Venture Investments in 12 Major New Industries Reach 5.2 Trillion Won, Accounting for 76% of Total Venture Funding

Announcement of 2025 Venture Investment Trends in New Industries

Last year, venture investments in the 12 major new industries reached 5.2 trillion won, accounting for approximately 76% of all venture investments.

On April 28, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the "2025 Venture Investment Trends in 12 Major New Industries." This analysis focused on companies in the 12 new industries that attracted investments from venture capital companies and venture investment associations in accordance with the Act on Promotion of Venture Investment. The 12 major new industries are: ▲ AI Model & Infrastructure ▲ Semiconductors ▲ Mobility ▲ Security, Network & Quantum ▲ Robotics ▲ Healthcare ▲ Bio & New Drugs ▲ Content ▲ Defense, Aerospace & Marine ▲ Eco-friendly ▲ Energy, Nuclear & Nuclear Fusion ▲ Advanced Manufacturing.

The analysis showed that investments in promising companies within these new industries have remained active. In 2025, venture investments in the 12 major new industries totaled 5.2 trillion won, and over the past five years, the proportion of venture investments in these new industries has remained at about 80%. In addition, the average investment per company in these fields was 3.39 billion won, which is 1.7 times higher than that for companies in other industries.

By sector, the AI model and infrastructure field attracted 1.3 trillion won, accounting for 19.6% of the total investment, making it the largest among the 12 new industries. Significant investments of around 1 trillion won were also made in the content (1.18 trillion won), healthcare (1.13 trillion won), and advanced manufacturing (970 billion won) sectors.

The sectors that saw the largest increase in investment compared to the previous year were bio & new drugs (+35.4%), defense, aerospace & marine (+19.2%), and mobility (+16.5%). In contrast, investments decreased in the energy, nuclear & nuclear fusion, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor sectors.

Last year, new investments accounted for 12.3% (639 billion won), while follow-on investments accounted for 87.7% (4.5624 trillion won). This indicates a trend among investors to reinvest in existing portfolio companies. Additionally, more than 50% of investments were made in companies that have been in business for over seven years, and the average investment amount increased with company age.

In 2025, there were 158 companies that attracted large investments of 10 billion won or more, of which 131 companies (approximately 82.9%) were in the new industries. Notably, all six companies that received investments of 50 billion won or more were in the new industries.

By region, the Seoul metropolitan area accounted for 4.1 trillion won (79.1%), while non-metropolitan areas attracted 1.1 trillion won (20.9%). Seoul attracted the largest share within the metropolitan area at 2.6 trillion won. Among non-metropolitan areas, Daejeon (391.3 billion won) and Gyeongnam (107.1 billion won) attracted significant investments. Daejeon saw the most investment in the bio & new drugs sector, with Trioor, a company specializing in next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platforms, serving as a prime example of attracting large-scale investments. Gyeongnam attracted significant investment in the defense, aerospace & marine sector, with MNSI, a ship equipment manufacturer, among the firms securing large-scale investments.

Han Sung-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, stated, "The Ministry will conduct multifaceted analyses of the venture investment market and strive to reflect these findings in policies that genuinely support the growth of startups and venture companies." She added, "We will provide stable growth capital to new industry companies through initiatives such as the 'Next Generation Unicorn Fostering Project,' which supports AI and new industry startups at each growth stage, and the 'Regional Growth Fund,' created in partnership with local governments."

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