SBVA

What SBVA does

SBVA is a Seoul-headquartered venture capital firm founded in 2000 (originally as SoftBank Ventures Korea), operating as an independent entity since its 2023 acquisition by The Edgeof and 2024 rebrand from SoftBank Ventures Asia. The firm manages approximately KRW 2.9 trillion (~USD 2 billion) in assets under management across 26+ funds, organized thematically as 2023 Alpha Korea Fund (KRW 200B), Alpha Intelligence Fund (KRW 180B), Alpha Korea Sovereign AI Fund (KRW 150B), Alpha AI Healthcare Fund (KRW 30B), Alpha AI Architecture Fund, and a secondary fund. SBVA invests across early-to-growth stage startups in AI, robotics, deep tech, healthcare, fintech, content, and commerce, operating from offices in Seoul, Beijing, Singapore, San Francisco, and Israel, with active coverage of Japan.

SBVA's revenue model is two-tiered: recurring management fees on committed and invested AUM across multiple institutional and corporate-LP-backed funds, plus lumpy carried interest from realized exits (e.g., Lunit IPO, KREAM, Hyperconnect, GoTo-related M&A). The firm's principal Limited Partners include SoftBank Group, KDB/Industrial Bank of Korea, SK Networks, Hanwha Life, LG Electronics, CP Group, Coupang, Doosan, Nexon Korea, KB Capital, and KVIC (government-backed). Differentiated Value-Up support includes two-day OpenAI technical workshops with mini-hackathons for portfolio companies, NVIDIA Physical AI Alliance membership, and the Innocean UP 2026 growth platform, forming an ecosystem layer that combines capital deployment with operational acceleration.

Underlying technology consists of an internal ERP for portfolio risk grading, fund management, and voting-rights documentation, combined with a proprietary cross-border investment network across four regions and curated LP-backed PoC pathways. As of 2025, the firm had invested KRW 126.7 billion across 17 companies (54% Korea, 39% USA, 6% Japan), with AI and robotics comprising 71% of deployment. The portfolio spans 300+ companies invested historically, with 100+ active as of 2026, including global brands such as Danggeun, Lunit, KREAM, Hyperconnect, Iyuno, Carro, Korbit, Upstage, Nota, You.com, AMI Labs, and Tacta Systems.

Name

SBVA

Legal name

주식회사 에스비브이에이

Website

https://sbvacorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SBVA is a Seoul-headquartered venture capital firm managing approximately USD 2 billion (KRW 2.9 trillion) in AUM across 26+ funds, investing in early-to-growth stage AI, deep tech, and ICT startups globally from offices in Korea, China, Singapore, and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (52599)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venture Growth / Recurring Revenue Credit Funds (FSANAIAG)

Keywords

• Venture capital funds
• Early stage investing
• AI startup investment
• Deep tech venture
• Portfolio growth programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Venture Fund Management Fees: Recurring management fees earned on AUM across multiple venture funds (Alpha Korea Fund, Alpha Intelligence Fund, Alpha AI Architecture Fund, Alpha Korea Sovereign AI Fund, and others), with AUM of approximately KRW 2.9 trillion.
2. Carried Interest from Successful Exits: Performance-based carried interest on realized returns from portfolio exits (e.g., IPOs of Lunit, KREAM, Hyperconnect, and others; M&A of GoTo); the Korea VC Awards 2024 emphasized realized returns over the past year as a key evaluation metric.
3. Fund Capital Raising from LPs: Capital commitments from corporate and institutional LPs (SoftBank Group, SK Networks, Hanwha Life, LG Electronics, CP Group, Coupang, Doosan, etc.) deployed into successive funds; fund formation reached KRW 410 billion in 2024.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

SBVA is a global venture capital firm that raises institutional capital and deploys it into early- to growth-stage technology startups across AI, deep tech, robotics, healthcare, fintech, and commerce. The firm manages 26+ funds totaling approximately KRW 2.9 trillion (USD 2 billion) in AUM, with anchor LPs including SoftBank Group, Coupang, Doosan, and Industrial Bank of Korea, and supports its 300+ portfolio companies through the Value-Up Program featuring OpenAI workshops, NVIDIA alliance participation, and cross-border market entry into Japan, China, Southeast Asia, and the US.

