Jul 30, 2020

PUBLISHED :July 29, 2020 - 16:48 UPDATED :July 29, 2020 - 17:24 Lotte Accelerator, Lotte Group’s corporate venture capital and startup incubator, held its sixth demo day online as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to inhibit mass gatherings. The infectious disease, however, could not deter startups from their efforts to turn a misfortune into a blessing, with services ranging from a contactless job interview platform to an artificial intelligence-based English resume builder. Participants pose for photos during L-Camp’s Demo Day on July 28. (Lotte Accelerator) Qrate, which provides a contactless recruitment platform called Ziggam, is a startup that helps companies to find the best candidates online despite the pandemic. In May, Qrate held an online job fair for some 120,000 job seekers. As of Demo Day, Qrate had secured 300 million won ($251,570) in investment from Kosdaq-listed mobile payment solution provider Danal. “By getting rid of unnecessary face-to-face processes, contactless (recruiting) can provide better and more efficient experience than face-to-face interviews,” Qrate founder and CEO Park Hyuck-jae said. "As people are getting used to doing things online and seeing how efficient it is, I believe we can still remain competitive even after the pandemic.”  Rezi, an AI-based resume builder, also targets today’s transformed job market. The company, originally established to assist job seekers hoping to work beyond their own national borders, is gaining traction because so many people lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Founded by a former football player, QMIT hopes to assist professional sports players with its online sports coaching app Plco. The company has secured 1 billion won in follow-up investments from Lotte Accelerator and Naver. Foreverring recycles old jewelry and allows customers to bring in jewelry that they’re bored with. Lazy Society provides a subscription-based delivery service for razors and other men’s personal grooming products. Curaum is a medical device company and the developer of Clium, a mouthpiece that helps people with sleeping problems. Also featured at the demo day was Seoul Unniedeul, which means “Seoul sisters” in Korean. The company runs Star Secret Korea, a K-beauty e-commerce platform in Myanmar, where Korean beauty products are gaining traction. Also betting on the popularity of Korea’s culture abroad is Teuida, a Korean language education app. Launched in January 2016, Lotte Accelerator has so far supported 120 startups through its incubation program, L-Camp. The program provides various perks such as office space, investments and legal consulting. “Young consumers in their 20s and 30s are using startup services in many parts of their daily lives, and this phenomenon is expected to accelerate in the future,” Hwang Kag-kyu, CEO and vice chairman of Lotte Corp., said. “In line with such changes in the market, Lotte Group will also do its best to support and maintain close partnerships and coexist with startups.” By Park Ga-young ( gypark@heraldcorp.com )