Tech news picked on 2026-08-01
Split IPOs Blocked from August 3, Startup Acquisition Structures Will Change First
- With approval from the Financial Services Commission, from August 3, it will in principle be prohibited for a listed parent company to have its subsidiary listed separately.
- For subsidiaries created by physical spin-offs, shareholder consent from the parent company is mandatory, and the '3% rule' limiting voting rights of controlling shareholders to 3% applies to voting.
- This effectively narrows the exit routes for listed companies acquiring startups and later listing them separately.
- If current acquisition offers were based on exits through listing, it is appropriate to reconsider the cash proportion and earn-out conditions.
China's Game Revenue Hits 39 Trillion Won, Growth Comes from PC, Not Mobile
- China's gaming market revenue in H1 reached 188.45 billion yuan, up 12.17%, with mobile growth limited to 7.9% and PC jumping 27.92%.
- The user count is nearly unchanged at 684 million.
- On the same day, Sony increased gaming operating profit by 37% despite selling fewer PS5s.
- After devices become widespread, money shifts to remaining users' repeated spending; whether Korean users follow the same trend should be confirmed with company cohorts.
Zeta's Success and the Future of Advertising Models
- Zeta made a profit with a free advertising model.
- Making a profit from ads means the real customers are advertisers, and in conversation services, what supports the advertising rate is ultimately the time users stay.
- This tends to shift the product towards keeping users engaged rather than satisfaction.
- Crack chose subscription, but it is still unknown which model will last longer.
- Don't forget that following the advertising model was premised on lowering inference costs through SLM.
Ethics in Startups: The Founder's Choice
- A study has shown that fraudulent activities are increasing in VC-backed startups.
- It's nothing new that when competition gets tougher, more people tend to stretch the numbers.
- What actually changes is the due diligence conducted by investors.
- Since the definition of metrics that used to be overlooked will now be asked more frequently, it's more useful to ensure that your metrics can be consistently reproduced by others than to issue an ethical declaration.
Market Trends AI Startup Founders Should Know
- This article discusses the combination of AI and finance along with the forecast that the AI market will grow to $1.4 trillion.
- However, that figure does not indicate the share available to small teams.
- The two companies mentioned in the article also targeted narrow tasks like private credit management at the seed stage.
- While focusing on a niche is the right direction, finance is a regulated area, so for a solo team without someone to handle legal requirements, the cost of entry can actually be higher.