Sopoong Ventures
Sopoong Ventures is a Seoul-based impact investment firm and accelerator, founded in 2008 as Korea's first impact investor. It manages 12 funds, has invested in 166 portfolio startups across climate tech, agrifood, and social ventures, and generates revenue through fund management fees and carried interest.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sopoong Ventures does
Sopoong Ventures Corp is a Seoul-based, privately-held impact investment firm and accelerator founded in 2008 as Korea's first impact investor. The firm invests seed to Series A capital in startups that pursue environmental, social, and economic impact aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a current strategic emphasis on climate-tech leadership. As of 2024, Sopoong manages 12 investment funds (including the Impact Picnic series, Gangwon Youth Startup Fund, Social Venture Picnic, Impact Grow, Regional Innovation Fund, and Climate-Tech-specialized vehicles), has made 181 cumulative investments across 166 portfolio teams, and reports a total portfolio enterprise value of 2.17 trillion KRW. Thirty-six portfolio companies have been selected under the government TIPS program.
The firm's product surface extends beyond equity capital into structured acceleration: proprietary programs include NHarvest X (agrifood), Net Zero Challenge X (climate tech, run in public-private partnership with national carbon-neutrality goals), and the TIPS Climate Tech Specialized Program operated under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The "Teamship" model layers hands-on mentoring, lead-investor positioning, follow-on capital, and impact-measurement infrastructure on top of equity, with partners drawn from founder, corporate, and consulting backgrounds averaging 16+ years of experience.
Sopoong's go-to-market combines direct founder outreach and relationship-driven deal sourcing with ecosystem buildout through partnerships with KAIA, Busan Metropolitan City, Busan Technopark, and KDB Industrial Bank, plus monthly Climate Network programming. The firm operates from Seoul (Gangnam) and Chuncheon (Gangwon-do), has international portfolio exposure across Southeast Asia (Singapore, Vietnam), and monetizes primarily through fund management fees and, on a realized basis, carried interest on portfolio exits.
Sopoong Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sopoong Ventures
- Legal name
- Sopoong Ventures Corp
- Website
- https://sopoong.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sopoong Ventures is a Seoul-based impact investment firm and accelerator, founded in 2008 as Korea's first impact investor. It manages 12 funds, has invested in 166 portfolio startups across climate tech, agrifood, and social ventures, and generates revenue through fund management fees and carried interest.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sopoong Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Impact Investing
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Impact / ESG Venture Capital (FSANAAAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN), Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Sopoong Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sopoong Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Fund Management Fees: Sopoong manages multiple investment funds including Impact Picnic Investment Fund 1 and 2, Sopoong Regional Innovation Investment Fund 1, Impact Grow Investment Fund, Gangwon Picnic Investment Fund, Social Venture Picnic 1 Investment Fund, and Gangwon Youth Startup Fund 1. Revenue is generated through management fees on these funds.
- Investment Returns / Carried Interest: As an impact investor, Sopoong generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. Their investment strategy focuses on seed to Series A stage, with active follow-on investments to maximize impact and financial returns.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Sopoong Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sopoong Ventures is Korea's first impact investment firm and accelerator, established in 2008. It manages 12 investment funds and invests from Seed to Series A in startups creating environmental, social, and economic impact aligned with UN SDGs, providing capital alongside hands-on acceleration, mentoring, network connections, and follow-on investment support.
Product overview
Sopoong Ventures is Korea's first impact investment firm, established in 2008, operating as an impact investor and accelerator that provides funding and acceleration programs to startups creating environmental, social, and economic impact. The firm manages multiple investment funds including the Impact Picnic Investment Fund series, Gangwon Youth Startup Fund, and Sopoong Regional Innovation Investment Fund, investing from Seed to Series A stages. Their accelerator offerings include the NHarvest X agrifood acceleration program, Net Zero Challenge X climate tech recruitment initiative, and TIPS Climate Tech Specialized Program in partnership with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The firm also publishes annual Impact Reports documenting their climate tech investment philosophy and portfolio achievements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Impact Picnic Investment Fund (임팩트 피크닉 투자조합) Impact investment fund that invests in startups creating environmental, social, and economic impact from seed to Series A stages.
- Gangwon Youth Startup Fund 1호 (강원청년창업펀드 1호) Regional startup investment fund supporting youth entrepreneurship in Gangwon province, South Korea.
- Sopoong Regional Innovation Investment Fund 1호 (소풍 지역혁신 투자조합 1호) Regional innovation-focused investment fund established to support local startup ecosystems.
