AI Firm MakinaRocks Launches KOSDAQ IPO Process

*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an 'AI-based customized news recommendation and summarization service' developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and delivers six tailored news items for each reader type.

1. "1 Billion Won Grand Prize" — National Audition to Nurture 5,000 Innovative Entrepreneurs

- Key Summary: The Ministry of SMEs and Startups held a launch ceremony for its "Startup for All" national entrepreneurship audition program at DreamPlus Gangnam in Seoul's Gangnam district on Friday. The program will select 4,000 participants in the innovation (technology) category and 1,000 in the local business category. Through regional auditions, zone-level auditions, and a national competition, the top 100 finalists in the technology category will each receive 100 million won, and the single grand winner will receive 1 billion won including prize money and investment. A 50 billion won "Startup Fever Fund" will be established to support sustained growth, and mentors including Toss CEO Lee Seung-gun and Wrtn CEO Lee Se-young will participate as senior advisors. A separate "Local Commercial Districts for All" project will also run in parallel to foster local entrepreneurs, with plans to create a 200 billion won investment fund dedicated to local businesses by 2030.

2. MakinaRocks Files Securities Registration Statement, Formally Launches IPO Process

- Key Summary: MakinaRocks, an industrial AI company, filed a securities registration statement with the Financial Services Commission (FSC) on Friday and formally began the process of listing on the KOSDAQ market. The company plans to offer a total of 2.635 million shares at an indicative price band of 12,500 won to 15,000 won, translating to total proceeds of 32.9 billion won to 39.5 billion won ($24 million to $29 million). Founded in 2017, MakinaRocks secured Series A investment from Applied Ventures, LG Corp. (003550), SK, and Naver, among others, and has raised a cumulative 53 billion won in funding including strategic investors (SIs) such as GS Corp. (078930), Samsung, POSCO, and Hanwha Corp. (000880). The company plans to use the IPO proceeds for advancing its proprietary AI operating system "Runway," its core competitive asset, and for expanding into global markets.

3. Saving the Environment and Skin — Global Push with Starfish-Based Mask Packs

- Key Summary: Startup StasTech has fully rebranded its skincare brand "LABOPE" to meet global standards and launched a new mask pack featuring collagen extracted from starfish, an invasive species that disrupts marine ecosystems. Starfish feed on coral reefs and contribute to increased carbon dioxide emissions, and StasTech has been converting them into resources for products including de-icing agents and cosmetic ingredients. When the company first launched its cosmetics in 2022, it sold out its entire inventory within 30 minutes during a live commerce broadcast with a Chinese wanghong (influencer), confirming its global market potential. Products are currently sold through online and offline channels including Incheon International Airport duty-free shops, and the company has raised a total of 24.3 billion won from investors including POSCO Technology Investment and CKD Venture Capital.

4. Arm, Long a Design-Only Firm, Now Makes Its Own Chips — CPU Market Faces Seismic Shift

- Key Summary: Arm, the world's largest semiconductor intellectual property (IP) company, unveiled its first in-house AI data center central processing unit (CPU), the "Arm AGI CPU," 35 years after its founding. The chip is manufactured using TSMC's 3nm (nanometer) process and is designed to run up to 136 cores at 300W of power. Meta has been confirmed as the first customer, and OpenAI, Cerebras, and SK Telecom have also expressed intent to adopt the chip. SK hynix (000660.KS) is participating as a memory solution partner. Arm has set a target of generating $15 billion (approximately 22.47 trillion won) in annual revenue from the new chip within five years. Forecasts also suggest that CPU growth will outpace graphics processing unit (GPU) growth by 2028.

The 2028 "Great Semiconductor Upheaval" Is Coming | The Inside Story of SKT & Rebellions Partnering with Arm

5. "Blanket Regulation of Dual Listings Could Shrink Venture M&A Market"

- Key Summary: At a forum titled "Issues and Improvement Directions for Dual Listings" held at the National Assembly Library on Friday, concerns were raised that uniform dual-listing regulations could dampen venture mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and new business investment. Ahn Sang-jun, vice chairman of the Korea Venture Capital Association, warned that blocking a structure where listed companies acquire startups, retain them as subsidiaries, and then recover funds through follow-on investment and subsidiary IPOs could slow the overall funding cycle in Korea's venture ecosystem. The industry is concerned that Korea's domestic venture M&A market, already modest compared to major global markets, could contract further, and that investment in future industries such as AI could shrink. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) stated it would limit the scope of dual-listing regulations to controlling-subsidiary relationships and review listings based on a comprehensive assessment of listing necessity and shareholder protection efforts.

6. A 3 Trillion Won Market Opens by 2034 — Race to Secure Space Debris Removal Technology

- Key Summary: As the space debris removal industry emerges as a promising new market, global space companies including Japanese startup Astroscale are accelerating the development of debris removal technologies. In 2024, Astroscale became the first private company to approach within 15 meters of space debris using its satellite "ADRAS-J," and is currently developing a follow-up satellite, ADRAS-J2. The European Space Agency (ESA) is partnering with Swiss startup ClearSpace to prepare for the launch of the world's first commercial space debris collection satellite by 2028. Japanese satellite communications company SKY Perfect JSAT is developing a non-contact technology that uses lasers to alter debris orbits. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global space debris monitoring and removal market is projected to grow from approximately 1.73 trillion won in 2025 to approximately 3.22 trillion won by 2034.