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KB Investment

Asia, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea, Seoul

Description

KB Investment is a prominent venture capital and private equity firm based in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1990 as a key subsidiary of KB Financial Group, one of the largest financial institutions in the nation. With a deep-rooted presence in the Korean investment landscape, the firm has grown to manage an impressive portfolio, overseeing more than 100 funds with assets under management (AUM) exceeding KRW 3.5 trillion, which translates to approximately USD 2.7 billion. This substantial capital base enables KB Investment to be a significant player in both domestic and increasingly, global markets.

The firm employs a comprehensive investment strategy, targeting a wide spectrum of companies from early-stage startups to more mature, growth-stage enterprises. Their sector focus is broad and dynamic, encompassing high-growth industries such as Information Technology (IT), Biotechnology and Healthcare, Content creation, Fintech, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and Mobility. KB Investment is known for its active participation in funding rounds, often taking on lead investor roles, and has built a diverse portfolio of innovative companies. Their approach is not limited to a specific stage, allowing them to support companies throughout their lifecycle, from initial seed funding through subsequent growth rounds.

KB Investment's typical first cheque sizes reflect their multi-stage investment approach. For early-stage ventures, initial investments can commence around $500,000, providing crucial capital for nascent companies to develop and scale. As companies mature and demonstrate significant growth potential, KB Investment is prepared to deploy larger sums, with typical lead investments for growth-stage companies often reaching up to $15,000,000. Their robust financial backing from KB Financial Group, combined with their extensive experience and broad industry focus, positions KB Investment as a pivotal force in fostering innovation and driving the growth of the venture ecosystem in South Korea and beyond.

Investor Profile

KB Investment has backed more than 91 startups, with 20 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 13 rounds, about 14% of its total and boasts 13 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Series B, Series A, Seed rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in South Korea, United States, Israel.
  • Strong thematic focus on Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Health Care.
  • Led 3 rounds in the past year.
  • Typical check size: $500K – $15M.

Stage Focus

  • Series B (30%)
  • Series A (30%)
  • Seed (20%)
  • Series Unknown (8%)
  • Series C (7%)
  • Series D (3%)
  • Convertible Note (2%)
  • Pre Seed (1%)

Country Focus

  • South Korea (64%)
  • United States (15%)
  • Israel (5%)
  • Japan (3%)
  • Indonesia (2%)
  • Switzerland (2%)
  • India (2%)
  • Singapore (2%)
  • China (1%)
  • Iceland (1%)

Industry Focus

  • Biotechnology
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Health Care
  • Software
  • Financial Services
  • Fintech
  • Information Technology
  • Medical
  • Therapeutics
  • Finance
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does KB Investment frequently co-invest with?

Mirae Asset Capital
Asia, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea, Seoul
Co-Investments: 5
Altos Ventures
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 5
We Ventures
Asia, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea, Seoul
Co-Investments: 5
Smilegate Investment
Asia, Kyonggi-do, South Korea, Seongnam
Co-Investments: 5
Mirae Asset Venture Investment
Asia, Kyonggi-do, South Korea, Seongnam
Co-Investments: 6
IMM Investment
Asia, Cholla-namdo, South Korea, Kangnam
Co-Investments: 5
Korea Investment Partners
Asia, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea, Seoul
Co-Investments: 16
FuturePlay
Asia, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea, Seoul
Co-Investments: 7
Kakao Ventures
Asia, Kyonggi-do, South Korea, Seongnam
Co-Investments: 7
Strong Ventures
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Co-Investments: 11

Which angels does KB Investment often collaborate with?

MH
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
Chaehyun Lee
Asia, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea, Seoul
Shared Deals: 1
Balaji Srinivasan
Asia, Central Region, Singapore, Singapore
Shared Deals: 1
Vincent Tchenguiz
Asia, Israel
Shared Deals: 1
SW
North America, Washington, United States
Shared Deals: 1
Binny Bansal
Asia, Karnataka, India, Bengaluru
Shared Deals: 1
KB
North America, California, United States, Irvine
Shared Deals: 1
BL
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
JM
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
RS
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by KB Investment?

MediMabBio

Seongnam, Kyonggi-do, South Korea

MediMabBio is a biotherapeutic company that focuses on the generation of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.

BiotechnologyHealth CarePharmaceutical
Series BOct 24, 2025
Amount Raised: $17,790,379
Iroun & Company

Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea

Iroun & Company offers solutions that enable businesses to employ artificial intelligence to boost production.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Information TechnologySoftware
SeedOct 23, 2025
Amount Raised: $1,389,390
Habit Factory

Yongsan, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea

Habit Factory provides financial big data analytics solutions.

ConsultingFinanceFinancial ServicesInsurance
Series DOct 23, 2025
Amount Raised: $24,314,324

Apollo Studio develops F-1, a next-gen AI-powered game engine that simplifies game creation and distribution for everyone.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)GamingGenerative AI
SeedOct 21, 2025
Crystalys Therapeutics

San Diego, California, United States

Crystalys Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company transforming the treatment of gout.

BiopharmaHealth CareMedicalTherapeutics
Series ASep 30, 2025
Amount Raised: $205,000,000
ACT-ion Battery Technologies

Dallas, Texas, United States

ACT-ion Battery Technologies is a manufacturing company that offers cathode active materials for lithium batteries.

SeedSep 4, 2025
Amount Raised: $4,000,000
Cross Remittance

Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea

Cross is a payments service that introduced South Korea’s first blockchain-powered remittance service

BlockchainFinancial ServicesFinTechMobile PaymentsPayments
Series ASep 1, 2025
Amount Raised: $3,588,131
Bayer

Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea

Bayer (byL), a senior healthcare company

Medical
SeedAug 28, 2025
Amount Raised: $7,213,319
Alchera

Seongnam, Kyonggi-do, South Korea

Alchera provides AI, AR, and big data solutions specializing in visual anomaly detection technology (VADT) using AI-based image recognition.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Facial RecognitionImage RecognitionMachine Learning
Post Ipo EquityAug 28, 2025
Amount Raised: $3,606,660
Select Star

Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea

Select Star is a data platform for AI technology that offers dataset building, storage, and analysis services.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)DatabaseInformation TechnologySoftware
Series BAug 12, 2025
Amount Raised: $14,746,170