What Big Basin Capital does

Big Basin Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2013 by Managing Partner Phil Yoon, with headquarters in Seoul and a regional office in Cupertino, California. The firm invests in startups across Korea and the United States, managing three seed-stage funds and a portfolio of more than 40 companies. Its investments span B2B (enterprise SaaS, fintech, semiconductors, logistics), B2C (consumer apps, gaming, content, commerce), and Bio (T-cell therapy, AI diagnostics, robotics, CRISPR drug discovery, contamination detection). The firm emphasizes cross-border expertise between Korean and US startup ecosystems and takes active board positions in portfolio companies such as Kong Studios, Gopizza, ODK Media, Goodtime, Swingvy, and Classum.

The firm does not sell products or software; its core service is investment management, generating revenue primarily through management fees on its seed-stage funds and carried interest on exits. Notable realized exits include HiDeep's KOSDAQ IPO, Cookat's acquisition by GS, Shiftee's acquisition by BusinessOn, Harmonic Bionics' acquisition by Bioness, and Tutoring's acquisition by Market Designers. The investment team is composed of Phil Yoon (formerly of Walden International and Intel Capital) alongside Venture Partners Taekkyung Lee (co-founder of Daum and Primer, Korea's leading accelerator) and Young Song (co-founder of NComputing and eMachines).

The firm sources deals through direct network referrals and ecosystem relationships in both Korean and US markets, rather than through broad marketing channels. Operating geographies are concentrated in North America (USA) and East Asia (Korea). Recent activity includes participation in Willog's Series B-2 round in May 2026 alongside Korean institutional investors such as KB Investment, IBK Capital, and SGC Partners.

Name

Big Basin Capital

Legal name

Big Basin Capital

Website

https://bigbasincapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Big Basin Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2013 that invests in startups across Korea and the United States, managing three seed-stage funds and a portfolio of 40+ companies spanning B2B, B2C, and Bio sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-stage venture capital

NAICS

Other Financial Vehicles (52599), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Seed-stage investment
• Cross-border venture investing
• Startup equity financing
• Korea US venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Cupertino

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Big Basin Capital is a private venture capital firm that invests seed-stage capital into early-stage startups in Korea and the United States. The firm manages three seed-stage funds and provides board participation, strategic guidance, and operational support to more than 40 portfolio companies spanning B2B, B2C, and biotechnology sectors.

Product overview

Big Basin Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups in Korea and the United States. The firm manages investment portfolios across three categories: B2B companies, B2C companies, and Bio companies. Rather than offering a unified platform product, the company provides investment services and partnership to startups, with its portfolio spanning enterprise SaaS, AI/IoT solutions, e-commerce platforms, gaming, and biotechnology sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed-stage Venture Capital Investment Management Services Fund-based investment management services providing seed-stage capital and ongoing strategic partnership (board seats, mentoring, cross-border introductions) to early-stage startups in Korea and the United States. Phil K. Yoon has raised three such seed-stage funds since founding, deploying into more than 40 startups across consumer applications, e-commerce, enterprise software, digital content, education technology, gaming, and biotechnology.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SparkLabs: Korea-founded early-stage accelerator and venture capital firm operating globally. SparkLabs runs accelerator programs and seed funds across Korea, the US, and other geographies, directly comparable to Big Basin's seed-stage, cross-border mandate.
• Primer (Primer Accelerator): Korea's leading startup accelerator (co-founded by Big Basin's Venture Partner Taekkyung Lee). Primer runs batch programs for early-stage Korean startups, sharing deal flow and alumni founders with Big Basin Capital.
• BonAngels Venture Partners: Korean early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed investments in Korean tech startups. BonAngels has a similar fund size profile to Big Basin and competes for many of the same Korean seed-stage B2B and consumer deals.
• Mashup Ventures (Primer): Korean seed-stage accelerator and venture capital firm founded by Taekkyung Lee (a Big Basin Venture Partner). Mashup Ventures operates from a similar seed-stage, accelerator-anchored model and shares network and investment personnel with Big Basin.
• Strong Ventures: Korea-US focused early-stage venture capital firm. Strong Ventures invests in early-stage startups across Korea and the US with a similar cross-border thesis to Big Basin Capital, including follow-on participation in high-growth rounds.

Broad incumbents

• Korea Investment Partners: One of Korea's largest and oldest venture capital and growth equity firms. Korea Investment Partners invests across stages including seed, overlapping with Big Basin's Korean B2B and biotech portfolios.
• Kakao Ventures: Korea's largest corporate-affiliated early-stage venture capital fund. Kakao Ventures invests heavily in Korean seed and Series A startups across consumer, content, and AI, overlapping significantly with Big Basin's B2B/B2C Korean portfolio.
• 500 Global (500 Startups): Global early-stage venture capital firm and accelerator. 500 Global runs programs in Korea and the broader region, competing with Big Basin for Korean founders seeking US exposure and international follow-on capital.
• Atinum Investment: Established Korean venture capital and growth equity firm. Atinum invests across multiple stages and sectors in Korea, overlapping with Big Basin's portfolio in enterprise software, consumer, and biotech deals.
• SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA): Large-scale early-stage venture capital firm focused on Korea and the broader Asia-Pacific region. SBVA writes larger checks and has significantly more capital than Big Basin, but operates in overlapping seed/Series A Korean tech deals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-basin-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments86 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Big Basin Capital