The Invention Lab

What The Invention Lab does

The Invention Lab is a Seoul-based venture studio that designs, builds, and scales new ventures for both Korean large and mid-sized corporations and pre-seed to Series A startups. Operating since 2017 with 11-50 employees, the firm offers four service lines — New Business Design, Venture Scale-up & Management, Strategic Partnership, and Global Expansion & SEA — that together cover the full venture lifecycle from market opportunity analysis through investment linkage. Its client base spans corporates seeking open innovation programs, spin-off support, and corporate venture studio engagements, alongside founders needing capital, operational infrastructure, and regional expansion pathways. The studio also runs the Founders League F&B-focused program and, as of April 2026, operates South Korea's national 'Everyone's Startup' program.

The firm's core technology stack centers on a proprietary Internal AI Agent used to concretize new business opportunities during ideation, combined with a structured Studio Core Platform that bundles blended financing, an operator talent pool, infrastructure, a validation system, and LP/cross-border network resources into a repeatable venture creation methodology. Portfolio companies contribute differentiated technology assets: RIDM's DODA computing architecture (three international patents, founded by NUS engineers) targets the memory wall problem in AI/high-performance computing; Diald AI applies AI to real estate due diligence across 1.7M+ data sources; BlurMe delivers real-time face/object masking AI SaaS; and Good Did AI Film Studio focuses on AI-generated video. The Invention Lab's 'joint growth infrastructure' model links portfolio companies through shared facilities, technology, logistics, and management resources, creating cross-portfolio leverage.

Revenue is generated through three streams: professional services fees from corporate venture studio engagements and new business design projects; managed services from operating and accelerating portfolio companies, including TIPS/Seoul-type TIPS/LIPS-linked initial investment programs, CVC projects, and blind fund operations; and investment returns from equity stakes in portfolio companies. Pricing is bespoke and undisclosed; clients engage via website inquiry forms or a venture project request intake. Go-to-market is primarily direct enterprise field sales, supplemented by content marketing (website, blog, YouTube channel @ROAInventionLab), event participation (including the 2026 Startup Investor Summit in Busan), and channel partnerships — most notably with Singapore-based Capital JDI for Southeast Asia deal flow and Vietnam market entry.

Name

The Invention Lab

Legal name

The Invention Lab

Website

https://theilab.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Invention Lab is a Seoul-based venture studio that designs, builds, and scales startups for Korean corporates and founders through a Studio Core Platform combining capital, talent, infrastructure, and validation. Its portfolio spans AI, mobility, beauty, and F&B sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Studio Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Venture Studios / Company Builders (FSANAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Venture studio services
• Corporate open innovation
• Early stage investment
• Startup incubation
• Venture building

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Studio Fees and Project Engagements: Revenue generated from corporate venture studio engagements, new business design projects, and strategic partnership programs with large and mid-sized corporations seeking open innovation and venture building services.
2. Startup Investment Returns: Early-stage investment returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies. The firm makes strategic investments in early- and growth-stage startups with technological capabilities and market expansion potential, generating returns through follow-on rounds and exits.
3. Venture Scale-up and Management Fees: Fees from operating and accelerating portfolio companies, including TIPS/Seoul-type TIPS/LIPS-linked initial investment operations, CVC project and blind fund planning and operations, and internal venture studio incubation programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Invention Lab is a South Korean venture studio that designs, builds, and scales new business ventures and startups on behalf of corporates and entrepreneurs. It delivers four integrated service lines — New Business Design (market opportunity analysis using internal AI Agent), Venture Scale-up & Management (early-stage investment, TIPS/CVC/blind fund operations, incubation), Strategic Partnership (corporate venture studio and open innovation program operation), and Global Expansion & SEA (Southeast Asia market entry support) — while running a dedicated 'Founders League' venture studio program for F&B entrepreneurs.

