Deep tech rises in Korea's venture market, while global ties remain weak

Korea's venture market is shifting toward deep-tech industries such as AI chips and robotics, while weak ties with global investors remain a drag on the startup ecosystem. Lim Jung-wook said the market is recovering from the post-pandemic funding downturn at an SCG Investment event in Seoul. Venture capital investment reached $6.6 billion in the first half of 2026, up 54 percent from a year earlier. Lim urged more global capital, co-investment and exit opportunities for Korean startups.

Nine of the 10 standout deals this year involved tech companies, including Furiosa AI, Rebellions, Upstage and Exina.

The event gathered seven U.S. general partners with about $14 billion in combined assets under management.

Lim Jung-wook is executive director of Startup Alliance Korea and a former deputy minister of SMEs and startups.

Korean startups and venture firms remain little-known overseas, and Lim said reliance on government-backed capital weakens private-sector risk-taking.

Greycroft, Max Ventures, MVP Ventures, Foundation Capital, Averin, FJ Labs and Collaborative Fund attended the event, and Korean investors held one-on-one meetings with them.

Published Sep 14, 2026 3:03 pm KST

Updated Sep 14, 2026 4:51 pm KST

SCG Investment links global venture firms to Korean investors

U.S. general partners listen to a session on Korea’s startup ecosystem during Global GP-LP Day, hosted by Samyang Chemical Group at its headquarters in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Samyang Chemical Group

Korea's venture market is shifting toward deep-tech industries including artificial intelligence (AI) chips and robotics, but weak ties with global investors remain a drag on the country's startup ecosystem, a senior industry official said Monday.

Lim Jung-wook, executive director of Startup Alliance Korea and a former deputy minister of SMEs and startups, made the remarks at SCG Investment's Global GP-LP Day in Seoul, which brought together seven U.S. general partners with about $14 billion in combined assets under management (AUM).

"Korea has chip design, foundries, materials, equipment and customers all within one country," Lim said. "There are not many countries in the world that can do this."

The startup sector is recovering from the downturn that followed the pandemic-era funding boom. Venture capital investment reached $6.6 billion in the first half of 2026, up 54 percent from a year earlier. Nine of the 10 standout deals this year involved companies in tech sectors, including Furiosa AI, Rebellions, Upstage and Exina.

Despite Korea's strengths in technology and manufacturing, its startups and venture firms remain little-known overseas, Lim said. Heavy reliance on government-backed capital also reduces private-sector risk-taking and weakens incentives for startups to expand globally, he added.

"Korea needs more global investors," Lim said. "Government money is strong, but global capital and M&As are still missing."

Lim urged foreign venture firms to bring portfolio companies into Korea, support Korean founders expanding in the U.S. and co-invest in Korean rounds from Series B onward. Overseas investors could also provide exit opportunities that remain limited domestically, he said.

U.S. venture firms attending the event pointed to Korea's growing appeal as AI investment expands into applications, semiconductors and infrastructure.

John Elton, a partner at Greycroft, said his firm hasn't yet invested in a Korean company but is looking for opportunities. Greycroft manages $4.5 billion and counts OpenAI among its portfolio companies.

"The interesting thing about Korea is the application layer," Elton told The Korea Times. "Many of the foundation model companies are in the U.S. and China, while here you see a lot of innovation being built on top of them."

Ryan Darnell, managing partner at Max Ventures, pointed to closer ties between the U.S. and Korean AI industries. Max Ventures manages $300 million and was an early investor in Coupang and Etched, a U.S. AI semiconductor startup.

"SK hynix is a major supplier, but it also made a significant investment in Etched," Darnell said. "It's interesting to see some of the best AI infrastructure companies in the U.S. partnering with some of the best local supply chain players in Korea."

Greycroft, MVP Ventures, Foundation Capital, Averin, Max Ventures, FJ Labs and Collaborative Fund attended the event. Korean family offices, institutional investors and strategic investors held one-on-one meetings with the firms to discuss fund commitments and co-investments.

The event marked the first time Samyang Chemical Group formally connected its global investment network with Korean investors, according to the company. The group has committed capital to more than 25 domestic and overseas funds, largely from its own balance sheet.