Product overview

SBVA is a venture capital firm (not a software product company) that offers a platform-plus-modules architecture of investment services centered on its portfolio company support and investor relations programs. The core offering consists of multiple investment funds — including the 2023 Alpha Korea Fund (200 billion KRW), Alpha Intelligence Fund (180 billion KRW), Alpha AI Healthcare Fund (30 billion KRW), 2023 Secondary Fund (30 billion KRW), Alpha AI Architecture Fund (which counts Coupang and Doosan as LPs), and the newly established Alpha Korea Sovereign AI Fund (150 billion KRW) — totaling approximately 2.9 trillion KRW in AUM across 26+ managed funds. Supporting these funds is the Value-Up Program, which includes the SBVA x OpenAI Workshop, LP & Portfolio Seminars, the UP 2026 growth platform partnership with Innocean, the Fireside Chat with OpenAI networking series, and SBVA's membership in the NVIDIA Korea Physical AI Startup Alliance. SBVA also produced the brand film 'A Visionary Partnership' to communicate its investment thesis to founders globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 2023 Alpha Korea Fund: SBVA's first fund formed after the spinoff from SoftBank Group, closed at approximately KRW 200 billion.
• Alpha Korea Sovereign AI Fund
• Alpha Intelligence Fund
• Alpha AI Architecture Fund
• SBVA 2023 Secondary Investment Partnership (에스브이에이 2023 세컨더리 투자조합)
• Alpha AI Healthcare Fund

Products and services

• Alpha Korea Sovereign AI Fund
• Alpha Intelligence Fund
• 2023 Alpha Korea Fund
• Alpha AI Healthcare Fund
• Alpha AI Architecture Fund
• SBVA 2023 Secondary Investment Partnership
• Value-Up Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ portfolio companies invested over 20+ years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers32 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major strategic partnership, minor strategic dialogue, flagship strategic investment and bridge partner, flagship strategic partnership, flagship ecosystem partnership and parent entity / controlling shareholder.

