SBI Investment Korea

SBI Investment Korea Co., Ltd. is a venture capital and private equity firm established in 1986, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, with additional offices in China, Japan, and the U.S. The firm specializes in seed and growth stage investments, as well as buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructurings, focusing primarily on the Fintech sector. It actively invests in a diverse range of industries, including information technology, telecommunications, biotechnology, healthcare, and renewable energy, while avoiding apartment-type factories and trading sectors. SBI Investment also targets small and medium-sized enterprises, unlisted ventures, and companies preparing for public offerings. The firm primarily seeks opportunities within South Korea, particularly in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Jeonbuk provinces, as well as in the U.S. and the Pan-Asian region, including China and Hong Kong. In return for financial backing, it provides management advice and expertise, often seeking a significant equity stake in the businesses it invests in.

Bo-seong Kim

Director

Joonhyo Lee

Co-CEO and President

Hyung-kyu Lim

Director

DongWoo Nahm

Director

Seok-hee Park

Senior EVP

Suk-Jin Yoo

Senior EVP

93 past transactions

Cancer Rop Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:A180400)

Merger/Acquisition in 2015
Cancer Rop Co., Ltd. develops and commercializes molecular diagnostic techniques for various genetic diseases in South Korea. The company offers BAC chip, a gene based microarray to detect chromosomal abnormalities in embryos for increasing success rate of in vitro fertilization, check health of fetus, diagnose chromosomal abnormalities in children and adults with health problems, detect chromosomal abnormalities in cancer cells, and check chromosomal abnormalities in stem cells. It is also developing reagents for diagnostic tools that are used in the diagnosis of cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections, and other diseases. The company was formerly known as MG MED, Inc. and changed its name to Cancer Rop Co., Ltd. in January 2018. Cancer Rop Co., Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Creative and Innovative System

Private Placement in 2018
Creative & Innovative System Corporation manufactures and sells equipment for lithium-ion batteries powering IT instruments, EV lithium-ion batteries, fuel and solar cells, displays, etc. It offers electrode manufacturing equipment, such as coater, roll press, slitter, and tape laminators. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Daegu, South Korea.

ExoCoBio

Private Placement in 2020
ExoCoBio Inc. develops biopharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals based on stem cell-derived exosomes for skin and tissue regeneration. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in South Korea.

Podbbang

Series B in 2018
Podbbang provides podcast on internet. The firm is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Biorchestra

Seed Round in 2020
Developer of RNA-based therapeutics intended to treat neurodegenerative diseases. The company's therapeutics include candidates for Alzheimer's disease, mRNA vaccine, and drug delivery systems for RNA candidates, enabling doctors to improve the health of humankind.

UPPTHERA

Series A in 2020
UPPTHERA is a pharmaceutical company that specializes in drug development using targeted protein degradation technology.

Raonsecure

Private Placement in 2019
Raonsecure Co., Ltd., an ICT security software company, provides various PC and mobile security solutions to financial institutions, government, and enterprises in South Korea. The company primarily offers TouchEn OnePass, a biometric authentication solution for payments, mobile banking, shopping, game networks, and fintech services. It also provides ICT security consulting services. The company was formerly known as Lumensoft Ltd. and changed its name to Raonsecure Co., Ltd. in October 2012. Raonsecure Co., Ltd. was founded in 1998 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Exosystems

Series A in 2021
Exosystems provides an IoT rehabilitation solution for rehabilitation patients. Exosystems' rehabilitation solution provides optimized exercise program (contents) to patients through analyzing user rehabilitation activity data. It also provides entertaining rehabilitation exercise to encourage the patient's in their quick recovery. Previously, rehabilitation costs were high and rehabilitation programs were available only in limited locations such as hospitals. However, using Exosystems enables rehabilitation to be available at lower cost, while also providing rehabilitation more efficiently by using robotics and data analysis technology.

Supertree

Private Placement in 2020
Supertree world’s first gaming platform built using meta-blockchain technology such as ETH, EOS, etc. We are building a next-generation gaming platform with a vision for a truly decentralized service focusing on three points: decentralized Identity, decentralized Ledger and decentralized CDN.

WATCHA, Inc.

Private Placement in 2020
WATCHA, Inc. offers movie recommendation services. It recommends and records content that fits individuals, including dramas, books, and launching. The company was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

Mykoon Co.,Ltd.

