K-Ground Ventures Actively Supports Global Expansion of Korea’s Next-Generation Growth Companies
K-Ground Ventures(CEO Namhoon Cho), a leading deep-tech and IP specialized VC and the operator of Scale-up TIPS Program in Korea, announced on the 19th that it participated in the Silicon Valley Summit 2025 in the U.S. at the invitation of Plug and Play Tech Center-the world’s largest open innovation platform and investment firm known for nurturing PayPal, Dropbox and FiscalNote. During the event, K-Ground Ventures engaged in meetups with global VCs and startups and pledged to actively strengthen cooperation networks aimed at facilitating the entry of Scale-up TIPS companies and other Korean next-generation growth startups into the Silicon Valley ecosystem. Namhoon Cho, CEO of K-Ground Ventures, who was directly invited by Plug & Play to attend the Silicon Valley Summit 2025, stated, “In a rapidly shifting global landscape marked by protectionism, tariffs, and geopolitical conflicts, Korean startups need to actively respond by establishing overseas subsidiaries, collaborating with other startups, and jointly marketing within the global ecosystem.” He emphasized, “Especially in the scale-up phase, it is critical to partner with VCs that have global networks and exit experience to quickly secure overseas investment, intellectual property (IP), and marketing capabilities.” Cho is recognized as a global investment expert in deep tech and IP, having led numerous successful global M&As—including the $180 million acquisition of Axio (founded by Koreans in the U.S.) by Cisco—and has been at the forefront of Korea’s deep tech investment sector since his early career in Silicon Valley in the 2000s. Plug and Play, known as the world’s largest innovation ecosystem and investment platform—with a track record of major investments in Google and others—has announced its intention to enter the Korean market in cooperation with local governments such as Busan and Goyang. It also plans to work with K-Ground Ventures to build a startup investment ecosystem in Korea. Plug and Play hosts the Silicon Valley Summit twice a year, and the first half of 2025's event, held from June 10–12, featured participation from 30 countries, over 300 global VCs, more than 900 global corporations, over 940 startup teams, and over 200 government officials. The summit sparked intense discussions on building a global innovation ecosystem and scaling up startups. K-Ground Ventures recently organized the “World-Class Enterprise Exchange,” a networking event involving Scale-up TIPS-selected companies and listed firms seeking new growth engines, in partnership with the World-Class Enterprise Association. The firm also led several initiatives including an “IR Event for Scale-up TIPS Operators” with Incheon Technopark, and a “Startup Meetup” in collaboration with the National Bio Lab Hub project team, actively supporting Korean startups’ global expansion. In addition to investments, K-Ground Ventures places great importance on supporting the growth of its portfolio companies through the creation of converged industry ecosystems. In 2023, the firm spearheaded the “Mobility Healthcare Alliance,” bridging the mobility and healthcare sectors. As a result, joint development agreements were established between its portfolio companies and global automakers within two years. The firm is now also driving the formation of the “AI-Semiconductor Convergence Industry Alliance” with invested startups like Daton and HyperVisual, aiming to play a key role in Korea’s emerging AI industrial ecosystem—which anticipates over 100 trillion KRW in investments during the “Edge Device, Physical AI” era. Furthermore, K-Ground Ventures is working on launching a global fund in collaboration with overseas capital and networks interested in Korean startups. The fund will focus investments on Scale-up TIPS-selected or promising startups that are either expanding abroad or possess globally valuable IP. The global fund is expected to include contributions from government bodies, local governments, major domestic listed companies, and global corporations as limited partners (LPs), with the goal of completing its formation and beginning investments within 2025. As both an IP fund manager and operator of Scale-up TIPS, K-Ground Ventures plans to actively nurture Korean startups into unicorns by linking with programs like the Scale-up TIPS Global Track and the Global Star Fund managed by Korea’s Fund of Funds, helping startups secure world-class IP and marketing capabilities. 최지원 기자generation expansion ground ventures generation growth conflicts korean
2025.06.19. 17:32
