Kang Seok-hoon, Chairman of KDB, "Actively Supporting Domestic Startup Growth and Global Expansion"
by Lim Chulyoung
Published 25 Apr.2024 16:19(KST)
Global Round Held in US Silicon Valley to Support Overseas Investment Attraction
On the 24th (local time), the Korea Development Bank (KDB) announced on the 25th that it held the 'KDB NextRound in Silicon Valley' in Silicon Valley, USA, the global hub of the venture ecosystem.
KDB NextRound is a venture investment platform launched in 2016 that has continuously held global local visit rounds to support domestic innovative startups in entering overseas markets and attracting global investments.
This round was the sixth, following Shenzhen, China in 2018; Shanghai, China and Jakarta, Indonesia in 2019; Singapore in 2022; and Silicon Valley in 2023, continuing the enthusiastic momentum of the Silicon Valley Global Round held last April.
The round began with a welcoming speech by Chairman Kang Seok-hoon, followed by an introduction to KDB NextRound and a panel discussion on the topic "Why Global Venture Capital (VC) Choose Korea."
In the main session of the round, six Korean startups (Boss Semiconductor, Content Technologies, Qpix, F&S Holdings, Pointu Technology, Upstage) and two American startups founded by Korean Americans locally (Amogy, Kaigene) conducted IR presentations for investment attraction, receiving great interest and response from participants and investors.
Additionally, standing booths were set up for the eight startups participating in the IR and five startups nurtured by KDB NextOne aiming to enter the U.S. market, facilitating networking with local VCs. This event provided the most opportunities for domestic startups to communicate with local investors among all previous global rounds.
About 250 people attended the round, including over 50 delegates from domestic VCs such as IMM Investment, LB Investment, Smilegate, and the Korea Creative Content Agency, as well as 200 local VCs from Silicon Valley.
In his welcoming speech, Chairman Kang said, "Many domestic startups connected with overseas investors through the Global Round have achieved results not only in attracting overseas investments but also in entering overseas markets," adding, "Going forward, KDB will continue to support the growth and global expansion of innovative Korean startups by expanding direct and indirect investments without hesitation."
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