Domestic Major Corporations Invest 4.3 Trillion Won in Startup Equity Over 2.5 Years... Naver Ranks First

Leaders Index Analysis
Investment Concentrated in Content and Entertainment Sectors
Naver Invests 597.8 Billion KRW in 63 Companies

Domestic conglomerates have invested more than 4 trillion won in startup equity over the past two and a half years to secure new growth engines. The sector that received the most equity investment from other companies in terms of amount was content and entertainment, while the pharmaceutical and bio sector led in the number of companies.

On the 12th, Leaders Index, a corporate analysis research institute, analyzed the equity investment status of 354 companies that submitted their business reports for the first half of the year among the top 500 companies by sales. Since 2021 until the first half of this year, 298 companies acquired equity in other companies excluding affiliate investments, with a total investment amount of 20.7701 trillion won based on acquisition cost.

[Table provided by Leaders Index]

Among these, indirect investments such as investment associations accounted for 78.6% of the total, amounting to 16.3354 trillion won, involving 2,922 companies. Direct equity acquisitions were made in 844 companies, with an equity investment amount of 4.3055 trillion won.

The number of companies investing in other companies and the amount of equity investment decreased from 330 companies and 2.1225 trillion won in 2021 to 335 companies and 1.2976 trillion won last year, but showed an increasing trend again with 179 companies and 1.1042 trillion won in the first half of this year.

Analyzing the main industries of the 844 companies that received investments from conglomerates, the sector that received the most equity investment in terms of amount was content and entertainment. Since 2021 until the first half of this year, 99 companies received 1.1415 trillion won in investment. In terms of the number of companies, the pharmaceutical and bio sector led, with 173 companies receiving 437 billion won in investment.

The company that made the most direct equity investments in other companies, excluding affiliates or indirect investments, was Naver, which invested 597.8 billion won in 63 companies. The sector in which Naver invested the most equity was AI big data, with equity investments in 15 companies.

Following Naver, HYBE was the next largest investor. HYBE invested 437.6 billion won in 8 companies, most of which were equity investments in SM Entertainment, with which it had a management rights dispute this year.

Samsung Electronics invested equity in four companies, including Rainbow Robotics, which it invested in this year, with a total of 156.4 billion won, ranking eighth among companies with the most equity investments in other companies.