The Korea Artificial Intelligence & Software Industry Association (Chairman Cho Jun-hee) announced on February 25 that it had officially launched the 'AI+X Investment Council' with approximately 30 investment organizations, including global investment firms such as Korea Science and Technology Holdings (CEO Choi Chi-ho) and K-Ground Ventures (CEO Cho Nam-hoon).
The launch of this council is significant in that it establishes a public-private cooperation platform to foster an AX-specific investment ecosystem by bringing together the capabilities of the government, public, and private sectors amid intensifying global competition in AI technology.
Domestic AI investment has been criticized for its fragmented structure, centered on large corporations and a select few, and the structural limitations of the long period required from government investment to the creation of private funds, making it difficult to effectively respond to the global competitive environment that demands speed.
Based on this awareness of the problem, the council established the following core strategies: ▲ rapid investment execution centered on startups, ▲ investment in full-stack AX projects including demand sources by industry, and ▲ full-cycle investment and scale-up support based on original technology and IP.
In particular, it will be operated as a public-private cooperative AX investment platform that links the capabilities of government policy funds, public technology commercialization organizations, and private investors, and aims to systematically support the application of discovered AX projects to industrial sites and their entry into the global market.
The council plans to gradually establish the AX Fund through a private-sector-led, government-supported approach. Each investment firm's existing funds will be linked to the policy fund, and a full-cycle investment model spanning from seed to pre-IPO will be sequentially implemented, along with strategies for global expansion and IP monetization. Beginning with the first AX Fund, the council aims to raise over KRW 100 billion annually.
The launching ceremony was held on February 24th at the Samjeong Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, and was attended by approximately 100 people, including Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT Ryu Je-myeong, as well as representatives from the council's member investment firms and portfolio companies.
Chairman Cho Jun-hee emphasized the importance of activating the AX investment ecosystem to respond to the era of AI transformation, and emphasized the need for a cooperative structure led by the private sector and supported by the government.
Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong expressed his hope that the launch of the council would serve as an opportunity to revitalize private AI investment, and expressed his government's commitment to support.
CEO Choi Chi-ho mentioned expanding the commercialization of IP accumulated through research and development and national R&D, and CEO Cho Nam-hoon expressed his will to cooperate with the goal of strengthening global competitiveness in the field of AI convergence.
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