Stonebridge Ventures Invests 300 Billion KRW in AI: "Entering Major Exit Cycle...Exits Begin"
by Kim Daehyun
Published 24 Jul.2025 09:20(KST)
One AI Company Listed, Two Undergoing IPO Process
Two to Three More AI Companies Expected to Begin Listing Procedures in the Second Half of the Year
Stonebridge Ventures, which has invested approximately 300 billion KRW in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, has begun its official exit procedures.
On July 24, a representative from Stonebridge Ventures stated, "The returns from our AI investments are expected to increase significantly starting this year."
Over the past several years, Stonebridge Ventures has focused its investments on carefully selected AI companies across the AI technology value chain?including AI infrastructure, AI models, AI application services, and AI transformation?based on their technological capabilities and market potential. The company is now entering a full-fledged exit phase starting this year.
To begin with, NewenAI, an AI-based big data analytics company, successfully debuted on the KOSDAQ market on July 4. S2W, often referred to as the "Palantir of Asia," has submitted its securities registration statement and begun the IPO process. Nota, which has secured global semiconductor companies as clients with its AI lightweighting technology, has applied for a preliminary listing review with the Korea Exchange. As a result, Stonebridge Ventures' AI portfolio is now ready for initial public offerings (IPOs).
In the second half of the year, it is expected that two to three more AI companies will begin official procedures for listing. As a number of undisclosed AI-related portfolio companies also move forward with their IPO preparations, large-scale exits from AI investments are anticipated over the coming years.
Yoo Seungwoon, CEO of Stonebridge Ventures, said, "Our strategy of making preemptive investments in the AI sector has now entered the profit realization stage," adding, "We consider this year to be the first year of AI investment exits, and we expect the market to re-evaluate the value of our investments accordingly."
Meanwhile, Stonebridge Ventures is also seeing visible progress in exits from the bio-healthcare sector, including STARK, a surgical robot company valued at over one trillion KRW, and Livesmed, which developed the world’s first multi-joint laparoscopic surgical instrument. As a result, the company anticipates exit achievements not only in AI but also in bio-healthcare.
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