Co-hosted with Naver Ventures
Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), the sovereign wealth fund, invited domestic and international investors to Silicon Valley in the United States to review investment trends and strengthen cooperation.
On December 5, KIC announced that its San Francisco office hosted the 7th Silicon Valley International Financial Council on December 2 (local time).
The event, co-hosted with Naver Ventures, was attended by more than 50 participants, including major local venture capital firms such as Kindred Ventures, Fusion Fund, Sapphire Ventures, as well as startups and Korean institutional investors.
The participants discussed topics such as the acceleration of AI commercialization, changes in VC investment criteria, and structural transformation across industries.
Steve Jang, founder and partner at Kindred Ventures, stated, "Although there are concerns about a bubble in the AI industry, the rapid growth of generative AI companies and the simultaneous structural innovation across industries make it difficult to view this as a simple bubble. Selective, long-term investments focused on leading companies in each field remain effective."
Lu Zhang, founder and partner at Fusion Fund, commented, "Venture capital firms prefer to invest in companies that have demonstrated market viability at an early stage. For AI investments, a sustainable business model and clear return on investment (ROI) are essential considerations."
Casber Wang, partner at Sapphire Ventures, advised, "Rather than pursuing perfection, founders should actively incorporate market feedback through rapid execution and an experimental approach. Recruiting talent appropriate for each stage of growth and reorganizing the organization at the right time increases the likelihood of investment success."
Vik Young-jang, CEO of Naver Ventures, added, "As AI rapidly reshapes the landscape of global market competition, Naver will actively support Korean entrepreneurs seeking to enter the US market."
Park Yumi, head of KIC's San Francisco office and one of the event organizers, said, "The AI industry is evolving rapidly, and capital is being concentrated, so investment opportunities still appear to be valid. We will continue discussions on long-term investments with Korean institutional investors."
Participants of the 7th Silicon Valley International Financial Council, hosted by Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) and Naver Ventures on the 2nd (local time) in San Francisco, USA, are listening to a presentation. Photo by Korea Investment Corporation
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