What Skylake Equity Partners does

Skylake Equity Partners (스카이레이크에쿼티파트너스 유한회사) is a Seoul-based private equity firm specializing in buyout investments in mid-to-large South Korean technology businesses, registered under Korea's Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act as a private equity fund (PEF) operator. Founded in 2016 as a spin-off from SkyLake Investment by Jin Dae-je — former CEO of Samsung Electronics and former Minister of Information and Communication — the firm is independently operated by four partners and currently manages its 10th blind-pool fund.

The firm invests through control buyouts and strategic minority positions, taking active board seats and embedding management in portfolio companies to drive operational, talent, and financial improvements. Notable transactions include the acquisition of enterprise SaaS company BusinessOn from Praxis Capital for approximately KRW 380 billion in July 2024, the September 2024 carve-out and majority acquisition of HR-SaaS provider Shifti from BusinessOn, a 2017 investment in travel-tech firm Yanolja (with subsequent partial realization of approximately 2.2x), and a co-led $140 million investment in biotech firm MEDIPOST alongside Crescendo Equity Partners in January 2026 to fund a U.S. Phase III clinical trial of CARTISTEM stem cell therapy.

The business model is classic closed-end private equity fund management: revenue is generated from periodic management fees on committed/invested capital across successive blind fund vintages and from carried interest realized on successful exits. As of the most recent disclosures the firm reports approximately KRW 3.5 trillion in AUM, KRW 5.2 trillion in cumulative assets managed, and KRW 3.15 trillion in distributions returned to investors. Skylake is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and formally adopted the Korea Corporate Governance Service (KCGS) Stewardship Code effective January 1, 2021, embedding ESG screening (including negative screening against weapons, gambling, fossil fuels, and tobacco) across pre-investment, investment-committee, and post-investment phases.

Name

Skylake Equity Partners

Legal name

스카이레이크 에쿼티파트너스 유한회사

Website

https://skylakepe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skylake Equity Partners is a Seoul-based private equity firm managing approximately KRW 3.5 trillion in AUM through blind-pool buyout funds targeting mid-to-large Korean technology companies, founded by former Samsung Electronics CEO Jin Dae-je and operated by four partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Buyout Investment Management

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Management Buyout / Management Buy-In (MBO/MBI) (FSANABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Platform Buy-and-Build / Roll-Up Buyout (FSANABAI), Small-Cap / Micro-Buyout (FSANABAD)

Keywords

• Private equity investments
• Buyout investments
• Portfolio management
• Capital deployment
• Institutional fund management

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Equity Fund Management: Generates returns through buyout investments in portfolio companies, achieving exits via strategic sales, IPOs, or secondary transactions. Revenue derived from management fees and carried interest on successful fund exits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Skylake Equity Partners is a South Korea-based private equity firm that specializes in buyout (Buy-out) investments in mid-to-large sized, entrepreneur-led technology businesses. It manages blind private equity funds sourced from institutional investors, takes controlling or significant stakes in portfolio companies, and drives enterprise value through active board participation, executive appointments, operational restructuring, and financial optimization, exiting via strategic sales, IPOs, or secondary transactions.

Product overview

Skylake Equity Partners is a technology-focused private equity firm specializing in buyout investments. The company does not offer commercial software products or technology services; instead, it operates as an investment company that acquires and manages portfolio companies in the technology sector. The firm was spun off from Skylake Investment, founded by Jin Dae-je (former Minister of Science and ICT and former Samsung Electronics CEO), and is operated by 4 partners. Key investments include BusinessOn (enterprise SaaS platform acquired for approximately 380 billion won), Shifti (HR SaaS provider), Yanolja (travel technology firm), and MEDIPOST (biotech company developing stem cell therapies). The firm manages approximately 3.5 trillion won in AUM and maintains a track record of 5.2 trillion won in cumulative assets managed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technology Buyout Private Equity Fund (10th Blind Fund) Blind private equity fund that makes controlling and significant minority buyout investments in mid-to-large South Korean technology companies, targeting long-term superior returns through active management participation, operational restructuring, and exits via strategic sales, IPOs, or secondary transactions. Aimed at institutional limited partners (pensions, insurers, sovereigns).
• Active Portfolio Management & Stewardship Services Active management services delivered to portfolio companies, including board appointments, executive placements, talent acquisition, operational restructuring, financial optimization, voting policy execution, conflict-of-interest management, and ESG integration throughout the investment lifecycle.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Korea Corporate Governance Service (KCGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdopted KCGS stewardship code principles for responsible investment practices, including fiduciary duty guidelines for institutional investors. Skylake follows KCGS guidelines for corporate governance and ESG integration.
• United Nations PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of UN PRI, adopting the 6 principles for responsible investment. Skylake integrates ESG considerations throughout the investment lifecycle from pre-investment screening to exit.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bain Capital Asia: Global private equity firm with significant Asia-Pacific operations, including Korea. Comparable in mid-to-large buyout activity, though with deeper resources and broader global reach.
• PAG (Pacific Alliance Group): Asia-focused alternative asset manager with sizeable private equity operations in Korea. Comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping buyout strategy, though with a much larger and more diversified platform.
• KKR (Asia Pacific): Global mega-fund with an active Korean private equity practice. Comparable as a competitor for larger Korean buyouts, though operating with substantially larger AUM and a broader sector mandate.

Direct peers

• Praxis Capital: Korean mid-market private equity firm that sold BusinessOn to Skylake at a 3.1x return. Highly comparable in domestic mid-market focus, enterprise software/tech emphasis, and active management style.
• MBK Partners: One of the largest homegrown Korean private equity firms, focused on control buyouts across consumer, financial services, and technology. Closest direct comparable in terms of Korea-centric mid-to-large buyout focus and active ownership style.
• Hahn & Company: Korea's leading mid-to-large buyout firm with a similar focus on Korean corporate carve-outs and operational improvement. Highly comparable given overlapping deal size, sector mix, and value-creation playbook.
• VIG Partners: Seoul-based mid-market buyout firm investing in Korean SMEs and growth companies. Comparable in fund size band, domestic-only geographic focus, and operational involvement in portfolio companies.
• Crescendo Equity Partners: Korea-focused growth and buyout investor that co-led the $140M MEDIPOST deal with Skylake. Comparable given overlapping sector appetite (Korean tech, healthcare) and co-investment relationship.
• IMM Private Equity: Korean buyout and special situations firm with a track record of control investments across diversified sectors. Comparable in domestic mid-to-large buyout focus and active management style.
• Affinity Equity Partners: Asia-Pacific mid-to-large buyout firm with significant Korea exposure. Comparable in deal size, control-buyout approach, and pan-Asian value-creation playbook.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Skylake Equity Partners