Kakao

Kakao names Shina Chung, previously its VC lead, as new CEO amid ongoing crisis 

South Korean internet giant Kakao — in the middle of multiple investigations over antitrust and securities violations — has appointed a new CEO as it tries to turn the ship around. Shina C

Kakao ups its game in generative AI with Karlo 2.0, an AI image generator

South Korean tech giant Kakao wants a piece of the action in the generative AI race, and today it made a bid for it, with big updates to its AI image generator Karlo and its KoGPT large language model

NFT avatar enabler GoodGang has the blessings of Korean giants Kakao and Naver

Critics have long discredited non-fungible tokens as overpriced JPEGs sold by people who want to make quick bucks. NFT believers want to prove them wrong and show that these certificates of digital ar

Kakao Mobility picks up ‘super app’ startup Splyt, once backed by SoftBank and Grab

Kakao Mobility, the ride-hailing subsidiary of South Korean messaging and internet giant Kakao, has made its first acquisition as it looks to raise its international profile. It has acquired Splyt, a

Kakao Entertainment lands $966M from sovereign wealth funds, including Saudi Arabia’s PIF 

Kakao Entertainment announced today it has raised $966 million (1.2 trillion won) in financing from sovereign wealth funds, such as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Singapore-base

Kakao co-CEO resigns, company to invest over $300M to build data center after mass outage

Whon Namkoong, the co-chief executive of Kakao, has resigned in a remarkable demonstration of corporate accountability after a fire incident at an SK C&C data center in Pangyo, south of Seoul, cau

Shares of Korean internet giant Kakao slide after fire disrupts service

The stock price of South Korea’s internet giant Kakao tumbled on Monday after a fire at a data center that cut off power on Saturday, causing several service malfunctions. The blaze at the SK C&

Kakao says emoji subscription purchases fell by a third due to Google’s new in-app policy

The number of emoji subscription purchases on the South Korean messaging app KakaoTalk has dropped by a third over the year, parent firm Kakao said in quarterly earnings call Thursday. It blamed Googl

Kakao confirms it is removing its external payment option after standoff with Google 

South Korean messaging giant Kakao confirmed today it will remove an external payment option after Google blocked the South Korean company behind KakaoTalk from issuing updates.  Kakao continued usin

KakaoEntertainment acquires fantasy fiction platform Wuxiaworld

South Korean startup Kakao Entertainment announced today it has acquired Wuxiaworld, an Asia fantasy fiction platform, via its serialized fiction app subsidiary Radish to bolster the mobile storyte

Superplastic raises $20M to expand its cartoon influencer universe

A company from the creator of Ello and Kidrobot is announcing a new $20 million funding round to build out an imagined virtual world populated with deranged-yet-cute cartoon influencers. Superplastic&

Serial fiction app Radish acquired by Kakao Entertainment for $440M

Serialized fiction app Radish will be acquired by Kakao Entertainment in a transaction valued at $440 million. Kakao Entertainment is owned by Kakao, the South Korean internet giant whose services inc

Backed by LG, AmazeVR is hoping to resurrect virtual reality’s consumer dreams

For more than 100 years, entrepreneurs have come to Hollywood to try their luck in the dream factory and build an empire in the business of storytelling. Propelled by new technologies, new businessmen

Snap is channeling Asia’s messaging giants with its move into gaming

Snap is taking a leaf out of the Asian messaging app playbook as its social messaging service enters a new era. The company unveiled a series of new strategies that are aimed at breathing fresh life i

Japanese internet giant Recruit has a new $25M blockchain fund

Crypto market prices may be down significantly, but new investors continue to enter the blockchain space. The latest is Recruit Holdings, the $45 billion Japanese internet giant that owns Glassdoor am

Foxconn pulls back on its $10 billion factory commitment

Well that didn’t last long. In 2017, Foxconn announced the largest investment of a foreign company in the United States when it selected Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin for a new manufacturing facility. B

Snap is being probed over its IPO because some investors are salty about losing money

Here’s something I didn’t expect to read today. The U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission has subpoenaed Snap for details on its IPO apparently in connection with

Korean AI startup Skelter Labs lands strategic investment to expand to Southeast Asia

Korean AI startup Skelter Labs is expanding to Southeast Asia after it pulled in undisclosed funding from Singapore-based VC firm Golden Gate Ventures. Skelter Labs was founded in 2015 by founded by

Korean lending startup PeopleFund raises $11M led by chat app Kakao’s payment unit

South Korean peer-to-peer lending startup PeopleFund is in the money itself after it raised an $11 million Series B funding round that was led by Kakao Pay, the fintech division of Kakao, Korea&#8217

Chat app Line’s games business raises $110M for growth opportunities

Messaging app firm Line has given up majority control of its Line Games business after it raised outside financing to expand its collection of titles and go after global opportunities. The Line Games
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