The Invention Lab (CEO Jinyoung Kim), a specialist early-stage accelerator, announced that it executed a total of 53 new and follow-on investments worth KRW 8.07 billion in 2025. This is the result of its proactive investment activities, focusing on promising startups, despite a challenging investment environment.
In 2025, The Invention Lab executed 38 new investments totaling KRW 4.77 billion and 15 follow-up investments totaling KRW 3.3 billion in existing portfolio companies. The company explained that it maintained a selective and focused investment strategy, strengthening continuous investment support from the initial discovery stage through the growth stage.
Existing portfolio companies also achieved results. In 2025, a total of 28 portfolio companies successfully secured external follow-up investments, raising a total of KRW 34.27 billion. This is considered a case of tangible results achieved through business expansion and market validation following investment execution.
In terms of fundraising, a new fund totaling KRW 6.801 billion was established by 2025. This fund consists of KRW 4.24 billion from private investment associations and KRW 2.56 billion from venture funds, securing a stable source of initial private investment. Furthermore, investment performance linked to government policy funding continued.
By 2025, The Invention Lab had recorded 18 new TIPS recommendations and 22 new LIPS recommendations, generating a total of over KRW 15 billion in funding for early-stage startups. In particular, by strengthening its LIPS recommendation program, the company expanded its investment scope beyond technology-based startups to include K-consumer goods and companies with high potential for global expansion.
This is interpreted as part of The Invention Lab's strategy to actively leverage the Southeast Asian network it has built over the past eight years through investments in technology-based Korean startups entering the Vietnamese market. Building on its experience as a LIPS operator, The Invention Lab plans to continue expanding its investments in 2026, targeting startups in the consumer goods, platform, and lifestyle sectors, which are easily accessible and offer relatively quick returns. Some of these startups will be directly selected as venture studios to advance into the Southeast Asian market.
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