Startup funding in South Korea 2026
January to September 2026. Data as of 23 October 2026.
Release
Total
Startups in South Korea raised $1.5B in 332 venture rounds from January to September 2026, 16th of 119 countries, according to FundingWatcher.
Without rounds of $100M or more
South Korea had no round of $100M or more in January to September 2026.
Largest round
The largest round was DEEPX in Seongnam: $80M, Series D, in August 2026.
Cities
Seoul startups raised $593M, 38.6% of the national total, ahead of Seongnam with $326M.
Early stage
Pre-seed, seed, angel and Series A rounds under $100M: 275 rounds, $656M.
Source
Source: FundingWatcher, startup funding by country and city 2026, https://fundingwatcher.com/research/startup-funding-by-country-2026/
Cities
| City | Rounds | Total | Under $100M | Rounds of $100M+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 159 | $593M | $593M | 0 |
| Seongnam | 34 | $326M | $326M | 0 |
| Seocho | 6 | $84M | $84M | 0 |
| Yongin | 2 | $64M | $64M | 0 |
| Daejeon | 11 | $54M | $54M | 0 |
| Yeoksamdong | 2 | $46M | $46M | 0 |
| Busan | 21 | $42M | $42M | 0 |
| Seongdong | 3 | $33M | $33M | 0 |
| Dogokdong | 1 | $29M | $29M | 0 |
| Gangneung | 3 | $27M | $27M | 0 |
| Ansan | 2 | $23M | $23M | 0 |
| Namyangju | 1 | $20M | $20M | 0 |
Largest rounds
| Company | City | Round | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEEPX | Seongnam | Series D | 2026-08-03 | $80M |
| THEBLACKLABEL | Seoul | Series B | 2026-05-20 | $80M |
| Wrtn Technologies | Seoul | Series C | 2026-08-26 | $72M |
| WIRobotics | Yongin | Series B | 2026-05-15 | $63M |
| Dnotitia | Seocho | Series A | 2026-04-21 | $63M |
| BOS Semiconductors | Seongnam | Series A | 2026-02-23 | $60M |
| Mobilint | Yeoksamdong | Series C | 2026-04-01 | $46M |
| CarbonSix | Seoul | Series A | 2026-07-01 | $40M |
| IHW | Seongnam | Series A | 2026-08-19 | $37M |
| Asteromorph | Seoul | seed | 2026-05-29 | $31M |
Method
332 rounds in South Korea in the FundingWatcher startup file: companies whose most recent round is a named stage, pre-seed and angel through Series J, dated January to September 2026. One round per company, the latest. Debt, grants, corporate rounds, private equity and secondary sales are not counted. 184 of the 332 rounds carry an amount. Method and data files: startup funding by country and city, 2026.
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