The Ventures (CEO Kim Chul-woo), an early-stage investment firm, announced on the 3rd that it has established the "The Ventures Global K-Consumer Goods Fund," valued at 10 billion won. The fund completed its first closing in mid-last month, and a second round of funding worth 15 billion won is planned for later this year.
The fund will operate for eight years, with investments focused on the first four years. Its primary investment targets are early-stage consumer goods brands targeting global expansion, with investments ranging from 100 million to 500 million won per company in seed to Series A stages. Kim Cheol-woo, CEO, will serve as the fund manager, while Lee Seong-eun, an auditor, will serve as a key member of the team.
The global K-consumer goods market has recently been expanding beyond its focus on beauty to encompass food, fashion, and wellness, demonstrating continued growth. Investment in lifestyle sectors, including fashion and beauty, is projected to reach KRW 185.3 billion in the first half of 2025, a 27.7% year-on-year increase. In 2024, K-beauty exports are projected to reach USD 10.2 billion, up 20.6%, and K-food exports are projected to reach USD 13 billion, up 6.1%.
The Ventures has invested in early-stage consumer goods brands, including beauty platform 'Viewble', basic care cosmetics brand 'Basic Skin Lab', beauty brand 'Last Spring', operator of Podle, functional beverage 'The Plug Drink' targeting the North American market, seaweed snack 'Kim' targeting the US market, and traditional liquor 'New Look'.
As our first investment, we selected 'Seoul Beauty Club,' a K-beauty subscription service that regularly delivers curated Korean premium skincare products to American women in their 30s and 40s, and executed the investment in mid-last month.
Lee Seong-eun, a judge at the firm, focuses on identifying teams with market insight and brand execution capabilities, leveraging their global startup experience and domestic and international influencer networks. This fund's primary investment targets two groups: tech founders capable of data-driven hypothesis verification and influencer founders with strong fan bases.
The Ventures began as an accelerator in 2014, added a venture capital license in 2021, and has invested in over 250 early-stage companies to date. Based on a network in 12 countries, including Southeast Asia and North America, The Ventures provides support from initial investment through the growth stage.
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