• Innocean (Hyundai Motor Group Marketing Arm)major strategic partnershipGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 June 2026Innocean and SBVA co-launched 'UP 2026', a growth platform pairing Innocean executives with 10+ SBVA portfolio companies (Blind, KREAM, Ohouse, Laundrygo, Queenit, Gravity Labs) across four sessions focused on AI adoption, data analytics, brand consulting, and growth strategies. The partnership represents a strategic shift for Innocean beyond traditional advertising into emerging tech, while providing SBVA portfolio companies with blue-chip marketing expertise for international scaling.
• Hong Kong Legislative Council ICT Constituency Delegationminor strategic dialogueStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026SBVA hosted a delegation led by Duncan Chiu and Elizabeth Quat (Hong Kong Legislative Council ICT Committee) at its Seocho-gu office for a roundtable discussion on global AI and deep tech investment trends. The meeting addressed Hong Kong's dual-listing potential for Korean companies, agentic and physical AI developments, and Hong Kong's role bridging Chinese AI ecosystem with global capital.
• AMI Labs (Advanced Machine Intelligence)flagship strategic investment and bridge partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2026SBVA committed EUR 30 million to the seed round of AMI Labs, founded by Turing Award winner Yann LeCun (former Meta Chief AI Scientist). SBVA serves as a strategic bridge connecting AMI's 'World Model' technology with the Korean and Asian industrial ecosystem, supporting PoCs with major corporations and enabling SBVA portfolio companies to adopt next-generation AI architectures. AMI is headquartered in Paris with additional offices planned in New York, Montreal, and Singapore.
• OpenAIflagship strategic partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2026OpenAI co-hosts the 'SBVA x OpenAI Workshop' for portfolio companies at SBVA's Seoul headquarters. The two-day workshops combine strategic and technical sessions with OpenAI's solution architects and APAC startup partnerships leadership, including a mini-hackathon format. 22 portfolio companies including Danggeun, Law & Company, TelePIX, Nota, ModuSign, and Team Blind participated. Beyond workshops, SBVA has co-hosted multiple OpenAI events including the Founder Day Seoul and the original 2023 Sam Altman & Greg Brockman Fireside Chat co-hosted with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
• NVIDIAflagship ecosystem partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025SBVA joined NVIDIA's 'Korea Physical AI Startup Alliance' as a member VC, supporting robotics, drones, humanoid, and other physical AI startups across their entire development lifecycle. The alliance brings together government, global tech leaders, and venture capital to nurture Korean AI startups with technical infrastructure and scaling support. SBVA provides portfolio company sourcing, follow-on investment opportunities, and overseas market entry assistance.
• The Edgeof (parent company)parent entity / controlling shareholderStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2023The Edgeof, founded in 2023 by Taizo Son, JP Lee, and Atsushi Taira, acquired SBVA from SoftBank Group, making SBVA an independent entity. The Edgeof is a Singapore-based investment firm focused on building a global startup ecosystem. This corporate parentage provides SBVA with strategic alignment and access to Mistletoe's broader global network.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Altos Ventures: Seoul-based early-to-growth VC with comparable AUM scale and a similar Korea-US cross-border mandate. Both firms target Korean ICT and AI startups with global ambitions and overlap on portfolio names such as Danggeun and BucketPlace, making them the closest head-to-head competitor in the Korean early-growth segment.
• Korea Investment Partners: One of Korea's largest VC firms (established 1986) with similar early-to-growth stage focus and Korean corporate LP base. Competes directly with SBVA for Korean AI, deep tech, and biotech deals and serves overlapping chaebol LPs, making it the most relevant domestic incumbent for benchmarking.
• Mirae Asset Venture Investment: Major Korean VC affiliated with Mirae Asset financial group, comparable AUM, and broad early-to-growth coverage including AI, biotech, and platform companies. Co-invested with SBVA in BaroPharm, indicating direct competitive overlap in deal sourcing and similar LP-friendly structure.
• KB Investment: Top-tier Korean VC and an SBVA co-LP (KB Capital) in the 2023 Alpha Korea Fund. Operates at similar scale with overlapping portfolio in Korean enterprise software and fintech, and competes for the same Korean growth-stage deals with chaebol-backed capital.
• Company K Partners: Established Korean VC with comparable AUM and stage focus, frequently co-investing with SBVA in rounds such as BaroPharm and WIRobotics. Direct competitor for Korean early-to-growth deals and shares similar LP overlap with KDB and other Korean financial institutions.
• Smilegate Investment: Korean VC affiliated with Smilegate Group with similar early-to-growth focus and active participation in AI and gaming rounds. Co-invested with SBVA in WIRobotics Series B, indicating direct overlap in deal selection and similar stage mandate.
• Primer (Primer Sazze): Korean early-stage VC focusing on Korean seed-to-Series A startups in consumer, commerce, and AI. Targets a similar founder profile in Korea and overlaps in some portfolio categories, making it a relevant domestic peer despite smaller AUM.

Regional players

• East Ventures: Indonesia-headquartered early-stage VC with the largest SEA portfolio by company count, sharing SBVA's SEA coverage from Singapore. Both invest in SEA consumer, fintech, and AI startups (e.g., SBVA's Waresix and Sunrate) and compete for the same regional deal flow.
• Global Brain: One of Japan's largest independent VCs with deep tech and AI focus, listed alongside SBVA at the 2024 SBVA Tokyo Forum as a Japanese ecosystem peer. Both target Japan-Korea cross-border AI and deep tech opportunities, making Global Brain the most direct Japanese counterpart for benchmarking.
• Vertex Ventures: Singapore-headquartered VC with SEA and broader Asia coverage, comparable stage focus, and similar cross-border model. Provides a relevant comparable for SBVA's Southeast Asia operations and overall firm-building trajectory in the regional VC market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=SBVA (SBVA official YouTube channel per brand film disclosure)
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100091808161943
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sbva
• Xx.com/softbankkorea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments293 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SBVA