile bidding war for music label, SM Entertainment.

Wittaya Aqua’s data-driven AI helps seafood farmers increase aquaculture production

Kate Park — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Wittaya Aqua enables seafood farmers to consolidate existing data points across the seafood supply chain.

Beeble AI raises $4.75M to launch a virtual production platform for indie filmmakers

Kate Park — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:36:05 +0000

Visual effects (VFX) have emerged as essential in filmmaking and have transformed storytelling and creativity in the film industry with its diverse digital techniques. However, the high cost of VFX tools often leaves independent filmmakers and content creators working with modest budgets struggling to compete with larger productions. A new company, Beeble AI, is turning […]

Japan’s SmartHR raises $140M Series E as strong demand for HR tech boosts its ARR to $100M

Kate Park — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 09:38:11 +0000

The round was led by KKR and Teachers' Ventures Growth, an investment arm of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.

SoftBank forms AI healthcare JV in Japan with Tempus

Kate Park — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 13:12:45 +0000

SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son announced on Thursday that the Japanese tech giant has set up a joint venture in the country with Chicago-based health tech company Tempus. Together, the pair plan to develop AI-powered personalized medical services, by way of analyzing data in Japan under the name SB Tempus. The company plans to start […]

Samsara Eco is working to replace plastic packaging with fossil fuel-free alternatives

Kate Park — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Samsara Eco makes and sells fossil-free polymer resins. These resins can be integrated into supply chains and potentially replace plastic packaging and textile products with more sustainable alternatives. The Australian startup made a significant stride on Wednesday, securing an additional $65 million in all equity ($100 million AUD). The round was co-led by Temasek and […]

k-ID wins $45M to help game devs speedrun the child safety compliance puzzle

Kate Park — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 12:59:00 +0000

k-ID's platform makes it easy for game devs to comply with child safety and data privacy regulations.

Bitsensing raises $25M for its high-resolution radar in autonomous driving

Kate Park — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:22:41 +0000

Self-driving vehicles rely on many sensors to detect objects and the world around them. The conventional approach is to work with cameras and lidars. But some tech companies and startups have built advanced high-resolution radar technology for autonomous vehicles, also known as 4D imaging radar. Among them is a South Korea-based startup called bitsensing. The […]

Autify launches Zenes, an AI agent for software quality assurance

Kate Park — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

With the advent of generative AI, AI applications are transforming and reshaping various industries and changing how people work. Software development is no exception. San Francisco- and Tokyo-based startup Autify has built an autonomous AI agent for software quality assurance to help software engineers complete code quickly, streamline workflows and increase productivity. In other words, […]

Perplexity AI searches for users in Japan, via SoftBank deal

Kate Park, Ingrid Lunden — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 12:16:53 +0000

After announcing a strategic partnership with SoftBank in April, Perplexity — the AI search engine that has ambitions to take on Google — is now using the deal to expand its user base, and data touchpoints, in SoftBank’s home market of Japan. SoftBank and two of its mobile operations, Y!mobile (SoftBank’s mobile phone operator) and […]

Fabless AI chip makers Rebellions and Sapeon to merge as competition heats up in global AI hardware industry

Kate Park — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:15:52 +0000

South Korea’s fabless AI chip industry saw a slew of fundraising events over the last couple of years as demand for hardware to power AI applications skyrocketed, and it seems the space is already consolidating. Two of the country’s prominent fabless AI chip startups, Rebellions and Sapeon, have agreed to merge, the companies said on […]

Linq raises $6.6M to use AI to make research easier for financial analysts

Kate Park — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 22:30:00 +0000

When generative AI tools started making waves in late 2022 after the launch of ChatGPT, the finance industry was one of the first to recognize these tools’ potential for speeding up the data-gathering and research process. Speed, after all, is vital when you’re advising investors who need to respond quickly to market changes. Now a […]

VC firm Antler’s CEO says Asia presents ‘biggest opportunity’ in the world for growth

Kate Park — Fri, 31 May 2024 13:28:10 +0000

We caught up with Antler founder and CEO Magnus Grimeland about the startup scene in Asia, the current tech startup trends in the region and investment approaches during the rise of AI technology.