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Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) partnered with Korea Venture Investment Corp. to host an IR event in San Francisco supporting investment attraction for 30 South Korean startups. Startups in the physical AI and autonomous driving sectors presented their businesses to approximately 100 attendees from major Silicon Valley venture capital firms including Notable Capital and NEA. The event was a follow-up to the overseas expansion support agreement signed by the two institutions in June, with KIC providing local investor networks and the Korea Innovation Center connecting startups. KIC, which manages $243.2 billion in assets, stated it will continue to serve as a hub for the local Korean venture community.
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Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) hosted an event in Silicon Valley supporting investment attraction for 30 South Korean startups. The sovereign wealth fund, with $243.2 billion (approximately 327 trillion won) in assets under management, is stepping into a bridgehead role connecting South Korea’s venture ecosystem with U.S. capital markets.
KIC announced on the 14th that it co-hosted the “K-Global Deep Konnect IR” event with Korea Venture Investment Corp. in San Francisco on the 11th (local time). Thirty South Korean startups developing cutting-edge technologies in physical artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving participated and presented their businesses to local investors. On the investor side, approximately 100 representatives from major Silicon Valley venture capital firms and asset managers attended, including Notable Capital and NEA.
The event was a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding KIC signed with Korea Venture Investment Corp. in June to support overseas expansion of South Korean startups. KIC and Korea Venture Investment Corp. provided local investor networks, while the Korea Innovation Center under South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT connected South Korean startups. Korean-American companies in the U.S. also participated to explore local investment opportunities.
A Notable Capital representative commented, “South Korea is a country with outstanding capabilities in manufacturing, robotics, defense, and semiconductors, and will play an important role in the physical AI sector going forward,” adding that “this event served as an opportunity to expand interest in South Korean startups with excellent technological capabilities.”
KIC, established in 2005, is South Korea’s sole sovereign wealth fund, investing foreign exchange reserves and public funds overseas to generate returns. As of the end of June this year, its assets under management stood at $243.2 billion (approximately 327 trillion won), ranking among the top 10 globally. Last year’s return on assets under management was 13.91%, with a 10-year annualized return of 7.07%. Cumulative investment returns over approximately 20 years reached $122.4 billion (approximately 165 trillion won).
Park Yu-mi, head of KIC’s San Francisco office, said, “This was a meaningful occasion that established a bridgehead for collaboration between South Korea’s startup ecosystem and U.S. venture capital firms,” adding that “we will continue to serve as a hub for the local Korean venture and startup community by collaborating with various institutions.”
KIC maintains overseas offices in global financial centers including New York, San Francisco, London, Singapore, Mumbai, India, and Tokyo, Japan. Each office is responsible for sharing overseas investment information with South Korean public and private financial institutions operating locally and building mutual cooperation frameworks.
The event is significant in that the sovereign wealth fund stepped in as an intermediary at a time when South Korean startups have limited opportunities to directly engage with U.S. venture capital firms. In particular, the physical AI sector—which combines hardware and software in areas such as robotics, autonomous driving, and manufacturing automation—is considered favorable for South Korean startups with strong manufacturing foundations. With growing interest among Silicon Valley investors in South Korea’s manufacturing capabilities and robotics expertise, attention is focused on whether KIC will establish a regular connection channel.
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