- NHarvest X Program (앤하베스트 X 프로그램)
Quantifiable outcome
- 12 managed funds with 2.17 trillion KRW total portfolio company valuation
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sopoong Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers28 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sopoong Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sopoong Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered major.
- KAIA (Korea Association of Initial Investment Accelerators)majorKAIA partnered with Sopoong Ventures for the 2026 Startup Investor Summit held in Busan, South Korea. The summit brought together over a dozen VC firms, accelerators, and innovation organizations to discuss Korea's transition toward a private-led, trust-based venture ecosystem.
- Busan Metropolitan CitymajorBusan Metropolitan City co-organized the 2026 Startup Investor Summit with KAIA and Sopoong Ventures, focusing on sustainable accelerator models and AI-driven investment tools.
- Busan Technopark Investment InstitutemajorBusan Technopark Investment Institute partnered in organizing the 2026 Startup Investor Summit, contributing to discussions on the amendment to the Venture Investment Promotion Act and private-sector leadership.
- KDB산업은행 (KDB Industrial Bank)majorSopoong Ventures partnered with KDB Industrial Bank to host the 'KDB Next Round Climate Tech Special Session', sharing knowledge and insights as 'first-generation' climate tech investors.
- 중소벤처기업부 (Ministry of SMEs and Startups)majorSelected as TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup Korea) 'Climate Tech Specialized' operator, providing R&D funding, mentoring, and global expansion support for climate startups.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sopoong Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Naver D2SF (D2 Startup Factory): Korean early-stage accelerator affiliated with Naver, running structured batch programs and investing in seed-stage startups. Directly comparable as a Korea-based accelerator providing capital plus hands-on support to early founders.
- SparkLabs: Korean accelerator and early-stage VC operating seed programs with global network (SparkLabs Global). Comparable as a domestic accelerator-investor offering structured programs, mentorship, and follow-on capital to Korean startups.
- Primer (Primer.Seqoia, Primer.Ventures): Korea-based early-stage VC and accelerator focused on seed-to-Series A startups. Comparable in stage focus, Korea-centric operations, and active acceleration support model.
- FuturePlay: Korean early-stage VC and accelerator investing in tech-driven startups with dedicated programs and partner-led mentoring. Comparable target stage, Korea focus, and accelerator-plus-capital model.
- SpringCamp: Korean accelerator running batch programs for early-stage startups with mentorship and partner network support. Comparable as a domestic accelerator targeting seed-stage founders with structured programs.
- Crevisse Partners: Korean impact-focused VC investing in early-stage social and environmental ventures. Highly comparable as one of the few Korea-based impact VCs operating with a similar thesis around ESG and impact-linked returns.
Broad incumbents
- Kakao Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Kakao investing in Korean early-stage startups across sectors. Comparable Korean early-stage investor but with broader, non-impact-focused mandate and deeper capital base.
- Acumen: Global impact investment fund focused on early-stage ventures addressing poverty. Comparable in mission and stage but operates globally rather than Korea-focused, and is significantly larger and longer-tenured.
Regional players
- POSCO Impact Investment: Korea-based impact investment activities of POSCO Holdings, focused on ESG-linked ventures. Comparable as a domestic impact investor but with corporate parent balance sheet rather than independent VC economics.
Others
- KAIA (Korea Association of Initial Investment Accelerators): Korean industry association for accelerators and initial investors. Comparable as an ecosystem participant and summit co-organizer with Sopoong; not a direct competitor but a related infrastructure player.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sopoong Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceSopoong Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sopoong Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Sopoong Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sopoong Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments153 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sopoong Ventures
What does Sopoong Ventures do?
Sopoong Ventures is Korea's first impact investment firm and accelerator, established in 2008. It manages 12 investment funds and invests from Seed to Series A in startups creating environmental, social, and economic impact aligned with UN SDGs, providing capital alongside hands-on acceleration, mentoring, network connections, and follow-on investment support.
Is Sopoong Ventures a public or private company?
Sopoong Ventures is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Sopoong Ventures founded?
Sopoong Ventures was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sopoong Ventures based?
Sopoong Ventures is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Sopoong Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Fund Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are investment Returns / Carried Interest.
Who are Sopoong Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Naver D2SF (D2 Startup Factory), SparkLabs, Primer (Primer.Seqoia, Primer.Ventures), FuturePlay, SpringCamp and Crevisse Partners. Broad incumbents are Kakao Ventures and Acumen. POSCO Impact Investment is listed as a regional player. KAIA (Korea Association of Initial Investment Accelerators) is listed as an others.
Does Sopoong Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sopoong Ventures.
What industry is Sopoong Ventures in?
Sopoong Ventures's product category is Venture Capital / Impact Investing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAG, Impact / ESG Venture Capital, with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.