After a rigorous application process, 13 startups ranging from Edtech, Healthtech, E-Commerce, AI and Cybersecurity were selected in this cohort. The 16 weeks long acceleration program offers a go-to-market engine to validate, scale innovative ideas and provide access to business and distribution partners to establish their base in India.
This program is supported by KISED (under the South Korean Ministry of Startups and SMEs) and operated simultaneously across 7 countries I.e., India, USA, France, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, and Israel.
Talking about this initiative, Nemesisa Ujjain, Project Director of the Circle FC said- “This program is specifically designed to provide a holistic view of the Indian business environment and startup ecosystem, and reinforces our mission of connecting the world’s most promising technological innovations with India’s vibrant and competitive market.”
Over the years, The Circle as an innovation ecosystem has supported startups and businesses that have succeeded in multiple fields globally like Artificial Intelligence, fintech, health tech, IoT and D2C, offering a conducive environment, helping them to focus on core offerings, and expanding market outreach. The objective has been to provide them with momentum to establish a strong position in the market, identify business opportunities, and build scalable business models.
“Going forward our mission is to create the most impactful soft-landing platform for international startups looking to launch and find partners in India,” added Rajiv Bathla, CEO, The Circle.Work.
The 13 South Korean startups in the cohort:
They are the first cross-border coding school in South Korea. They want to select and train Indian coders and developers on real-world coding projects, and after finishing the intensive course the students get opportunity to work with South Korean companies and startups.
URock has patented technologies to completely and securely wipe Windows and Mac systems. They also provide services for forensic recovery of evidence from Windows, Mac, and Android devices.
Rezi is an AI-based resume writing platform for students and professionals. Their software helps job-seekers create professional resumes and cover letters specific to the job description added by them, which helps them get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers.
WhoseGoods is an e-commerce startup running their own B2C platform called Sazaxa.com to sell K-Pop merchandise and other K-culture items such as Korean food and beauty products. consumer goods.
Wordvice AI Proofreader is an automated writing correction tool that finds and fixes errors in all kinds of English writing. It is specifically made for researchers and students to help them in publishing research papers in scientific journals.
PiQuant provides environmental measurement solutions based on spectroscopy technology. They have applied for over 25 patents and 9 have been granted, and have launched Water Scanner- IoT based water quality analyzer, and ColiQuant, a simple kit for E. coli detection.
PowerPlayer is a K-beauty and Clean Beauty brand based in Seoul. They offer organic and vegan cosmetics and skin care products that are certified by PETA.
DenQ designs & manufactures dental implant materials and surgical instruments. They work with maintenance clinic research institutes and universities to research, develop, and manufacture dental prostheses and instruments for use in dental repair.
LabSD is a HealthTech startup that offers a portable ophthalmoscope which can be fitted with an upcycled smartphone. They have developed an AI platform through which they can detect early signs of macular degeneration and age-related blindness.
Kairos has developed a platform for upskilling and reskilling cyber professionals, called Purple Hackacademy. They also offer cybersecurity services like pen test consulting, security analysis and audit.
Mirinae leverages the most advanced AI, natural language processing and app-development technologies to build state-of-the-art, deeply-effective learning systems. They have developed an AI-based study aid to help learn Korean as a language for English speakers.
HiLokal is a multi-party live audio foreign language learning application using Web Real-Time Communication (RTC). Their app facilitates language exchange in which conversations are practiced directly with foreigners in the form of a give and take.
You Need Character is an edtech company producing children’s educational contents. They have created Cricket Pang animation IP, which is an animation based on the game of cricket. Cricket Pang is showing internationally (over 13 countries – 8 types of languages available as dubbing) including major OTT platforms in India like JIO TV, and MX Player. 
