Series Ventures Runs Third W-Venture Startup Competition; Kipyu Takes Top Prize

Series Ventures said on Oct. 7 that eight teams won awards at the third W-Venture Startup Competition, with Kipyu (키퓨), a startup in the technology track, taking the grand prize and the accompanying Busan Mayor's Award.

Series Ventures ran the competition, which was co-hosted by the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Women's Venture Association, Kyungnam College of Information and Technology and Busan Women's College. It was open to prospective women founders in the Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang region and to women-led companies less than seven years old.

A total of 82 teams applied. Eight teams cleared the preliminary round — five in the technology track and three in the lifestyle track — and presented their final business models in the final.

The other winners were: Ipeu (이프), Next-Generation Woman Entrepreneur Award (Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Women's Venture Association prize); Memoment, Pre-Unicorn Award (Busan Regional Office of SMEs and Startups prize); Aurena, Enterprise Award (Busan Regional Office of SMEs and Startups prize); UWellNow, Innovation Award (Busan Technology Startup Investment Agency prize); The One, W Creator Award (Busan Technology Startup Investment Agency prize); Jangsu Bio, KIT Women's Startup Star Award (Kyungnam College of Information and Technology president's prize); and Synapse-ED, BWC Women's Startup Star Award (Busan Women's College president's prize).

"This was a competition in which women founders in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region showed real growth potential through their technology and ideas," an official at Series Ventures said. "We will continue to provide investment connections and accelerating support so that women founders in the region can grow into unicorn companies."