KOCCA – Korea Creative Content Agency successfully organized Launchpad Virtual Demo Day USA 2020, on October 28. The online event, organized in collaboration with Strong Ventures and BAM Ventures, had ten emerging technology startups showcase their products and services. beSUCCESS media was also partner for the virtual event. The Live Demo Day was attended by Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, companies looking for partnership deals, and distribution channels.
The startups presented their services via the zoom system and were asked questions regarding potential customers, revenue models, global expansion, etc. by a panel of esteemed judges. Apart from KOCCA representatives, the program was also hosted by John Nahm, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Strong Ventures, and Richard Jun, Co-founder and Managing Director of BAM Ventures.
John Nahm primarily supports and finances startups in Korea and Asian-American founders in the US. He is also a Venture Partner of Primer, South Korea’s first and top startup accelerator program, and the Executive Director of KOLABS, a co-working space. Prior to being an investor, John had co-founded a telephone-internet startup and worked extensively in Silicon Valley.
Richard Jun’s BAM Ventures is a top-performing early-stage consumer fund based in Los Angeles. He has invested in and helped accelerate the growth of some of the most recognizable consumer brands of today. He has personally led investments in over 80 companies to date.
The main judges of the Launchpad Virtual Demo Day USA were:
• Joseph Guzel – FinTech and Commerce Investor
Joseph is a VC with Crosslink, a leading firm interested in FinTech, commerce, and consumer technology. Joseph has worked with various companies like Chime, Personal Capital, Brace.ai, Arturo, Clyde, Novo, Wave Meditation, Step Mobile, Roofr, Great Jones, Comparably, AutoFi, HitRecord, WeRecover, Huckleberry, Nav, Fountain, and Homelight, etc.
• Caroline Jacobs – Investor with United Talent Agency (UTA)
Caroline has worked with BAM Ventures earlier and is now handling Ventures, UTA’s early-stage investment arm. She is also involved in mentoring entrepreneurs and has been a speaker at startup events.
• Sunny Midha – Investor, M&A Advisor – Media & Technology
Sunny is a TMT Investment Banker with an interest in late-stage growth firms. He has worked in London, Los Angeles, and New York with interest in investment banking, eCommerce startups, film, media, (e)sports, and technology venture capital experience.
The startups that presented their pitches were:
Ten Korean startups participated for the KOCCA Launchpad Virtual Demo Day 2020 – USA and presented their services and products to the panel of investors, judges and media.
1) Alyce Healthcare: A fitness startup that offers AI-driven personal trainer solution ‘Weelo.’
2) Beanzsoft: A startup that has developed the easy-to-use video-editing app AiTube for YouTubers.
3) BEMYPET: A startup that makes creative pet-related content making pet-companionship fun for children.
4) Influedo: A platform that connects K-Pop global fans with K-Pop artists.
5) ONESOFTDIGM: A fitness startup that has developed a pocket-size device Citrus Plus to measure body fat, muscle mass & vital health indices.
6) Original Innovation Group: A startup that has developed the world’s first K-Pop digital collectibles marketplace platform – PICKIT.
7) QSTAG: A health-tech startup that provides a self-health care monitoring urine test strip, making disease prediction easy and affordable.
8) Rezi: A startup that is helping users make better resumes with its Resume Software service.
9) VODABI: The startup has developed an app to help businesses analyze mobile sales calls.
10) Wayne Hills Ventures Co. Ltd.: A startup that has developed an AI technology that converts text to video content.
About KOCCA Launchpad
KOCCA, the host of this online live-streaming event, is the South Korean government’s leading agency in charge of supporting and advancing the cause of Korean creative content within South Korea and abroad. KOCCA organizes its Launchpad event annually to promote Korean startups to various VCs, investors worldwide, but this year due to COVID-19 outbreak the program was shifted to virtual version.
In 2019, the KOCCA Launchpad Demo Day was held in Los Angeles, USA, where nine startups had participated in the program. The KOCCA Launchpad LA 2019 had pitching sessions, coaching sessions, VC meetings, workshops, etc., for startups spread over eight days from November 11 to 19. Last year, the participating startups Stipop and Veam have been selected for the Snap Yellow Accelerator program 2020. The two startups are among the ten selected companies from across the world to be part of the third edition of the Yellow Accelerator Program run by Snap Inc.
Read about past events organized by KOCCA on koreatechdesk.com,