Private Placement in 2019
Mykoon Co.,Ltd. designs and develops social radio mobile application. It allows users to create personal broadcasts, chatting with listeners, listen to user-generated content, and send gifts to preferred streamers. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Odd Concepts

Private Placement in 2020
Odd Concepts Inc. develops computer vision and artificial intelligence technology solutions. The company’s products include an image recognition platform which is a portfolio of ready to use image recognition and search technology, as a cloud based API service and computer vision consulting. It develops an online software technology for video content searches to link offline shopping businesses to create O2O market. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

kukka

Private Placement in 2018
kukka, Inc. sells flowers for office space, atelier, showrooms, and events through retail stores and online. Its products include corporate event support flowers, promotional flower box, customer care flowers, and floral decorations. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

CMI TECH

Series B in 2016
Only biometrics delivers positive identity assurance to the varied challenges of secure identification. PINs, password, ID cards, secure tokens and other technologies no longer provide sufficient security for the most crucial of fraud prevention and identity management needs. Now iris recognition, the most accurate of all real time biometrics technologies, is more affordable than ever. Offering the highest ease of use, superior image quality and fast capture speeds, CMITech’s suite of products support a full range of advanced iris recognition solutions for the global secure identification market.

Adbiotech

Private Placement in 2020
Adbiotech is a company that leaps toward the future with continuous challenges. Adbiotech is a research institute affiliated with the Korea Industrial Technology Association to research and develop antibody products, cosmetics and food additives for oral administration of pharmaceuticals, livestock and fisheries using egg yolk antibody (IgY) technology. Was established. They are leading national research projects for new and diverse products with the aim of "our food safe" through industry-academic cooperation.

CARVI

Series B in 2020
- CARVI is the only company that offers "Vision-based Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) + Contextual Data Platform based on Driver Behaviors and 3D road data“ - CARVI helps safe driving by eliminating the risk of accidents while driving and analyzing/managing the driver's habits. - CARVI also supports Smoke detection, Drunk Driving detection, Parking Violation detection and Keyless lock/unlock solution for Insurance, Fleets and Car-sharing services. - CARVI has experienced vision-based ADAS as an OEM to the car manufacturer, and now focuses on Telematics which has a market share of 100B dollars on 2025. - The "Camera-based driving, driver's habits, road conditions and environment" data acquired by CARVI has core values such as 3D road Map for self-driving cars.

Cynora

Private Placement in 2019
cynora GmbH develops and manufactures organic electronics. The company develops organic light-emitting diodes, blue OLED emitters systems, and organic solar cells that enable reduction in power consumption of OLED devices. It offers materials that are able to convert triplet excitons into light via Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF) to reduce electrical stress within the OLED and caters to AMOLED markets. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Bruchsal, Germany.

Tapas Media

Series A in 2017
Tapas Media, Inc. owns and operates, Tapastic, an online platform and community for indie comic artists and visual storytellers. It specializes in creating visual stories online. The company was founded in 2012 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Medipixel

Series B in 2023
Medipixel, Inc. develops artificial intelligence based lung cancer diagnostic software solutions and semi autonomous surgical tool control robot systems. Medipixel, Inc. was founded in 2017 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Jeju Beer

Series A in 2016
Jeju Beer Company, Limited owns and operates a brewery and produces beer. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Jeju, South Korea.

Yanolja

Series C in 2018
Yanolja is the fastest-growing No.1 OTA, and the only ‘Unicorn’ among travel related companies in South Korea. In the online business, as a ‘Super App’, Yanolja provides all services for travel including accommodation, leisure and transportation. In the offline sector, it is one of the largest franchise operators in Southeast Asia, managing more than 10,000 rooms. It is also Asia’s best full-stack hospitality company, supplying an integrated hotel platform by effectively utilizing IoT, AI and blockchain technologies. Yanolja is now also one of the global Top 2 PMS providers. It has integrated entire hotel operations, covering from front office to back office including housekeeping and maintenance. Yanolja connects the B2B2C value chain of the travel industry with a one-stop network and integrates it into a single platform.

8percent

Series B in 2016
8percent is Korea's leading online financial service. The 8 percent platform allows many small investors to It is a way to make a loan and the borrower repays it to investors every month. With 8% of online evaluation systems and platform technologies, You can provide high-yielding financial products.

8percent

Series D in 2021
8percent is Korea's leading online financial service. The 8 percent platform allows many small investors to It is a way to make a loan and the borrower repays it to investors every month. With 8% of online evaluation systems and platform technologies, You can provide high-yielding financial products.

Fast Five

Series D in 2019
Fast Five is a premium SOHO office business center that aims to become an offline social network based on Fast Five membership. FAST FIVE is a membership-based premium SOHO office that offers a great business space at a reasonable price without deposit. At FAST FIVE, they aim to become an offline social network that creates a strong bond through a community manager who resides to create friends and partners with famous people from various fields such as founders, investors, professionals, and freelancers.

