Geekble, operator of the YouTube science channel of the same name, has raised 5 billion won ($3.8 million) in bridge investment, the company said on Monday.
Hyundai Motor Co.’s ZER01NE, Smilegate Investment, Cosine Investment, Daekyo Investment, CKD Venture Capital, and more took part in the fundraising round.
Accumulated investment for the startup now stands at 7.8 billion won ($5.9 million).
Park Chan-hoo and Kim Hyun-sung co-founded Geekble in 2017, a portmanteau of “geek” and “able” -- as in geeks can achieve anything.
The media startup produces new media content on science and technology with an aim to bridge the gap between science and engineering experts and the rest of the world.
The revenue from branded content goes to building the company’s own "maker space" for experimentation.
Fans of Geekble line up to purchase merchandise in Seoul last month
Geekble has so far garnered more than 922,000 subscribers with over 400 video uploads. The accumulated view count exceeds 260 million.
Back in 2018, The Ministry of Science and ICT designated the channel as one of South Korea's premium cultural products.
The company explains the channel provides content that can be enjoyed by both a father and child as married men in their 30s and 40s are the main audience.
Geekble will use the latest injection of funds to target the market for children’s entertainment.
“The world in which play and education is not always black and white is already here,” Park said. “We cannot deny that digital content will be at the center of the future of play.”
Write to Jong Woo Kim at jongwoo@hankyung.com Jee Abbey Lee edited this article.
