Bluepoint, Which Created 3 Trillion Won Valuation for Startups, "Will Enhance Trust in the Startup Ecosystem"

Interview with Lee Yong-kwan, CEO of Bluepoint Partners
Early-stage and Technology-based Startup Investment and Acceleration
"Growth Potential with Minimal Impact from Market Volatility"
Invested in 223 Startups... Total Corporate Value 3.2 Trillion KRW
IPO Target Within the Year... "Securing 'Trust Assets' in the Investment Ecosystem"

"Early-stage startups are still deep in the ocean. The deep sea is calm. Because sensitivity to the economy is low, the current market situation could be an opportunity."

Lee Yong-kwan, CEO of Bluepoint Partners (pictured), responded this way to concerns about the contraction of the venture investment market. Bluepoint is an accelerator (AC, startup planner) that invests in and nurtures technology-based early-stage startups. Established in 2014, it had invested in 223 early companies as of the end of last year, with a total corporate value of these companies reaching 3.2 trillion KRW.

Lee said, "Unlike startups that have already grown large, early-stage startups are hardly affected by market volatility and have great potential for growth." He explained that startups possessing core technologies find it easier to enter global markets and have various business opportunities, allowing for risk diversification. However, he added, "Due to the global industrial downturn, venture investors are becoming more meticulous," and predicted, "It will become important whether startups have profitability as well as crisis response capabilities and resilience."

◆ Founded AC to help younger entrepreneurs... Focus on technological capability= Lee, a graduate of KAIST's Department of Physics, founded the semiconductor equipment company ‘Plasmart’ in 2000 while pursuing his doctoral studies and sold it for 30 billion KRW to MKS, a Nasdaq-listed company in the U.S., in 2012. He invested part of the proceeds from the sale in younger entrepreneurs and helped solve their startup challenges, eventually founding Bluepoint. He entered the startup ecosystem and began discovering startups even before the accelerator system was officially introduced in Korea (2017).

He mainly focuses investments on early-stage startups with ‘tech edge.’ Tech edge refers to the expertise that understands the value of world-changing technology and connects it to real market problems. A good example is ‘Starstech,’ in which Bluepoint Partners invested 150 million KRW in 2018. Starstech created an eco-friendly deicing agent using starfish extract, a marine waste product, and surpassed 10 billion KRW in sales last year.

Lee’s management philosophy is "to discover innovators and help their growth while growing ourselves." He explained, "We focus on discovering technological expertise hidden throughout industrial sites and accompanying the innovation journeys of those with potential." He also said, "We always seek and try new investment methods," and "When hiring employees, we select talents who have the mindset to help startups and can effectively enhance the value of those companies." Recognizing that many entrepreneurs suffer from high levels of stress such as depression and anxiety, he arranged professional counseling for four startup CEOs earlier this year.

◆ Strengthening systems and expertise... Challenge to become the first domestic AC to go public= Bluepoint plans to focus more on establishing systematic systems and advancing services to support the growth of early-stage startups. Lee announced, "We will introduce our proprietary solution ‘Lattice,’ which improves portfolio management efficiency, in the second half of this year." The system aims to efficiently support diagnosing startups’ management status and matching experts.

It will be the first domestic accelerator to challenge a KOSDAQ listing within the year. He said, "By going public, we can secure ‘trust assets,’ and if the business of increasing startup survival rates becomes established as an industry, it can contribute to the soundness of the investment market."

Lee conveyed the significance of the IPO, saying, "It is true that the general public has been excluded from the fruits created by startup innovation," and "If we create new innovations in cooperation with industry, academia, and government as an entity that raises the credibility of the startup ecosystem, it will benefit not only individual shareholders but also the national economy."

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