BetaPitch Seoul
The event was a huge success as 9 startups in Korea battled it out at BetaPitch Seoul 2018. In addition, it was in front of the Korean startup community and the betahausX team on October 11th at Google Campus Seoul. Betahaus is a co-working space and community for people who want to work on their own projects while exchanging knowledge, ideas, and inspiration with others. The winner of each local competition gets to come to Berlin. There they can network, and meet partners at the Investors Day taking place on the 15th of November 2018 and pitch against the global finalists for the biggest prizes.
BetaPitch Seoul 2018 was organized by 500v2 the organizers of Runway to RISE Seoul and Startup Festival 2017, and Betahaus with sponsorships from Nivea, a German personal care brand, and Foresting, a blockchain social media company. In addition, the event brought key players in the Korean startup ecosystem such as VCs, accelerators, media, and entrepreneurs. They were there to not only support the startups but to learn more about the Berlin startup scene. Many were able to grow their network in and outside of Korea.
Bridging Startup Ecosystems
BetaPitch Seoul not only brought in these 9 startups in Korea to pitch but also had a panel talk on briding startup ecosystems. The panel talk was moderated by Erick Cornelius of G3 Partners. The panelists included Daniel Song of Access Ventures, Antonio Yoon of Intops, Michael Hwang of Across Asia Alliance, and Katka Nagyová of betahausX.
The panelist gave their insight and shared their experiences in startups looking to enter new markets. Furthermore, they talked about the strategies to take as well as whether going global right from the start is a good idea. The main takeaway was that each situation is different for every case but in general, it is important to try and succeed in your local market before thinking about going global. Furthermore, when deciding to enter new markets it is vital to look at your competition. If you don’t know your competition you have not done enough research as there are always other companies doing the same thing. The schedule for the event was tight. It did not allow for Q&A after the panel talk however many were able to connect with the VCs and accelerators there during the networking session.
Korea Blockchain Scene Breakdown by Foresting
The blockchain-based social media network Foresting was one of the main sponsors for the BetaPitch Seoul 2018. Currently, they are hard at work as they sprint into launching their MVP in the coming months. Jakhongir Gulomov, the Global Communications Manager of Foresting spoke about the Korean blockchain ecosystem and why Koreans are crazy about crypto. In addition, he spoke about the Kimchi Premium as well as the top crypto exchanges, startups, and VCs in Korea. There was also a presentation on Foresting a blockchain social media platform which will be launching early in 2019.
“The Korean government is behind Blockchain technologies in Korea. So it is important for blockchain startups in Korea to cooperate with global blockchain projects,” said Jakhongir Gulomov.
BetahausX
Katka Nagyová the head of startup relations at betahausX spoke about why betapitch has come back to Seoul and the importance of growing their community to the Asian market. She expressed the importance of building the bridge from Europe to Asia. It will be beneficial for both regions as they learn from one another. Betahaus has seen a huge growth in the Korean startup ecosystem and is excited to help Korean startups enter the European market.
“Connecting startups in Korea to Berlin helps us to bring the unique intelligence of South Korea to the region and to find innovative partners on the global level. Joining the right community is the key factor for the success of startups in their early stage. We are looking forward to supporting Korean startups with Betahaus global community and network of investors, corporate partners, and mentors.”
BetaPitch
The judges for the BetaPitch included Katka Nagyová and Antonio Yoon. Along with Ksenia Semenova of Cindicator and Endrik Hasemann of Nivea. There was a 3-minute presentation from each startup. Then afterward there was a 3 minute Q&A. First up was…..
ADRIEL AI
Adriel AI is an AI-based digital marketing company based in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul. They employ machine learning, data science, natural language processing, and computer vision. This is to ensure that customers obtain the highest ROI. Therefore, with their state-of-the-art technology, advertisers are guaranteed effective digital marketing campaigns and execution.
Otia Modular Furniture
Otia manufactures modern modular furniture for the minimal home, blending modernity and social trend. Therefore, their products are designed with the highest quality materials, classic styling, and modifiable functionalities. In addition, their products include shelves, sideboard, side tables, storage unit among others.
Perfitt
Perfitt is the perfect and ultimate footwear size measurement for footwear buyers as well as manufacturers. Furthermore, this is achieved through their patented shoe size measuring device which delivers the customer’s foot size within 3 seconds.
ROBORUS – Robot R Us
Roborus is an AI-based smart ordering robot providing efficient service for cafes and restaurants. It uses voice and face recognition, dialogue database, emotional intelligence, and machine learning to identify customers and provide customized services for them. In addition, it also utilizes IoT automation functions.
Rhoonart
Rhoonart is a commission-free platform that allows artists to compose music. Furthermore, it has a database of hundreds of songwriters. Here you can request the services of commercial music and it will be delivered easily. Therefore it is considered the next generation music marketplace.
Total Cross
TotalCross is a development tool that helps companies and Java developers to create and maintain applications with a source code. They are a single development team, delivering the same app for iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and Mac. Therefore, their vision is to create the next generation of cross-platforms. In addition, it helps Java developers to easily create beautiful mobile applications for all platforms on the market.
Rocky Robots
Voice and video are becoming eminent in the next generation of internet and Robots are at the forefront of personal voice assistance. Therefore Rocky Robots helps you to achieve maximum productivity. In addition, it was designed to be your personal coach. In addition to enhancing your daily self-improvement routines.
JOBFINDR
Jobfindr a job and talent search platform providing employment opportunities for foreign nationals in their adopted homes. The platform serves a community represented by over 130 nationalities, helping them launch global careers. In addition, one of their offline events; Connector, is a non-profit monthly networking event. Therefore, it brings together international students. As well as local or global companies.
WishPoke
Wishpoke is a social network app that allows you to share and inspire your beloved ones through gifts. Therefore, by creating a social network where people can share pictures of what matters, people can now save wishes that don’t always come with a price tag and inspire others. Furthermore, it is simple to use. Therefore, just make a wish-registry and your friends and family will be able to get you your ideal gift.
Winners Announced!
In third place…..Rocky Robot!
In second place…..Total Cross!
In first place….Rhoonart!!
Hope to see everyone next year!