EVAR

Series B in 2023
EVAR brings a solution for EV charging with an autonomous robotic charger.

Watcha

Venture Round in 2020
WATCHA - Launched in AUG 2012, it quickly became Korea’s favorite movie review app - Its core competency lies in personalized recommendation technology - once users rate movie, WATCHA predicts how they will like movies they haven’t yet seen - Now provides the widest and most accurate movie, TV show and book reviews - Launched in Japan in 2015 WATCHA PLAY - Launched in JAN 2016 - Subscription VOD service for movie and TV series available on multiple devices including Web, iOS/Android mobile and tablet, Samsung/LG Smart TV, Google Chromecast, Android TV - Provides extremely accurate personalized content recommendation, powered by WATCHA - 75% of content consumed based on recommendations Comment by Apple, App Store Editor Team “Thanks to its large volume of reliable review data collected from users, WATCHA PLAY can recommend contents that perfectly satisfy my taste. Please don’t waste your time in choosing what to watch. Trust WATCHA PLAY and Enjoy tonight”
Brain Contents CO., LTD. develops and operates digital content platforms. The company operates Lotto Rich, an online lottery informational portal; Sharing Store, a social enterprise platform; and Mutun, a martial arts and cartoon service platform, as well as netcruz, an IT management solution. It also offers refund services under the Global Tax Free brand; K-beauty services under the Swanicoco brand; and water sports products under the Ballop brand. The company was formerly known as Hicel Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Brain Contents CO., LTD. in November 2016. Brain Contents CO., LTD. was founded in 1998 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Toebox Korea

Merger/Acquisition in 2015
TOEBOX KOREA.Ltd. operates shoe stores for children. It operates approximately 50 stores in South Korea, 5 stores in China, and 1 store in Vietnam. The company was formerly known as Daewoo SBI Special Purpose Acquisition 1 Co., Ltd. and changed its name to TOEBOX KOREA.Ltd. in March 2017. TOEBOX KOREA.Ltd. was founded in 2012 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

carpenstreet Inc.

Private Placement in 2020
carpenstreet Inc. develops and operates a design market platform. The company offers ACON3D, a platform that allows 3D designs/models usage in industries, such as cafe interiors and exterior buildings, webtoons/comics, illustrations, 3D games, animations, and broadcasting. Its platform offers designs in categories, such as city, infrastructure, school, company, industry, housing, travel, accommodation, café, restaurants, bars, sports, entertainment, public services, ceremony, props, animals, cars, vehicles, fantasy, orient, and martial arts. carpenstreet Inc. was founded in 2019 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Topsun co., Ltd (XKON:A180060)

Merger/Acquisition in 2019
Topsun Co., Ltd provides solar photovoltaic solutions in Korea and internationally. It offers solar modules; and maintenance services, as well as constructs solar power plants. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Jangseong, South Korea.

Snackfor

Series A in 2021
Snackfor is a B2B company that curates and delivers snacks to offices.

Odd Concepts

Series B in 2020
Odd Concepts Inc. develops computer vision and artificial intelligence technology solutions. The company’s products include an image recognition platform which is a portfolio of ready to use image recognition and search technology, as a cloud based API service and computer vision consulting. It develops an online software technology for video content searches to link offline shopping businesses to create O2O market. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Sauce

Series B in 2021
Smart sound sends data over sound that cannot be heard by humans, enabling connection among devices without additional hardware. Mobidoo is leading Fintech industry with its own technology 'Smart sound'. 'Smart Sound' is applied to payment, IoT, and marketing solutions, and has been customized to Lotte L.pay and commercialized for more than 20,000 merchants of Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart and 7 Eleven Korea, etc. as the world's first case. Currently, mobidoo is launching pre-paid P2P payment platform for merchants and users. Mobidoo is targeting fintech and global market using 'Smart Sound' technology.

UPPTHERA

Series B in 2022
UPPTHERA is a pharmaceutical company that specializes in drug development using targeted protein degradation technology.

Y&Archer

Series A in 2022
Y&Archer is an accelerator company helping startups to penetrate the global market. The accelerator aims to introduce Asian companies to the global market as a stepping stone that can be engraved in many people’s minds. Equipped with venture capitalists, consultants, marketers, and experts in various areas, it helps startups enter the market with Market-Driven Program(MDP) which is a market demand-type program that diagnoses business items and business systems to find out the customizable solutions.

YIK CORPORATION

Private Placement in 2018
YIK Corporation provides semiconductor test systems. It offers memory test systems for evaluation analysis and mass production applications. The company is headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea. YIK Corporation operates as a subsidiary of SEMTEK Corporation.