Product overview

The Invention Lab operates as a venture studio offering integrated startup development services. Its core offerings include New Business Design (AI-powered business model development), Venture Scale-up & Management (early-stage investment and acceleration), Strategic Partnership (corporate venture studio and ecosystem building), and Global Expansion support for Southeast Asian markets. The company has developed an Internal AI Agent tool used within its venture studio processes. The portfolio includes portfolio companies spanning AI content (Good Did AI Film Studio), sports IP (LikePlayX), financial solutions (Devol Company), functional beauty (SKIM), K-dessert (Meitutu/Anghodu), mobility marketplaces (Okxe), real-time AI masking SaaS (BlurMe), AI computing architecture (RIDM), and AI-powered real estate analysis (Diald AI). The company also operates the Founders League venture studio program for F&B entrepreneurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Business Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 strategic investments targeted for H1 2026 across AI, content, finance, beauty, and global lifestyle sectors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Korea Government — Everyone's Startup ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026The Invention Lab was selected as the operating organization for South Korea's national startup support program 'Everyone's Startup'. This program provides structured support from idea stage through commercialization with execution-focused mentoring and AI tools. The selection represents a national-level endorsement of The Invention Lab's venture studio model, positioning the firm as the primary operator of a major government-backed startup support initiative.
• Capital JDIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026The Invention Lab partnered with Singapore-based venture capital firm Capital JDI to jointly support early-stage startups across Southeast Asia, with a strong focus on Vietnam. The collaboration centers on Capital JDI's 'Office Hours' initiative, connecting founders directly with investors and mentors for feedback on business models and fundraising strategies. The two organizations aim to bridge gaps in founder-investor access and provide practical growth support including business validation, market entry strategies, and access to investor networks across Asia. The partnership is designed to be actionable, involving joint review of promising startups and co-designing actual growth strategies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Founders Factory: Founders Factory is a global venture studio that partners with corporates to build startups from ideation through investment. It shares The Invention Lab's corporate venture studio model, where the firm co-designs new ventures with large enterprises and provides ongoing scale-up infrastructure.
• SOSV: SOSV is a global venture capital firm operating multiple vertical-specific accelerator programs (HAX, Chinaccelerator, IndieBio) that function as venture studios. It is comparable to The Invention Lab for running multiple sector-focused venture-building programs with global LP backing and structured operator support.
• SparkLabs: SparkLabs is a Korea-headquartered venture studio and accelerator that builds and backs early-stage startups with both capital and operator support. It operates the most direct comparable model to The Invention Lab in the Korean market, including structured venture building and international expansion support.
• Brinc: Brinc is a Hong Kong-headquartered venture studio and accelerator with strong Asia-Pacific presence that runs sector-specific programs and invests in early-stage hardware and technology startups. It is comparable to The Invention Lab for its Asia regional focus and structured studio approach to building and backing ventures.
• Antler: Antler is a global venture studio that identifies founders, helps them build startups from ideation, and invests across multiple geographies including Southeast Asia. It shares The Invention Lab's core venture studio methodology of combining capital, talent, and infrastructure in a repeatable venture-building process.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator network that runs mentor-driven programs and invests in early-stage startups across industries. It is comparable to The Invention Lab's accelerator and seed investing activity, though it operates as a much larger and broader incumbent with established global brand recognition.
• 500 Global: 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) is a global venture capital firm and accelerator with active operations across Asia. It is comparable to The Invention Lab's seed-stage investing and accelerator activity, though it operates at much larger scale with a global fund structure.
• Plug and Play: Plug and Play is a large global innovation platform operating accelerator and corporate innovation programs across multiple sectors and geographies. It is comparable to The Invention Lab as a broader incumbent in the open innovation and startup acceleration space, though it operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.

Regional players

• D.CAMP: D.CAMP is a Seoul-based startup support organization and accelerator backed by major Korean financial institutions. It is comparable to The Invention Lab as a Korean ecosystem enabler for early-stage startups, though D.CAMP operates more as a non-profit accelerator while The Invention Lab is a venture studio with investment activity.

Emerging players

• Betaworks: Betaworks is a New York-based venture studio that builds and invests in early-stage companies across media, AI, and consumer categories using a structured studio process. It is comparable to The Invention Lab for its studio-style approach of conceiving, building, and backing startups with operator-led methodology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ROAInventionLab
• Facebookfacebook.com/roailab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments172 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Invention Lab