韩国风险投资市场正向人工智能芯片和机器人等深度科技产业转型，但与全球投资者联系薄弱仍然是制约韩国创业生态系统发展的一大因素。林正旭在首尔举行的SCG投资活动上表示，韩国风险投资市场正从疫情后的融资低迷中复苏。2026年上半年，韩国风险投资额达到66亿美元，同比增长54%。林正旭呼吁为韩国初创企业提供更多全球资本、联合投资和退出机会。

今年十大杰出交易中有九项涉及科技公司，包括 Furiosa AI、Rebellions、Upstage 和 Exina。

此次活动汇聚了七位美国普通合伙人，他们管理的资产总额约为140亿美元。

林正旭是韩国创业联盟的执行董事，也是前中小企业和创业部副部长。

韩国初创企业和风险投资公司在海外仍然鲜为人知，林表示，对政府支持资本的依赖削弱了私营部门的风险承担能力。

Greycroft、Max Ventures、MVP Ventures、Foundation Capital、Averin、FJ Labs 和 Collaborative Fund 出席了此次活动，韩国投资者与他们进行了一对一的会面。

发布于2026年9月14日下午3:03（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月14日下午4:51（韩国标准时间）

SCG Investment 将全球风险投资公司与韩国投资者联系起来

周一，在首尔三养化学集团总部举行的全球普通合伙人-有限合伙人日活动上，美国普通合伙人聆听了关于韩国创业生态系统的讲座。图片由三养化学集团提供。

一位资深行业官员周一表示，韩国的风险投资市场正在向人工智能芯片和机器人等深度科技产业转型，但与全球投资者的联系薄弱仍然拖累着该国的创业生态系统。

韩国创业联盟执行董事、前中小企业和创业部副部长林正旭在首尔举行的 SCG Investment 全球 GP-LP 日活动上发表了上述讲话。此次活动汇聚了七家美国普通合伙人，其管理的资产总额约为 140 亿美元。

林说：“韩国在一个国家内就拥有芯片设计、代工厂、材料、设备和客户。世界上能做到这一点的国家并不多。”

初创企业领域正从疫情期间融资热潮后的低迷期中复苏。2026年上半年，风险投资额达到66亿美元，较上年同期增长54%。今年十大亮点交易中有九笔涉及科技公司，包括Furiosa AI、Rebellions、Upstage和Exina。

林先生表示，尽管韩国在科技和制造业方面实力雄厚，但其初创企业和风险投资公司在海外仍然鲜为人知。他还补充说，过度依赖政府支持的资本也降低了私营部门的风险承担意愿，削弱了初创企业拓展全球业务的动力。

林先生表示：“韩国需要更多国际投资者。政府资金实力雄厚，但国际资本和并购活动仍然不足。”

林先生敦促外国风险投资公司将投资组合中的公司引入韩国，支持韩国创始人拓展美国市场，并从B轮融资开始参与韩国公司的融资轮次。他还表示，海外投资者也能提供韩国国内较为有限的退出机会。

参加此次活动的美国风险投资公司指出，随着人工智能投资扩展到应用、半导体和基础设施领域，韩国的吸引力日益增强。

Greycroft合伙人John Elton表示，该公司尚未投资韩国公司，但正在寻找投资机会。Greycroft管理着45亿美元的资产，OpenAI是其投资组合公司之一。

埃尔顿告诉《韩国时报》：“韩国有趣的地方在于其应用层。许多基础型公司都位于美国和中国，而在这里，你会看到很多创新都是建立在这些基础之上的。”

Max Ventures的管理合伙人瑞安·达内尔指出，美国和韩国的人工智能产业联系日益紧密。Max Ventures管理着3亿美元的资产，曾是Coupang和美国人工智能半导体初创公司Etched的早期投资者。

“SK海力士是一家主要供应商，但它也对Etched进行了大量投资，”达内尔说。“看到美国一些顶尖的人工智能基础设施公司与韩国一些顶尖的本土供应链企业合作，这很有意思。”

Greycroft、MVP Ventures、Foundation Capital、Averin、Max Ventures、FJ Labs 和 Collaborative Fund 出席了此次活动。韩国家族办公室、机构投资者和战略投资者与这些公司进行了单独会谈，讨论基金投资承诺和联合投资事宜。

据该公司称，此次活动标志着三养化学集团首次正式将其全球投资网络与韩国投资者对接。该集团已向超过25支国内外基金注资，资金主要来自其自有资产负债表。