Lambda256

Series B in 2021
Founded in 2012, Dunamu (CEO Lee Seok-woo) is currently providing services as the largest cryptocurrency exchange in Korea, 'Upbit'​ and stock trading platform based on social network, ‘Kakao Stock'​. Both services are leading in the industry and ecosystems. (Upbit launched in Oct. 2017, Kakao Stock launched in Feb. 2014) Dunamu provides the best service in the fields of cryptocurrency, securities, and asset management. Dunamu is getting much attention in both domestic and global market with professional specialists, innovative services and excellent technology. Recently, it announced to make investment of 100 billion dollars in the blockchain industry, leading the way in creating blockchain ecosystem.

TomboyX

Series A in 2018
TomboyX operates as a retail clothing company that primarily sells underwear and apparel for living without labels. It also offers bras, boxers, trunks, shorts, hats, socks, and underwear. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

ExoCoBio

Series C in 2020
ExoCoBio Inc. develops biopharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals based on stem cell-derived exosomes for skin and tissue regeneration. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in South Korea.

FastFive Co., Ltd.

Private Placement in 2019
FastFive Co., Ltd., a shared office company, owns and operates office space for startups and entrepreneurs in South Korea. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

CodeBrick

Series B in 2021
Codebrick Co.,Ltd., a company builder, develops businesses by applying business models and techniques. The company identifies and assesses business opportunities, and incorporates relevant metrics to measure outcomes. Codebrick Co.,Ltd. was incorporated in 2016 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Fresh Your Life

Series B in 2018
Beijing Xianlife E-Commerce is a private company engaged in business-to-consumer food e-commerce. The company is based in China.

Fortis, Inc. (KOSDAQ:A141020)

Private Placement in 2019
Fortis, Inc. operates as an e-commerce solutions company in South Korea, China, and South East Asia. The company provides solutions for online sales, channels selection, product register/operations, online promotion/marketing, and sales management. It also distributes cosmetic products, such as skin care, beauty facial mask, and make-up products; and micro phones. In addition, the company engages in lottery business in Laos. It serves home shopping, online shopping malls, department stores, open markets, and welfare malls, as well as large corporations and overseas customers. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Seongnam, South Korea.

StyleShare

Private Placement in 2020
StyleShare is a realtime mobile and online platform that allows users to share and receive updates on fashion and beauty. With millions of users from 120 different countries, StyleShare is the top mobile platform for those interested in everyday fashion and beauty. Based in Seoul, South Korea, StyleShare has garnered the attention of VOGUE, Instyle, and Elle Japan as the No. 1 mobile fashion application.

Balaan

Series B in 2019
Balaan Co., Ltd. operates an online boutique of clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, jewelry, and designer brands. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

ZEN Rooms

Series B in 2019
ZEN Rooms is a leading budget hospitality company founded in 2015 to offer the best value-for-money accommodation in South East Asia and optimize the quality and financial performance of budget accomodation in the region. ZEN Rooms is now present in 5 core countries, more than 50 cities and 1,000+ locations. Fully equipped double rooms start as low as US$10. With marquee investors and partners and a young and vibrant team, ZEN Rooms driven to improve the lives of budget travelers by giving them the best accommodation experience at the lowest rate possible.

Creative and Innovative System

Merger/Acquisition in 2015
Creative & Innovative System Corporation manufactures and sells equipment for lithium-ion batteries powering IT instruments, EV lithium-ion batteries, fuel and solar cells, displays, etc. It offers electrode manufacturing equipment, such as coater, roll press, slitter, and tape laminators. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Daegu, South Korea.

Helloworld

Venture Round in 2015
Helloworld is a Korean software company that provides online delivery solutions.

Supertree

Series A in 2020
Supertree world’s first gaming platform built using meta-blockchain technology such as ETH, EOS, etc. We are building a next-generation gaming platform with a vision for a truly decentralized service focusing on three points: decentralized Identity, decentralized Ledger and decentralized CDN.

Buzzvil

Series C in 2020
Buzzvil Co., Ltd. develops and provides lockscreen advertising platform. The company offers Honeyscreen, a mobile application that transforms smartphone lock screen into a billboard; and Buzzscreen, a lock screen software development kit (SDK) for Android to bring content and advertisements onto users' lock-screen by integrating it in different applications. It caters to publishers and advertisers. Buzzvil Co., Ltd. was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

ZEN Rooms

Series A in 2017
ZEN Rooms is a leading budget hospitality company founded in 2015 to offer the best value-for-money accommodation in South East Asia and optimize the quality and financial performance of budget accomodation in the region. ZEN Rooms is now present in 5 core countries, more than 50 cities and 1,000+ locations. Fully equipped double rooms start as low as US$10. With marquee investors and partners and a young and vibrant team, ZEN Rooms driven to improve the lives of budget travelers by giving them the best accommodation experience at the lowest rate possible.

