KRYPTON

What KRYPTON does

KRYPTON (주식회사 크립톤, formerly 케이파트너스앤글로벌 / K Partners & Global until a September 2017 rebrand) is Korea's longest-running startup accelerator, founded in 2000 by CEO Yang Kyung-jun and headquartered in Seoul at the 17th Floor of the Yonsei Severance Building, Tongil-ro, Jung-gu. The firm operates an all-stage, field-based acceleration model in which a small team of dedicated accelerators (7 known) work as de facto co-founders with portfolio companies, providing continuous 1:1 mentoring from ideation through Series A–D rather than running fixed cohort batches or demo days. As of 2025–2026, KRYPTON manages a multi-vehicle investment platform across at least eight specialized funds and angel partnerships — most prominently the 131 billion KRW LICORN Fund (2025-09, with 60 billion KRW from Korea Venture Investment under the Moefund program), a 50-billion-KRW Jeonbuk Initial Investment KRYPTON Innovation Fund 1st (2024-07), a 100 billion KRW partnership fund formed with Lime Asset Management in 2017, plus Jeju Startup Island individual investment partnerships and a Global Frontier Fund — with supporting sub-brands AngelLink (angel matching platform, 2019), Krypton36 (startup school), K-Camp (regional acceleration), and the spin-off incubator Kluster.

The company generates revenue through (a) direct equity investments at seed through Pre-IPO stages across 50+ portfolio companies spanning biotech (Inogenix, Quadmedison), edtech (Classum, Village Baby), social commerce (Mad Square/카리스), proptech (Zenerate, Generat), agritech (Lokya), mobility (더빔 / The Beam), legaltech (Mentat) and other sectors; and (b) management fees and carry on the funds listed above, often with strategic corporate LPs (Donghwa Pharmaceutical, Kyobo Life, Shinhan Capital). Geographic footprint covers Seoul (HQ), Busan/Youngdo (regional office opened 2021-06), Jeju (Startup Island partnership since 2018), Jeollabuk-do/Jeonju (Jeonbuk Innovation Center partnership since 2024), and an expanding focus on Gangwon-do via the LICORN fund; 2026 thematic investment focus is deep tech, agri-food tech, content, and marine industry.

Leadership comprises CEO Yang Kyung-jun (founder, 2000-), Partner Jeon Jeong-hwan (joined December 2022, ex-head of Jeju Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, prior Kakao), and Partner Dr. Nam Jae-jak (joined July 2022, agricultural scientist, Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Kyungpook National University). The firm is privately held with founder-CEO control; the most recent equity event disclosed is a third-party allocation of 5,001 convertible preferred shares to Quad Medicine in 2026 and a stock dividend issuance in July 2025.

Name

KRYPTON

Legal name

주식회사 크립톤

Website

https://krypton36.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KRYPTON is Korea's longest-running startup accelerator (founded 2000), headquartered in Seoul, providing 1:1 co-founder-style acceleration and direct equity investment from seed to Pre-IPO, with 50+ portfolio companies across biotech, edtech, commerce, agritech, and legaltech.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator / Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Startup accelerator services
• Venture capital funding
• Startup mentorship programs
• Angel investment matching
• Regional startup development

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: KRYPTON generates returns through direct equity investments in startups at various stages, from seed investments through Series A-D, as well as managing and earning fees from multiple venture capital funds including LICORN Fund (131 billion KRW), Jeonbuk Initial Investment KRYPTON Innovation Fund 1 (50 billion KRW), and several AngelLink individual investment partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KRYPTON is a startup accelerator and investment firm that discovers, invests in, and accelerates Korean startups from seed through Pre-IPO stages. The company provides direct equity investments and 1:1 intensive mentoring where dedicated accelerators work as co-founders with portfolio companies, offering company-building support including business model structuring, team composition, branding, and legal setup. Operating as Korea's longest-running accelerator since 2000, KRYPTON manages multiple venture capital funds and runs specialized programs including TIPS regional operations, AngelLink angel investment platform, K-Camp regional acceleration, and Krypton36 startup school.

