About K-Startup Grand Challenge
K-Startup Grand Challenge, an accelerator and incubator program founded in 2016, is based in Seongnam-si, South Korea. With a presence in 48 countries, it has supported around 262 startups in sectors like Enterprise Applications, High Tech. As of Oct 2026, K-Startup Grand Challenge has 1 unicorn under its belt and has witnessed 18 portfolio exits. Most notable companies in
its portfolio include Preply, Bear Robotics and Jugnoo. The program is backed by a team of 2 people who primarily support Grant (prize money) startups based in United States. Its latest investment was a Undisclosed Grant (prize money) round in Nao Now on Nov 14, 2022.
Key Metrics
Founded Year
2016
Location
Seongnam-si, South Korea
Portfolio Companies
Sectors of Investment
Stages of Investment
Grant (prize money) & Seed
Locations of Investment
Unicorn in Portfolio
K-Startup Grand Challenge's List of Top Investments
K-Startup Grand Challenge has a portfolio of 262 companies, one of which is a Unicorn. Their most notable investments are in Findster and NSS Water.Their portfolio spans across United States, Singapore, India and 45 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Consumer and 31 other sectors, across stages such as Grant (prize money), Seed stages. Here is the list of top investments by K-Startup Grand Challenge:
1. Preply
Platform connects language learners with online tutors for personalized lessons. It facilitates language acquisition through one-on-one online tutoring. The platform enables students to find tutors based on their needs and preferences. It offers a virtual environment for language practice and instruction. The platform also provides corporate language training, offering businesses personalized language learning with online tutors.
Key facts about Preply
- Founded Year: 2012
- Location: Brookline (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $321M
- Employee Count: 19,434 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Evli Growth Partners, WestCap and 38 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Dec 31, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Developer of autonomous mobile robots for various industries and applications. The company provides robots designed for use in restaurants, senior living facilities, hospitals, entertainment venues, hotels, and airport lounges. These robots also serve warehouses, factories, and ghost kitchens. The robots are engineered for efficient delivery on various surfaces and navigation in tight spaces.
Key facts about Bear Robotics
3. Jugnoo
On-demand ride-sharing platform through its aggregation of auto rickshaws. It provides a digital platform for managing transportation businesses, offering tools to automate and optimize operations, and also operates an on-demand ride-sharing service aggregating auto rickshaws in India.
Key facts about Jugnoo
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (India)
- Annual Revenue: ₹10 - ₹50 Cr as on Mar 31, 2025
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $16.9M
- Employee Count: 93 as on Aug 31, 2025
- Investors: Rocketship, Paytm and 46 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), 2017, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
4. igloohome
Developer of keyless smart locks for both consumer and commercial applications. Its first offering is called Smart Keybox that can be unlocked with a PIN with Bluetooth. It also allows setting the starting day, time, and duration for which the code or key will work and unlocking the shackle with supplied physical keys.
Key facts about igloohome
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Singapore (Singapore)
- Annual Revenue: SGD 10M - 50M as on Dec 31, 2023
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $32M
- Employee Count: 105 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Innoven Capital, Singtel Innov8 and 46 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, May 2024, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. myFirst
Retailer of tech products including watch phones, cameras, and audio. The company provides various devices such as cameras, drawing tools, and watch phones. Subscription services are available, offering connectivity plans for their devices. They also offer support resources, including help desks and user manuals.
Key facts about myFirst
- Founded Year: 2020
- Location: Singapore (Singapore)
- Stage: Series A
- Total Funding till date: $10.6M
- Employee Count: 106 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Vertex Ventures, Golden Equator Capital and 2 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series A, Mar 02, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
K-Startup Grand Challenge's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
K-Startup Grand Challenge has invested in 262 companies over the last 10 years, with an average of 23 new investments annually in the last 10 years. Its most recent first time investment was in Nao Now.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
2021 | 29 | 0 | 29 |
2020 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
2019 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
2018 | 68 | 0 | 68 |
2017 | 50 | 0 | 50 |
K-Startup Grand Challenge's Investments by Stage
K-Startup Grand Challenge has made 260 investments in Grant (prize money) stage with an average round size of $67.9K and 2 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $860K.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Grant (prize money) | 260 |
Seed | 2 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
K-Startup Grand Challenge's Investments by Sector
K-Startup Grand Challenge has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Consumer, Sustainability Tech and Retail. Notably, it has invested in 206 Tech companies, 142 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 117 Software companies and at least 98 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 89 |
High Tech | 54 |
Consumer | 52 |
Sustainability Tech | 30 |
Retail | 27 |
Others | 323 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
K-Startup Grand Challenge's Investments by Geography
K-Startup Grand Challenge has made most investments in United States (48), followed by Singapore where it has made 28 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
United States | 48 |
Singapore | 28 |
India | 23 |
United Kingdom | 20 |
South Korea | 13 |
Others | 127 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
K-Startup Grand Challenge's recent investments
K-Startup Grand Challenge has not made any investment in 2026 so far.Here are the most recent investments by K-Startup Grand Challenge:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 14, 2022 | United States | Grant (prize money) | 9027 | - | |
Nov 14, 2022 | Singapore | Grant (prize money) | 9751 | - | |
2022 | Brazil | Grant (prize money) | 2620 | - | |
2022 | India | Grant (prize money) | 6591 | - | |
2022 | India | Grant (prize money) | 2885 | - |
Unicorns in K-Startup Grand Challenge's Portfolio
K-Startup Grand Challenge has 1 unicorn in its portfolio - Preply. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Preply which became a unicorn in 2026, 8 years after K-Startup Grand Challenge first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in K-Startup Grand Challenge's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
74 | Platform connects language learners with online tutors for personalized lessons | 2012 | Brookline | Series D | pjkscvf |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in K-Startup Grand Challenge's Portfolio
2 of K-Startup Grand Challenge's portfolio companies have become public.Here are K-Startup Grand Challenge's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
- | 2018 | Grant (prize money) | 4881 | |
- | 2018 | Grant (prize money) | 7475 |
Acquired companies in K-Startup Grand Challenge's Portfolio
16 companies from K-Startup Grand Challenge's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Highered.Here are K-Startup Grand Challenge's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Feb 18, 2026 | 2018 | Grant (prize money) | 6672 | |
Feb 09, 2026 | Dec 06, 2016 | Grant (prize money) | 6884 | |
Jan 24, 2025 | 2017 | Grant (prize money) | 4270 | |
Nov 19, 2024 | 2017 | Grant (prize money) | 3069 | |
Nov 04, 2024 | 2018 | Grant (prize money) | 9175 |
Team profile of K-Startup Grand Challenge
K-Startup Grand Challenge has a team of 2 members including 2 Partners. K-Startup Grand Challenge's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Co-investors of K-Startup Grand Challenge
Over the past 10 years, 666 investors have co-invested in K-Startup Grand Challenge's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before K-Startup Grand Challenge: Europa, EIC Fund and 290 others have invested in rounds before K-Startup Grand Challenge. There are 9 companies where Europa has invested before K-Startup Grand Challenge and 5 companies where EIC Fund has invested before K-Startup Grand Challenge.
- Top Co-investors of K-Startup Grand Challenge: 8 investors entered a company along with K-Startup Grand Challenge. These include investors like HAX (1 company).
- Invested after K-Startup Grand Challenge: A total of 366 investors have invested in K-Startup Grand Challenge's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Europa (6 companies) and MassChallenge (5 companies).
