About Kakao Ventures
Kakao Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2012. It is primarily based out of Seongnam-si, South Korea. As of Sep 2026, Kakao Ventures is an active investor, having invested in 198 companies, with 26 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Seed round in South Korea based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from High Tech to Enterprise Applications and Consumer. Most recently it participated in the $***** Seed round of CoroLogic Overall, Kakao Ventures portfolio has seen 2 unicorns, 3 IPOs and 10 acquisitions including key companies like Lunit, Dunamu and Karrot. A lot of funds co-invest with Kakao Ventures, with names like BASS Investment sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Kakao Ventures has team of 18 people including 5 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 3 more
Portfolio Acquisitions
Portfolio Unicorns
Deals in last 12 months
Kakao Ventures' List of Top Investments
Kakao Ventures has a portfolio of 198 companies, including 2 unicorns. Their most notable investments are in Stratio and NerdGames.Their portfolio spans across South Korea, United States, Indonesia and 7 more locations. They have invested in High Tech, Enterprise Applications, Consumer and 31 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 3 more. Here is the list of top investments by Kakao Ventures:1. Terra
Blockchain network for payments. It is an open-source blockchain payment platform for an algorithmic stablecoin, which are cryptocurrencies that automatically track the price of currencies or other assets. The platform enables users to spend, save, trade, or exchange Terra stablecoins.
Key facts about Terra
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: Singapore (Singapore)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $125M
- Employee Count: 10 - 49 as on Mar 01, 2026
- Investors: TransLink Capital, Orthogonal Thinker and 42 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Jan 26, 2021, $*****
2. Lunit
Developer of medical software for cancer screening and oncology diagnostics. This technology utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze medical imaging and pathology data. The software assists clinicians in identifying potential malignancies in chest and breast scans. Additionally, the platform provides tools for biomarker analysis and tissue quantification to support treatment decisions in oncology. These solutions integrate into clinical workflows to facilitate the interpretation of complex diagnostic data.
Key facts about Lunit
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: Seoul (South Korea)
- Annual Revenue: $50M - $100M as on Dec 31, 2025
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $135M
- Employee Count: 363 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Deep Learning, Tybourne Capital Management and 25 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Nov 25, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Public
3. Dunamu
Online exchange platform for cryptocurrency. It enables users to buy, sell, and exchange cryptocurrency. It offers asset management and investment solutions. It also offers securities information and monitors stock portfolio solutions for users.
Key facts about Dunamu
- Founded Year: 2012
- Location: Seoul (South Korea)
- Last Known Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $1.64B
- Employee Count: 478 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Qualcomm Ventures, Altos Ventures Management and 22 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, May 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
4. Spatial
Developer of a platform for creating and sharing virtual experiences. The platform enables users to design interactive virtual worlds with customisable templates and tools. It supports the integration of 2D, 3D, and video content, facilitating the creation of immersive environments. The platform is accessible across web, virtual reality, augmented reality, and mobile devices.
Key facts about Spatial
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: New York City (United States)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $66.8M
- Employee Count: 60 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Inovia Capital, Lerer Hippeau and 27 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Dec 14, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. Mojo Vision
Developer of AR-based monochrome display. It is developing an augmented reality-based computing platform that claims to deliver relevant information without the intrusions of mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, or wearables. Its chief offering is a tiny monochrome display, featuring multiple density pixels per square inch. It can be placed close to the eye and the company claims that the same's pixel density is about greater than the standard phone screen and denser than those displays found on other VR headsets
Key facts about Mojo Vision
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Saratoga (United States)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $319M
- Employee Count: 99 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: AME Cloud Ventures, Liberty Global and 48 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Mar 25, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Kakao Ventures' Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Kakao Ventures has invested in 198 companies over the last 14 years, with an average of 12 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 15 investments, while as of Sep 2026, it has made 22 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in CoroLogic and most recent follow-on round was in 23I.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 20 | 2 | 22 |
2025 | 13 | 2 | 15 |
2024 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
2023 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