Product overview

KRYPTON operates as a comprehensive startup ecosystem platform offering accelerator/incubation services (core product) alongside specialized sub-products including TIPS regional operations, the AngelLink angel investment platform, K-Camp regional acceleration, Krypton36 startup school, and Startup Island Jeju programs. The company functions as Korea's first and longest-running accelerator (established 2000), providing full-cycle support from company building through seed investment to Pre-IPO stages, with a distinctive 1:1 on-site acceleration model rather than batch programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 엔젤링크 (AngelLink): Angel investment matching platform launched in 2019
• 크립톤36 (Krypton36)
• K-Camp

Products and services

• KRYPTON Accelerator Services
• TIPS Operations
• AngelLink (엔젤링크)
• K-Camp
• Krypton36 (크립톤36)
• Startup Island Jeju

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ billion KRW in cumulative fund management across multiple specialized vehicles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jeonbuk Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (전북창조경제혁신센터)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Joint operators of the 50 billion KRW Jeonbuk Initial Investment KRYPTON Innovation Fund 1st, targeting cultural content and regional innovation startups with concentrated support for early-stage ventures.
• MYSC (엠와이소셜컴퍼니)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Co-operators of Jeonbuk TIPS (Technology Innovation Program for Startup) under the Jeonbuk-type Private-Led Technology Startup Activation Support Program, tasked with discovering 10+ capable startups and investing in at least 1 company.
• Dr. Nam Jae-jak (남재작 박사)coreOthers · 19 July 2022Former agriculture researcher at Rural Development Administration's Agricultural Science Institute, holding Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Kyungpook National University, brought on as partner to strategically discover and cultivate agriculture startups addressing climate change and Korea's agricultural competitiveness.
• Dr. Nam Jae-jak (남재작 박사)coreOthers · 19 July 2022Former Jeju Center for Creative Economy & Innovation director, joined as partner in 2022 after serving as Kakao member from 2006, helping establish Jeju's startup ecosystem as center director from 2015.
• AngelLink (엔젤링크)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2019KRYPTON launched AngelLink, an angel investment matching platform that provides verified startup investment information, enabling angel investors to discover and evaluate promising early-stage investment opportunities.
• Seoul Startup Hub (서울창업허브)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2018Partnership for startup support programs including lunch meetup series and IR (Investor Relations) events to connect startups with investment opportunities.
• Jeju Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (제주창조경제혁신센터)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2018Long-standing partnership for Startup Island Jeju programs, including multiple individual investment partnerships (1st Fund 9.1B KRW, 2nd Fund 2.7B KRW) and collaborative acceleration initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SparkLabs Korea: Korea's flagship accelerator offering 1:1 intensive mentoring and seed-to-Series A investment across Korean startups, directly comparable to KRYPTON's co-founder-like accelerator model and fund-of-funds architecture.
• FuturePlay: Korean startup accelerator and early-stage VC focused on deep tech and tech-enabled startups, sharing KRYPTON's hands-on acceleration style and seed/Series A investment theses within the Korean ecosystem.
• Mashup Ventures: Korean accelerator/early-stage investor that runs cohort programs and follow-on funds, comparable to KRYPTON in operating regional TIPS-style programs and backing startups from idea through Series A.
• Primer (Korea): Korean accelerator and venture capital firm partnering with government programs and corporate LPs to support early-stage founders; overlaps with KRYPTON's TIPS/government-aligned operator model and team-based acceleration approach.
• Bluepoint Partners (Korea): Korea-focused early-stage VC and accelerator providing hands-on support and seed investment across Korean startups, competing for similar LP pools (asset managers, government matching funds) and portfolio founders as KRYPTON.
• 500 Global (500 Startups Korea): Global accelerator and seed investor with a Korean footprint running cohort-based programs that compete with KRYPTON for both Korean founders seeking foreign market access and global LPs targeting Korean deals.
• Antler Korea: Global early-stage investor that operates residency-style accelerators in Korea targeting pre-seed and seed founders; comparable to KRYPTON in mandate (find founders early, intense co-building), geography (Korea), and stage focus (pre-seed/seed).

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The world's largest startup accelerator operates batch-based programs that compete with KRYPTON for Korean founders targeting US fundraising and international scaling, dwarfing KRYPTON in AUM but overlapping on seed-stage Korean deal flow.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network with industry-vertical programs that occasionally target Korean startups and corporate partnerships, comparable to KRYPTON's vertical/corporate-linked accelerator offerings (e.g., Kyobo InnoStage).

Regional players

• D.CAMP: Korea's leading startup hub and ecosystem platform, providing acceleration, community, and LP-style support to Korean startups; complements and competes with KRYPTON's regional offices in Seoul and across non-Seoul geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/krypton36

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments40 records

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

Frequently asked questions about KRYPTON