Liberty Labs Secures 13 Billion KRW Pre-Series A Investment

Addressing SME Succession Challenges Amid Inheritance Tax Burdens and Lack of Successors
SBVA, Smilegate Investment, and Stonebridge Ventures Join the Round

Liberty Labs announced on the 26th that it has secured a pre-Series A investment round worth 13 billion KRW.

In this round, SBVA (formerly SoftBank Ventures) participated as the lead investor, with Smilegate Investment, Stonebridge Ventures, and Voyager Ventures joining as new investors. Existing investors Base Ventures and Primer Sazze Partners also made follow-on investments. Notably, Liberty Labs CEO Jung Jaemoon personally invested an additional 3 billion KRW, and company employees also participated in the round.

Liberty Labs is a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) specialist firm with the goal of supporting the sustainable growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Korea. The company follows the business models of global firms such as Danaher, Constellation Software, and Japan’s Technology Succession Organization, which have realized long-term ownership and operational innovation through serial acquisitions.

Since its founding in 2023, Liberty Labs has directly acquired SMEs facing the risk of closure due to inheritance tax burdens and a lack of successors. The company establishes a foundation for long-term growth while maintaining each company’s independence and unique identity. Unlike typical private equity funds, Liberty Labs does not sell acquired companies but instead holds them for the long term, aiming to achieve both sustainable corporate growth and stability in the local industrial ecosystem.

After each acquisition, Liberty Labs supports innovation by promoting the digital transformation and operational efficiency of core internal functions such as finance and human resources, thereby enhancing the intrinsic competitiveness of each company.

Meanwhile, SMEs account for 99% of all companies and 81% of employment in Korea, but 52.6% of them are at risk of closure due to a lack of successors. Liberty Labs has acquired two companies to date and plans to acquire at least four additional SMEs within this year, aiming to secure both corporate continuity and the sustainability of the industrial ecosystem.

CEO Jung Jaemoon stated, "Our goal is to create enduring companies through efficient capital allocation and a long-term perspective, leading the advancement of the capital market. We aim to build a company like Berkshire Hathaway or Danaher in Korea and set a precedent as a model capital allocator in the Korean capital market."

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