2022 | 11 | 5 | 16 |
2021 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
2020 | 10 | 5 | 15 |
2019 | 17 | 7 | 24 |
2018 | 13 | 3 | 16 |
2017 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
Kakao Ventures' Investments by Stage
Kakao Ventures has made 97 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $3.07M, 30 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $7.72M, 10 investments in Series B stage with an average round size of $24.1M, 2 investments in Series C stage with an average round size of $45M and 1 investment in Series D stage with an average round size of $75.5M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Seed | 97 |
Series A | 30 |
Series B | 10 |
Series C | 2 |
Series D | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Kakao Ventures' Investments by Sector
Kakao Ventures has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Consumer, Retail and Gaming. Notably, it has invested in 155 Tech companies, 94 Consumer (B2C) companies, 92 Software companies and at least 87 companies focusing on Enterprise (B2B).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 46 |
High Tech | 37 |
Consumer | 29 |
Retail | 17 |
Gaming | 16 |
Others | 137 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Kakao Ventures' Investments by Geography
Kakao Ventures has made most investments in South Korea (92), followed by United States where it has made 25 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
South Korea | 92 |
United States | 25 |
Singapore | 3 |
Germany | 2 |
Indonesia | 2 |
Others | 4 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Kakao Ventures' recent investments
Kakao Ventures has made 22 investments in 2026 so far. CoroLogic and Intellicia are the latest among them.Here are the most recent investments by Kakao Ventures:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 15, 2026 | - | Seed | 4149 | ||
Sep 02, 2026 | United Kingdom | Seed | 8606 | [+1] | |
Aug 25, 2026 | - | Seed | 6962 | [+2] | |
Aug 13, 2026 | South Korea | Seed | 7672 | ||
Aug 11, 2026 | South Korea | Series A | 2082 | [+5] |
Unicorns in Kakao Ventures' Portfolio
Kakao Ventures has 2 unicorns in its portfolio - Korea Credit Data and Karrot. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Korea Credit Data. It became a unicorn in 2023.Here is a list of unicorns in Kakao Ventures' portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | Provider of essential services for merchants including business management, customer analysis, and payment services | 2016 | Seoul | Series D | ufjrdkv | ||
68 | Online retailer of used and new goods across multiple categories | 2015 | Seoul | Series D | rqmjylv |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Kakao Ventures' Portfolio
3 of Kakao Ventures' portfolio companies have become public. Shift UP got listed on the Korea Exchange (KRX), in Jul 2024 at marketcap of $2.54B and Lunit got listed on the Korea Exchange (KRX) at marketcap of $241M.Here are Kakao Ventures' portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jul 11, 2024 | Jul 20, 2016 | Series A | 8227 | |
Jul 21, 2022 | 2014 | Seed | 2830 | |
- | Nov 23, 2012 | Seed | 2107 |
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Acquired companies in Kakao Ventures' Portfolio
10 companies from Kakao Ventures' portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was SqueezeBits in Jun 2026 by Rebellions for $*****.Here are Kakao Ventures' portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 30, 2026 | Jan 23, 2024 | Seed | 9959 | |
Nov 27, 2025 | Jan 13, 2020 | Seed | 7639 | |
Nov 26, 2025 | - | - | 1623 | |
Jul 22, 2024 | May 15, 2017 | Seed | 8366 | |
Feb 02, 2024 | Jul 14, 2017 | Seed | 8457 |
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Team profile of Kakao Ventures
Kakao Ventures has a team of 18 members including 5 Partners and 5 Principals located in South Korea. Kakao Ventures' team sits on the board of 1 company.Here is a list of top team members in Kakao Ventures:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | South Korea | - | ||
Partner | South Korea | - | ||
Partner | Seoul | - | ||
Partner | - | - | ||
Partner | - | - | - | |
Principal | Seoul | - | ||
Principal | - | - | ||
Principal | - | - | ||
Principal | South Korea | - | - | |
Principal | - | - |
Co-investors of Kakao Ventures
Over the past 14 years, 548 investors have co-invested in Kakao Ventures's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Kakao Ventures: BASS Investment, Village Global and 96 others have invested in rounds before Kakao Ventures. There are 2 companies where BASS Investment has invested before Kakao Ventures and 2 companies where Village Global has invested before Kakao Ventures.
- Top Co-investors of Kakao Ventures: 185 investors entered a company along with Kakao Ventures. These include investors like BASS Investment (9 companies).
- Invested after Kakao Ventures: A total of 265 investors have invested in Kakao Ventures's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Korean Development Bank (7 companies), KB Investment (5 companies) and Shinhan Venture Investment (5 companies).
Recent News related to Kakao Ventures
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Algorix Raises Pre-Seed Funding from Kakao Ventures for AI Data LayerThe SaaS News•Jul 14, 2026•Kakao Ventures
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TapZero Secures Seed Investment from Kakao Ventures for AI-Powered Longevity PlatformVenture Square•Jun 08, 2026•Kakao Ventures
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Cushman & Wakefield Korea Appointed as Leasing Advisor for Kakao's Pangyo Aziit Retail SpaceKorea Newswire•May 27, 2026•Cushman, Kakao Ventures
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Parallax Worlds Secures $4.9M to Stress-Test Industrial Robots VirtuallySiliconAngle•Nov 20, 2025•Parallax Worlds, Pear VC, Lightscape, Conviction and 8 others
