Mashup Ventures Becomes Korea's First VC to Appoint AI Partner, Enhancing Investment Expertise

"Supporting Startup Technology Strategy"
Sungmin Yang Appointed as AI Partner
Hyunwoo Nam and Jaemin Bae Join as EIRs

Mashup Ventures, a leading early-stage startup investment firm, announced on March 24 that it has become the first venture capital (VC) company in Korea to create an "AI Partner" position, appointing Sungmin Yang to the role. At the same time, Mashup Ventures has recruited serial entrepreneurs Hyunwoo Nam and Jaemin Bae as Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR), aiming to accelerate the technological and product competitiveness of its portfolio companies.

AI Partner, Responsible for Everything from Technology Validation to Advancing Portfolio Companies' Technologies

The AI Partner will enhance Mashup Ventures' expertise in AI investments and embed AI technology throughout the entire investment process. From an engineering perspective, the AI Partner will verify the technical moats of AI startups and provide hands-on support for the technological growth of portfolio companies, including infrastructure expansion and product advancement.

Currently, Partner Yang is leading a project to redesign Mashup Ventures' entire investment review and fund management system as "AI-native." Notable examples include an investment agent, where AI autonomously gathers information and generates analytical reports, and an operations agent that tracks the real-time status of hundreds of portfolio companies and fund returns.

Sungmin Yang, AI Partner, and Hyunwoo Nam and Jaemin Bae, Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) at Mashup Ventures

Sungmin Yang, AI Partner, is a graduate of the first class of Software Maestro developers. While still a student, he founded "MyNB" and sold it to LOEN Entertainment (Melon). He later served as AI Software Lead at deep tech startup Nearthlab and as Head of Product at agricultural platform Greenlabs, where he led product development and digital transformation within the company.

"Supporting Early-Stage Startups with Technical Challenges and Product Strategy"

Mashup Ventures has consistently emphasized builder-centric support, working alongside startups to create products that function in the real market. The newly recruited EIRs reflect a model active in global venture ecosystems such as Silicon Valley, where experienced entrepreneurs help portfolio companies improve product completeness and achieve product-market fit (PMF).

Hyunwoo Nam, EIR, previously served as CTO of RIDI, where he experienced the trial and error of mobile-centric growth, and as CTO of Greenlabs, where he led the scaling up of a large technology organization. Nam will help portfolio companies overcome technical limitations. Jaemin Bae, EIR, has led product and design strategy across diverse industries, including Integration (Medistream), MyRealTrip, and RIDI. In particular, leveraging his experience as Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Integration, Bae will advance brand strategy.

Taekkyung Lee, CEO of Mashup Ventures, stated, "The introduction of Korea’s first AI Partner in the VC industry demonstrates Mashup Ventures’ deep commitment to the AI sector. By bringing in serial entrepreneurs with experience in successful startups, exits, and scaling up large organizations, we will provide close support to help early-stage tech startups overcome technological bottlenecks and build global competitiveness."

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