Already at '400th'... KDB Industrial Bank's 'KDB NextRound' Venture Investment Bears Fruit

Market-Type Investment Attraction Platform Launched in August 2016 Reaches 400 Sessions as of the 6th
Held 75 Rounds This Year Alone, Combining Online and Offline Amid COVID-19 Situation

The Southeast Asia mentor group and startup webinar conducted remotely at the Industrial Bank headquarters on the 9th of last month.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] Korea Development Bank (KDB) announced that its market-type investment attraction platform, 'KDB NextRound,' reached its 400th round on the 6th.

Since the first round on August 16, 2016, 'KDB NextRound' has grown into a leading domestic investment attraction platform by conducting a total of 400 investment rounds over four years, attracting approximately 2 trillion KRW in investments to 343 companies out of 1,426 participating firms. This year, until September, 93 companies secured 538.5 billion KRW in investments, with 37 companies (39.8%) receiving more than 5 billion KRW, and 16 companies (17.2%) successfully raising over 10 billion KRW.

Notably, despite restrictions on market investors' on-site attendance at company presentations (IR) due to the spread of COVID-19, the rounds were held continuously by combining online live streaming and on-site offline methods. Up to this date, a total of 75 rounds have been held, providing IR opportunities to 255 startups.

Various IR programs have also been conducted to support the overseas expansion of domestic venture companies. Collaborating with the KDB Singapore Venture Desk established this year, a 'Southeast Asia Expert Mentor and Startup Webinar' was held on the 9th of last month, followed by a 'Southeast Asia VC Invitation Fintech Special Round' on the 23rd of the same month. Particularly, more than 40 global VCs with investment demand for Korean ventures participated remotely in the special round, demonstrating strong interest in Korean venture companies.

Since his inauguration in 2017, KDB Chairman Donggeol Lee has emphasized the bank's role in fostering the venture ecosystem to discover future growth industries for Korea. After his reappointment, he has continued to advocate that KDB should take a leading role in discovering new companies and nurturing them into unicorns.

A KDB official stated, "As a leading policy financial institution, we will continue to strengthen our role as a discoverer of growth engines that will lead Korea's future by supplying differentiated venture capital and fostering a venture ecosystem that connects domestic and overseas markets."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.