Kakao named a ‘2015 Technology Pioneer’

MANILA, Philippines -  Kakao, the provider of KakaoTalk, a mobile messaging application and global mobile social platform, has been named a “2015 Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum, making it the first Korean company to be recognized since 2001. Chosen among 24 of the world’s top industry-leading organizations, the award recognizes the company’s ability to design transformative technological solutions that have a significant impact on business and society, while demonstrating visionary leadership with signs of being long-standing market leaders.

“We are honored to be named a leading Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and humbled to be accompanied by some of the world’s most cutting-edge organizations,” said Sirgoo Lee, co-CEO of Kakao Corp. “This recognition truly demonstrates Kakao’s belief in fostering and sharing innovative ideas across all levels of our business to generate creative, value-added programs for the users of our platforms. Kakao is committed to being at the epicenter of the mobile social future, and a leading ecosystem for our users’ communications, information, and lifestyle needs.”

Each year the World Economic Forum chooses a select number of technology pioneers from hundreds of applicants. Candidate companies are nominated by members, constituents and collaborators of the forum and by the public. The 82-member selection committee – comprising distinguished technology and innovation experts, academics and venture capitalists – reviews each application before making its recommendation to the World Economic Forum. As part of this recognition, Kakao will become an active member of the forum’s technology pioneers community for a period of five years.

The “2015 Technology Pioneers” will be recognized for their achievements on Sept. 11 at the eighth annual meeting of the new champions in Tianjin, China, a notable gathering on science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, which brings more than 1,500 leaders from business, government and research from over 90 countries.

Kakao’s flagship app, KakaoTalk, which reaches 93 percent of smartphone users in South Korea, has had breakout success globally with its multiple service offerings, and has seen significant growth as a business with almost 700 employees to date since its start in 2010.