Newborn Ventures

What Newborn Ventures does

Newborn Ventures (주식회사 뉴본벤처스) is a Seoul-based venture capital and accelerator firm founded in 2022 (per company history; firmographics records 2021) that deploys seed-stage capital into Korean early-stage startups (typically under 3 years from founding) operating in IT&ICT, B2B solutions, construction technology (ConTech), ESG/sustainability, AI, fintech, and content platforms. The firm invests approximately 10% equity stakes per portfolio company using new common shares or Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock (RCPS), positioning itself to support follow-on fundraising through rapid decision-making and standardized valuation practices.

The firm manages 17 funds with assets under management of 340억 KRW (approximately 34 billion KRW) and a portfolio of 67 companies (up from 64 in 2025 and 10 investments made in 2024 across 5.5 billion KRW of deployed capital). Beyond capital, Newborn Ventures provides acceleration services through its strategic consulting partnership with Newborn C&D (뉴본씨앤디), which supplies cross-functional advisory in strategy, technology, finance/accounting, HR, and management. Deal flow is sourced through a monthly IR Day program (rebranded in 2025 from IR Mentoring Day), which screens up to three startups per session, supplemented by referrals and an annual Portfolio Networking Day that connects portfolio founders with partners and LP HanseYes24 Group (한세예스24그룹).

Revenue is generated through standard VC mechanics: management fees on funds under management and carried interest from successful portfolio exits. In 2026, the firm achieved its first two liquidity events when portfolio companies Teraview Holdings (테라뷰홀딩스) listed on KOSDAQ in April 2026 and Pleeplee Studios (피스피스스튜디오) listed on KOSDAQ in June 2026. The firm maintains a lean team of 1–10 employees, led by CEO Lee Geun-woong (이근웅), CIO Lee Se-ho (이세호), and CFO Kim Bo-young (김보영).

Name

Newborn Ventures

Legal name

(주)뉴본벤처스

Website

https://www.nbv.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Newborn Ventures (뉴본벤처스) is a Seoul-based venture capital and accelerator founded in 2022 that invests seed capital (~10% equity) into Korean early-stage IT, B2B, ConTech, and ESG startups across 17 funds and 340억 KRW AUM.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Startup Acceleration

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Startup accelerator services
• Seed stage investment
• Portfolio management
• Corporate incubation

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Management Fees and Carried Interest (VC Fund Returns): Newborn Ventures generates returns through management fees on its 17 funds under management and carried interest (performance fees) from successful portfolio exits. The firm completed its first exit in April 2026 via the Kosdaq listing of Teraview Holdings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Newborn Ventures is a South Korean venture capital and accelerator firm that deploys seed-stage investment (approximately 10% equity stake via common stock or RCPS) into early-stage startups under three years of founding, primarily across IT&ICT, B2B, construction technology (ConTech), and ESG sectors. The firm operates 17 funds with 340 billion KRW in assets under management and supports its 67 portfolio companies with acceleration services, mentoring, and corporate incubation through its affiliated consulting partner Newborn C&D.

Product overview

Newborn Ventures is a venture capital and accelerator firm that does not offer its own product or service to external customers. Its business model centers on identifying, investing in, and accelerating early-stage startups (primarily under 3 years of operation) across IT&ICT, B2B, construction tech (콘테크), and ESG sectors. The firm operates 17 funds with 340 billion KRW in AUM and manages a portfolio of 67 companies. Its core offerings to founders are seed-stage investment (approximately 10% equity stake via common stock or RCPS), corporate incubation, mentoring, and scale-up acceleration support. Additionally, its affiliated entity Newborn C&D provides consulting services (strategy, technology, finance/accounting, HR/organization, and management strategy) to portfolio startups. The firm hosts monthly IR Days and networking events for portfolio companies and prospective investors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed Money Investment
• Monthly IR Day Program
• Portfolio Networking Day
• Acceleration and Corporate Incubation Support

Quantifiable outcome

• First exit achieved via Teraview Holdings Kosdaq listing in April 2026
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Gwanhwamun International Patent Law Office (광화문국제특 특허법률사무소)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2024Newborn Ventures signed an MOU with Gwanhwamun International Patent Law Office to discover and support excellent startups. The partnership aims to enhance IP-related support for portfolio companies and strengthen startup ecosystem development.
• Newborn C&D (뉴본씨앤디)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewborn C&D is a consulting firm that specializes in supporting startups within 3 years of founding. It provides comprehensive consulting across business strategy, technology, finance/accounting, HR/organization, and management strategy. Newborn Ventures collaborates with Newborn C&D to offer acceleration support to portfolio companies.
• Portfolio Companies (67 startups across 17 funds)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner67 portfolio companies across IT&ICT, B2B, construction tech, and ESG sectors, including Teraview Holdings (exited via Kosdaq listing), Teraview (Exit), Moment Studio, Terracle, Superplay, and others. Senior portfolio startups provide mentorship and infrastructure to junior startups, creating a peer support ecosystem.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SparkLabs: Korean early-stage VC and accelerator operating multiple seed-to-Series A funds with active mentoring programs. Directly comparable in target stage, Korean geography, and accelerator-plus-investment model.
• FuturePlay: Korean early-stage VC and accelerator investing in seed to Series A startups with strong founder-mentoring programs. Closely comparable in stage, mentoring intensity, and Korean geographic focus.
• ActnerLab: Korean accelerator and seed investor running structured programs for early-stage Korean startups. Comparable in accelerator-led model and focus on founders within their first few years.
• Mashup Angels: Korean angel and seed-stage investor network investing in early-stage Korean startups with active mentoring. Comparable in seed-stage discipline and Korean geographic focus.
• D.CAMP: Korean startup accelerator and investor network providing seed capital and mentoring to early-stage Korean companies. Comparable in seed investment thesis, Korean focus, and active acceleration support.
• BonAngels Partners: Korean early-stage investor combining angel syndication and seed-fund vehicles for Korean startups. Comparable in early-stage focus, multi-fund structure, and Korean geographic concentration.
• Primer (formerly Primer.S): Korean seed-stage VC backing early founders across digital and B2B categories. Comparable in seed-stage discipline, Korean focus, and portfolio size relative to fund vintage.

Broad incumbents

• Kakao Ventures: Korea's largest corporate venture arm focused on seed and early-stage startups across IT and digital sectors. Comparable in stage and Korean focus, but operates with significantly larger fund sizes and brand reach.
• Naver D2SF: Corporate venture arm of Naver investing in seed and early-stage Korean startups with deep strategic support. Comparable in Korean early-stage focus but with significantly larger resources and parent-company ecosystem access.

Regional players

• Capstone Partners: Korean VC firm operating multiple funds investing across early and growth stages. Comparable as a Korean multi-fund manager but typically engages at later stages than Newborn Ventures' seed focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments17 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Newborn Ventures