Kakao Ventures Makes Seed Investment in US Deep Tech Startups 'Oligo Space' and 'Zaphon'

Kakao Ventures announced on May 29, 2025, that it has invested in Oligo Space, a startup specializing in satellite development automation, and Zaphon, a developer of multi-artificial intelligence (AI) agent systems. Both companies are US-based deep tech startups, and this seed round marks their first institutional investment. However, the investment amount was not disclosed.

Oligo Space addresses the design and manufacturing challenges, regarded as the biggest bottlenecks in space launch vehicle development, by leveraging AI-based design automation and 2D sheet metal manufacturing technology. The company optimizes the remaining system after designing the mission equipment. Compared to the conventional approach of adjusting mission equipment to fit the carrier specifications, this method reportedly reduces the required time to one-third and costs to about one-fifth.

Oligo Space is led by CEO Jacob Rodriguez, who has researched probes, launch vehicles, satellites, and AI-based space systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The team is comprised of talent with experience at SpaceX, Google, and Northrop Grumman, among others. From its first investment round, Oligo Space attracted participation from leading US deep tech investors, including the US space tech investment firm Lux Capital.

Zaphon is developing systems necessary for multiple AI agents to interact and perform complex tasks. As AI agents collaborate, computational load and system complexity increase exponentially. Zaphon aims to deliver technology that maintains high performance and stability even in such environments. Based on the Rust programming language, which is known for its security and fast processing speed, the company provides high-performance, high-efficiency infrastructure essential for multi-AI agent environments.

Zaphon is led by CEO Noah El, a serial entrepreneur who graduated from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and has startup experience in Europe and the US. The team consists of world-class system engineers with experience building operating systems, networks, hardware, and storage at companies such as OpenAI, Tesla, and ARM. Within three months of this round, Zaphon is finalizing follow-on investments with major investors in the US and Europe.

Since setting a global strategy last year, Kakao Ventures has been expanding its investment network. By broadening its researcher-centric network, the firm laid the groundwork for investments in the US. Kakao Ventures made new investments in FS2, a semiconductor technology company; Compass, a medtech company; and Magnendo, a robotic surgery company. It also made follow-on investments in Link Alpha, an AI-based investment intelligence platform, and Contoro, a robotics startup.

This year, the company plans to continue aggressively identifying and investing in advanced technologies. As an early-stage specialist venture capital firm that proactively detects global technology trends, Kakao Ventures aims to establish a unique investment track.

Shin Jeongho, Principal at Kakao Ventures, stated, "In an era where technology evolves across borders, our investments in search of great teams are also unconstrained by boundaries," adding, "We will continue to break down investment barriers and pave new paths, expanding the scope of early-stage technology investments."

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