A look at the winners of Google’s Global K-Startup Competition 2012

The winners for the Global K-Startup Competition, which aims to help Korean startups go global, were announced in December.  From an initial application of 250 teams, 30 were selected and are now in the midst of building their businesses. Earlier in October, 5 teams left for London and Silicon Valley to network with VCs and startups.

1st Prize Winner

KnowRe

In a nutshell: KnowRe develops adaptive learning applications for the web, tablets, and mobile devices. It believes that technology can improve the educational experience of every student by providing assessments of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses; personalized adaptive curriculum, and gamification and social features to motivate user experience.

2nd Prize Winners

MeditPLUS

In a nutshell: The “iClinic” series by MeditPLUS provides patients with access to information about illnesses and surgeries via mobile machines and phones, and can be synchronized with websites. By using the “iClinic” series, patients will be given treatment online, whenever and wherever they need it. This also enables medical staff to foster reliable relationships, give good advice, and even advertise their medical services.

Frograms

In a nutshell: Watcha is a personalized and automated recommendation system for movies by Frograms’ algorithm. Users join Watcha and rate 10 movies to receive personalized recommendations for movies and other content categories like TV shows and books. Watcha currently provides only web service, but will launch an App (with streaming feature) in December 2012.

3rd Prize Winners

Malang Studio

In a nutshell: Malang Studio’s Alarm Mon aims to change the way users associate alarms, replacing unpleasant, loud and annoying sounds with more amusement and fun. Alarm Mon is an alarm app with gamification features, allowing users to select and “raise” their favourite alarm characters into full-grown creatures — similar to the Tamagotchi digital pet — or receive discounts and coupons offered by brands and marketers.

ClassTing

In a nutshell: ClassTing makes it easy for students to share writings, pictures, movies and class materials with classmates, complete with privacy settings. It features a private counselling room, mentoring feeds, news updates and Personal portfolio for users to keep track of memories during their school days.

Magiceco

In a nutshell: Magiceco is a platform that can control open hardware and smartphones with using a cloud and WYSIWYG web editor. It consists of embedded software to control open hardware, hybrid launcher for smart phone, app store and automatic distribution execution and managing modules, and a web-based authoring tool.

4th Prize Winners

BrainGarden

In a nutshell: Learning English vocabulary is fun and social with BrainGarden, where users can grow their “word garden”, challenge and help friends, and even track personal performance.

Bdrive

In a nutshell: Bdrive allows users easy access to their remote smart devices, enables users to build personalized, social and mobile clouds, share files easily with their friends. It works anywhere with internet access. Bdrive comes in 3 product specifications: End User Software,  Developer Software, and Freemium Service, which is free for home users.

MagicSearch

In a nutshell: Magic Search is a search service that allows casual input errors, without restrictions and suggestions. Current search modules in the Korean language do not guarantee consistency and integrity. Magic Search finds unintended mistakes of users quickly during the process of comparing the user input and database, and suggests the answer closest to a user’s original intention.

Teamtalk

In a nutshell: Teamtalk is an application that provides mobile group meeting management services, designed to focus on arranging appointments, attending meetings, surveying and managing members.

5th Prize Winners

Figtree Labs

In a nutshell: Whatugot works on the premise of ‘Collection+Boasting+Finding new interest+Communication+Consumption’. It caters to various business models like shopping malls, and social commerce.

Dodol

In a nutshell: Dodol develops simple utility cloud applications related to MDM (Mobile Device Management) and PIMS (Personal Information Management Service). MDM manages cell phones with remote screen lock and data deletion when people lose their phones; and PIMS manages personal information such as call / message logs, notes, to-do lists, and schedules.

Real Font

In a nutshell: Real Font allows users to make their own fonts in Korean, English, Japanese and Cursive English, and is available only in the Android market.

Music Media

In a nutshell: Music Media currently provides online singing evaluation and diagnosis, scoring each evaluation item with comments. Music Media intends to extend into evaluation of compositions and lyrics.

TextureLab

In a nutshell: Into.it is a social ticket album. Users record and share what they are watching, listening to and reading as they collect tickets on their collections; decorate tickets using still-cuts, trailer videos, quotes and lyrics; record all their memories. Into.it gives rewards to heavy users by providing exclusive tickets, discounts and other personalized information of their favorite content.

About the author

Sharon Yar is a self-confessed Coca-Cola addict, paper model maker, aspiring karaoke superstar – and also Creative Entrepreneur at Peepshow Creative. With close to 16 years of experience in consumer advertising, her portfolio of clients includes Singapore Airlines, Volkswagen, Sony, Nike, Levi’s, Tiger Beer, Chivas Regal, Raffles Hotels and Four Seasons. She has developed campaigns across a wide range of channels, including Corporate Identity, Web Design, Digital, Social Media and App Development. Want to know more? Email Sharon at yar (at) peepshowcreative.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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