Rising S Ventures Strengthens Technical Analysis Capabilities by Hiring Former Nice D&B Staff

KT·Nice D&B Rough Lee Hoseong Joins as Screening Officer
AUM and Investment Team Expanded Simultaneously

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Rising S Ventures, a venture capital (VC) firm affiliated with Geumseong Baekjo Housing, has strengthened its house capabilities by increasing assets under management (AUM) while newly recruiting investment analysts.

According to the investment banking (IB) industry on the 4th, Rising S Ventures recently assigned analyst Ho-sung Lee to its investment headquarters. Analyst Lee graduated from Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in Systems Management Engineering and was responsible for convergence ICT business consulting at KT. He later moved to NICE D&B, where he handled technology credit evaluations and published technology analysis reports.

With this, the investment headquarters staff increased from two to three. Until now, investment activities were led by Director Ji-young Jang and Team Leader Ji-yoon Yoo. With the addition of industry-experienced personnel, it is expected that investment activities will accelerate. In particular, since Analyst Lee possesses the capability to evaluate technology, he is anticipated to actively engage in investments in technology-based startups.

This move contrasts with the very cautious attitude venture capital firms have shown in recruiting personnel amid the recent global economic downturn and contraction of the investment market.

The background for securing new personnel lies in the increasing AUM. Rising S Ventures formed the ‘KSBJ-Rising Star No.1 Venture Investment Association (commitment amount of 10 billion KRW)’ last year, followed recently by the establishment of the ‘KSBJ-Rising Star No.2 Venture Investment Association (10 billion KRW).’

The total AUM is 20 billion KRW, which is still modest, but by creating new blind funds of 10 billion KRW annually, the firm is evaluated to have secured ample investment resources. As the fund size grows, more fund management personnel are also needed.

Launched in April last year, Rising S Ventures obtained a startup investment company license following its accelerator status. It has secured a diverse portfolio including InnoMaxin, Dain Medical Group, GTI Bioscience, SwitchOne, Teamwork, Oasis Business, Neurofit, Billio, AU, Skylabs, Revest, and Apujima.

As the first fund’s depletion rate increases, it is expected that investments through the second fund will be intensified. Attention is also focused on the first investment target of the newly joined analyst Lee.