Spoon Radio

Series B in 2019
Spoon operates as a real-time personal audio broadcasting platform. It is designed to share stories, ideas, favorite music, and more. Also, it allows its users to create personal broadcasts and listen to user-generated content. Spoon provides a space where everyone can connect and share their thoughts about everyday, real-life issue with just their voice. Spoon is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Influential

Series B in 2020
Influential Inc. publishes books and audio books. It also organizes lectures and seminars with industry experts for companies. The company provides subscription services for its online audio books. Influential Inc. was founded in 2008 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Lambda256

Series B in 2022
Founded in 2012, Dunamu (CEO Lee Seok-woo) is currently providing services as the largest cryptocurrency exchange in Korea, 'Upbit'​ and stock trading platform based on social network, ‘Kakao Stock'​. Both services are leading in the industry and ecosystems. (Upbit launched in Oct. 2017, Kakao Stock launched in Feb. 2014) Dunamu provides the best service in the fields of cryptocurrency, securities, and asset management. Dunamu is getting much attention in both domestic and global market with professional specialists, innovative services and excellent technology. Recently, it announced to make investment of 100 billion dollars in the blockchain industry, leading the way in creating blockchain ecosystem.

kukka

Series A in 2018
kukka, Inc. sells flowers for office space, atelier, showrooms, and events through retail stores and online. Its products include corporate event support flowers, promotional flower box, customer care flowers, and floral decorations. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

RideFlux

Venture Round in 2020
RideFlux Inc. develops self-driving technology for automobiles. The company is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Sauce

Series B in 2023
Smart sound sends data over sound that cannot be heard by humans, enabling connection among devices without additional hardware. Mobidoo is leading Fintech industry with its own technology 'Smart sound'. 'Smart Sound' is applied to payment, IoT, and marketing solutions, and has been customized to Lotte L.pay and commercialized for more than 20,000 merchants of Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart and 7 Eleven Korea, etc. as the world's first case. Currently, mobidoo is launching pre-paid P2P payment platform for merchants and users. Mobidoo is targeting fintech and global market using 'Smart Sound' technology.

Neofect

Series B in 2015
NEOFECT was founded in June 2010 by Hoyoung Ban and Scott Kim, two students from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business, and Young Choi, MS, Ph.D. of the University of Southern California, who majored in ‘stroke rehabilitation algorithm and robotics.’ NEOFECT’s flagship product, the RAPAEL Smart Glove, was released in 2014 and has been sold to many home patients in the US and the hospitals across the globe, including NewYork-Presbyterian, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Shirley Ryan Abilitylab (former RIC or Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), Brooks Rehabilitation, and Swedish Medical Center. The RAPAEL Smart Glove received FDA clearance in 2014. Other than RAPAEL Smart Glove, Neofect has launched RAPAEL Smart Pegboard, RAPAEL Smart Glove, RAPAEL Smart Board, RAPAEL Smart Kids. In 2016, NEOFECT participated in a study conducted by the National Rehabilitation Center in Korea to evaluate the impact of virtual reality-based exercises on a rehabilitation program for stroke patients. The study found VR-based rehabilitation combined with standard occupational therapy is more effective than traditional therapy alone for greater upper extremity function. NEOFECT has offices in South Korea, the U.S., and Germany. Its devices are sold in South Korea, the U.S., and all over Europe.

RideFlux

Series A in 2021
RideFlux Inc. develops self-driving technology for automobiles. The company is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Rznomics

Series C in 2022
This is a biotechnology company founded by professor Lee Sung-wook's lab They are working on the development of gene therapy products for liver cancer through the development of gene therapy products. It was selected by the TIPS program and was recognized for excellence in technology.

Tomboy Exchange, Inc.

Private Placement in 2018
Tomboy Exchange, Inc. operates a lifestyle brand that creates, curates, and cultivates retail clothing and accessories for women. It offers underwear and tank tops; shirts, polo and T-shirts, blazers, hoodies and jackets, plus sizes, bottoms, footwear, and socks; and gift certificates, headwear, neckwear, jewelry, cuffs and key fobs, belts and buckles, bags and packs, mittens and hand warmers, watches, for kids, home and bath products, and pet care products. The company sells its products online. Tomboy Exchange, Inc. was incorporated in 2012 and is based in Seattle, Washington.