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Korean deep tech startups
Trends
- 1South Korea's Deep-Tech Boom Turns Star Professors into VC Targets▼South Korea's Deep-Tech Startup Boom Sends Professor Valuations Soaring as VCs Wage War for 'Tech Gurus'
South Korea is experiencing a deep-tech startup boom that has driven up the valuations of university professors involved in research commercialisation. Venture capital firms are competing aggressively to back these academics, described as 'tech gurus', as investors seek access to cutting-edge technologies emerging from laboratories. The trend highlights how academic expertise has become a scarce and prized asset in the country's startup funding race.
- 2In Korean Deep Tech, Funding a Project Isn't Building a Company▼In Korean Deep Tech, Funding the Project Is Not the Same as Building the Company
A new commentary argues that South Korea's deep tech sector faces a structural gap: startups are securing project-based public funding, but that money alone does not translate into sustainable, founder-led companies. The piece suggests Korea needs to shift from funding research projects toward building durable businesses with long-term commercial strategies, a debate now resonating across the country's startup ecosystem.