What Schmidt does

Schmidt (슈미트) is a Seoul-based venture capital firm founded in 2014 that invests in early to growth-stage startups across four verticals: Mobility, Bio, Deeptech, and Digital Transformation. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DSC Investment, described as Korea's largest VC firm, and operates as DSC's early-stage investment vehicle. Schmidt invests on a 'singular market thesis' — backing founders with original hypotheses targeting large markets — and manages approximately 2,007억원 (~$150M USD) across 24 funds, with a portfolio of 137 companies and a documented 77% follow-on investment rate that has helped portfolio companies raise over 3,000억원 in subsequent funding. The firm deploys capital from Seed through Series B+ and has recently extended into the US market via investments in AstralQ (AI materials discovery) and Khameleon (Silicon Valley robotics).

The firm is led by CEO Kim Hyun-joon (formerly of Hyundai Mobis Technology Research Institute; KAIST and Seoul National University engineering) and Managing Director Kwon Jong-min (formerly of Hyundai Motor's Venture Plaza). The 11-person investment team concentrates mobility and deep-tech underwriting capability, supported by senior team leads with backgrounds at EY Consulting, Kakao Enterprise, Line Financial, and Quad Asset Management. Recent activity in 2026 spans mobility/robotics (Khameleon), AI/materials (AstralQ), consumer food (PROTEINER, led seed), retail/furniture (Eastern Edition, 4.7 billion KRW), and clean energy (Firewood Energy).

Schmidt's revenue model is traditional fund management: it raises capital from limited partners, deploys into portfolio companies, and earns management fees plus carried interest on exits. Beyond capital, the firm operates the TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) government R&D-support program and surrounds portfolio companies with a curated service stack: ThermoFisher Scientific for R&D infrastructure, Ddock for startup-tailored ERP, TeamCookie for PR, and Lawfirm Mission for legal. The firm markets itself via direct founder outreach, business-plan submissions, TIPS program visibility, and earned media coverage of portfolio announcements, with a 2-week standard review turnaround for inbound submissions.

Name

Schmidt

Legal name

(주)슈미트

Website

https://schmidt.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schmidt is a Seoul-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in Korean startups across Mobility, Bio, Deeptech, and Digital Transformation. As a subsidiary of Korea's largest VC DSC Investment, it manages approximately $150M USD AUM across 24 funds and 137 portfolio companies with a 77% follow-on rate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Early-stage investment
• Startup funding
• Portfolio management
• TIPS operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Fund Management: Schmidt generates returns through managing venture capital funds, investing in early to growth-stage startups. The firm secures capital from limited partners (LPs), deploys it into portfolio companies, and generates management fees and carried interest on successful exits. The firm has a 77% follow-on investment rate and has facilitated over 300 billion KRW in follow-on funding across its portfolio.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Schmidt (슈미트) is a Seoul-based venture capital firm that manages 24 funds with approximately 2,007억 KRW in assets under management, investing in early- to growth-stage startups across Mobility, Bio, Deeptech, and Digital Transformation sectors. The firm has backed 137 portfolio companies, maintains a 77% follow-on investment rate, and operates as a TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) program operator that links private-backed technology startups with government R&D support.

Product overview

Schmidt (슈미트) is a Korean venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups across four focus areas: Mobility, Bio, Deeptech, and Digital Transformation. The firm manages approximately 2,007억 KRW in AUM across 24 funds and has invested in 137 portfolio companies with a 77% follow-on investment rate. Schmidt does not offer its own products or services as a technology company; instead, it provides investment capital, mentorship, and operational support to startup companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Capital Fund Management (24 Funds)
• TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) Operator Services
• Portfolio Company Operational Support

Quantifiable outcome

• 77% follow-on investment acquisition rate for portfolio companies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• TIPS (테크 Incubator Program for Startup)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIPS is an R&D support program designed for technology startups that have secured private investment, allowing them to access government support. Schmidt operates the TIPS program and helps companies achieve successful commercialization and global expansion through the program.
• ThermoFisher ScientificsupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerThermoFisher Scientific is a global supplier of research equipment and reagents. They support optimized R&D by efficiently establishing research equipment, materials, and research infrastructure.
• 똑똑 (Ddock)supportTechnology or Integration똑똑 creates ERP optimized for each member of the startup ecosystem. Schmidt works closely with Ddock to communicate more efficiently with startups.
• 팀쿠키 (TeamCookie)supportGTM or Marketing Partner팀쿠키 is a PR firm that helps with tech and startup innovation storytelling. Led by a representative with experience in SaaS entrepreneurship and comprising members from major press and corporate PR teams, they support startups in building market trust through PR roadmaps.
• 법무법인 미션 (Lawfirm Mission)supportImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLawfirm Mission has high expertise in venture investment and startup legal advisory. Various experts work together to resolve diverse legal issues arising during corporate operations and investment processes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Korea Investment Partners: Korea Investment Partners is a major Korean VC firm participating in many of the same deals as Schmidt (e.g., Eastern Edition round). Both operate as generalist early-to-growth stage VCs deploying institutional capital into Korean startups, making it the closest direct comparable.
• Naver D2SF: Naver D2SF is the corporate venture arm of Naver investing in Korean and US early-stage startups (co-invested with Schmidt in Khameleon). It competes directly for seed and pre-seed Korean tech deals, especially in AI and platform categories.
• Smilegate Investment: Smilegate Investment is a Korean VC actively investing in seed to Series A startups, including co-investing with Schmidt in AstralQ. It shares a similar deeptech/AI investment thesis and competes for the same Korean founder pool.
• Mashup Ventures: Mashup Ventures is a Korean early-stage VC co-investing with Schmidt in Khameleon. It focuses on AI, robotics, and platform startups with similar fund-size and stage as Schmidt, making it a directly comparable seed/pre-seed peer.
• Bon Angel Venture Partners: Bon Angel Venture Partners co-invested with Schmidt in Eastern Edition, operating as an early-to-growth Korean VC across consumer and tech. Similar stage, geography, and Korean LP base make it a relevant comparable.
• Base Ventures: Base Ventures is a Korean VC co-investing with Schmidt in Khameleon. It focuses on seed-stage Korean startups in tech and consumer, directly overlapping with Schmidt's deal flow and stage orientation.
• Bass Ventures: Bass Ventures is a Korean VC firm participating in Schmidt-led rounds including PRTN/PROTEINER and Khameleon. Operates at similar seed/early stage in Korean market, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Mark & Company: Mark & Company is a Korean early-stage investor that co-invested with Schmidt in PRTN/PROTEINER. It focuses on Korean consumer and tech startups, directly overlapping with Schmidt's deal universe.

Broad incumbents

• DSC Investment: DSC Investment is Schmidt's parent company and Korea's largest-scale VC. It operates across all stages from seed to pre-IPO and shares Schmidt's deeptech/mobility orientation, but at much larger fund scale and broader stage coverage.
• SparkLabs: SparkLabs is a well-established Korean accelerator and VC operating globally across multiple programs. As a more mature brand with global footprint and accelerator infrastructure, it represents a broader-incumbent peer competing for Korean early-stage deals and TIPS-aligned founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schmidtkr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments143 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Schmidt