-Growth structure rather than performance
The conditions for a baby unicorn to become the market leader require a structural transformation of the market rather than rapid growth.
“Investing is not about money, it’s about planning time and direction.”
New Paradigm Investment has carved a unique trajectory in the domestic accelerator market in recent years. Following the Korea Venture Capital Association's "Outstanding Investment Institution Award" and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Minister's Award for Outstanding Startup Planner, New Paradigm Investment achieved the so-called "Grand Slam Triple Crown" last year by winning the Association of Early-stage Investment Accelerators' Chairman's Award for "Best Accelerator Placement Management." Beyond the sheer number of awards, New Paradigm Investment is notable for its consistent recognition across the board, encompassing investment, incubation, and performance creation.
Looking at the numbers and titles alone, it appears to be a performance-oriented organization. However, the words New Paradigm Investment repeatedly emphasizes are surprisingly sober: "Performance is a result, not a goal." This explains why, rather than prioritizing performance, they prioritize the structure and process by which it is achieved.
At the center of this philosophy is Bae Sang-seung, co-CEO of New Paradigm Investment. He defines investment firms not as mere "capital providers," but as structural designers who give entrepreneurs back their time. He believes that investing isn't simply about putting money into the equation, but rather redesigning the environment so entrepreneurs can focus on setting direction and executing.
Early-stage entrepreneurs lose more time on direction than speed.
CEO Bae's career path is somewhat different from that of a typical investor. He planned new business strategies at Samsung C&T, and at KTB Network, he experienced investment review and back-office operations. He later developed a public sector perspective while working on policy formulation at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He also served as CFO and COO at a listed company, personally overseeing the entire fundraising and IPO process. From investment and policymaking to corporate management and IPO, he has personally experienced the entire startup ecosystem.
He says this experience revealed a common problem: early-stage startups fail not because they're slow, but because they spend too much energy determining direction. The constant jostling for funding, government projects, and follow-up investment preparations fragments the time needed to truly focus on the market and customers. CEO Bae believes this structure is the greatest erosion of entrepreneurs' ability to execute.
New Paradigm Investment began at this very point. It's a complete model that connects investment, government projects, follow-up investments, and even IPO experience into a single flow, helping entrepreneurs focus on the "business itself." CEO Bae calls this a "compressed growth model," not just support.
The condition for a baby unicorn is not 'rapid growth'.
New Paradigm Investment defines baby unicorns not by short-term sales growth or buzzworthy metrics. CEO Bae considers them based on their ability to transform market structures. The key is how a technology or business model replaces inefficiencies in existing industries, and whether the change is not merely temporary but can be expanded into a sustainable business.
The most important factor in investment decisions remains the "team." He argues that while technology can be complemented and markets constantly change, teams lacking problem-solving skills and execution precision will ultimately face limitations in growth. Especially in the early stages, direction and speed are more important than perfection. He believes that teams that are on the right track will learn quickly through trial and error, while teams with a misguided approach will stagnate, even with ample resources.
New Paradigm Investment currently holds a portfolio of nearly 90 companies. Among them, BlueMTech, Medical AI, Azwemake, and Vincen are preparing for IPOs or listings. CEO Bae emphasizes, "An IPO is not a short-term event, but rather the cumulative result of setting a direction in the early stages."
The BlueMTech Case Study Demonstrates "Accompanying Investment"
When New Paradigm Investment first invested in BlueMTech, the company's value was approximately 3.8 billion won. However, CEO Bae explains that he focused on the essence of the business structure rather than the numbers. BlueMTech was not simply a pharmaceutical distributor; it was a scalable team that could transform into a platform capable of restructuring the structural inefficiencies inherent in the pharmaceutical supply market for hospitals and clinics through digital transformation.
New Paradigm Investment didn't stop at capital injection. They accompanied the company through the entire process, from evolving its business strategy, designing a growth roadmap, aligning with follow-up investments, restructuring its financial structure, and establishing an IPO strategy. This process wasn't simply advisory or consulting; it involved shaping the company's decision-making structure and growth rate. As a result, BlueMTech achieved rapid, accelerated growth and led to an IPO.
CEO Bae says this isn't a "haphazard success," but a repeatable structure. Indeed, New Paradigm Investment is using the same approach to propel several portfolio companies into the next stage of growth.
TIPS are not "funds," they are "tracks."
This structural approach underpins New Paradigm Investment's high TIPS selection performance. CEO Bae views TIPS not simply as operating capital support, but as a track that formally encapsulates a company's growth stages. From the initial investment stage, the firm develops technology roadmaps, business advancement strategies, and follow-up investment scenarios, all with the expectation of TIPS selection.
The key to this approach is securing entrepreneurs' time. It reduces the time spent on raising investment each round, freeing up that time to reinvest in product development and marketing. He explains, "Investment isn't about giving money; it's about giving back time." This is why New Paradigm Investment repeatedly emphasizes "direction."
Beyond AX to IX… "AI is now transforming decision-making structures."
The industry keywords New Paradigm Investment focuses on are AX and IX. The key is not whether AI has been adopted, but how it is actually changing cost structures and productivity. CEO Bae believes that by 2026, AI will move beyond being a supplementary tool and become a core infrastructure that determines corporate competitiveness.
If DX and AX were stages of automating and systematizing work, IX is the stage where AI redesigns an organization's decision-making structure and the very way it works. New Paradigm Investment invests in companies at this very turning point. This is why we continue to make early investments, unfazed by market conditions or short-term investor sentiment.
Don't start a business for investment purposes.
CEO Bae's recurring message to early-stage entrepreneurs is clear: don't start a company just to raise money. He believes that a company thrives when its motivations are good and its focus is on problem-solving. He believes that investment is a means, not an end in itself, and should be used to accelerate results once they've been achieved.
New Paradigm Investment, like BlueMTech, is building a model where investment and recovery are integrated into a single structure, accompanying companies from initial investment through IPO. Beyond short-term performance, we aim to create an ecosystem that consistently produces companies capable of becoming leaders in their respective markets. This is the ultimate goal of what CEO Bae Sang-seung calls "compressed growth."
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