Kingo Investment Partners

What Kingo Investment Partners does

Kingo Investment Partners (주식회사 킹고투자파트너스) is a Seoul-headquartered venture capital firm founded in August 2017 by Sungkyunkwan University alumni and related companies. The firm operates as a regulated 신기술사업금융전문회사 (new technology business financial specialist) under Korean financial supervision and manages 11 thematic investment vehicles covering bio healthcare, green new deal, materials/components/equipment, secondary transactions, tech impact, and growth/pre-IPO capital. According to the firm's IR disclosures as of 2026, it holds approximately KRW 3,632 billion (about USD 260-280 million) in assets under management across 135 portfolio companies operating in ICT, mobility, bio, and platform/ETC sectors.

Kingo's product surface is its fund lineup. Flagship vehicles include the KIP-Kingo Fund for Materials, Components and Equipment (KRW 1,125 billion, 2021), the Smart Korea Kyungdong Kingo Bio Fund (KRW 270 billion, 2021), the Smart Magna-Kingo Green Fund (KRW 252 billion, 2021), the Kingo Secondary 1st Fund (KRW 360 billion, 2022), the 2024 Daishin-Kingo Growth Capital Fund (KRW 500 billion, 2024), the Kingo Tech Impact Fund (KRW 210 billion, 2024), and the Start-up Korea Kingo S&T Innovation Fund (KRW 490 billion, 2026). Each vehicle targets a specific investment thesis — early-stage venture, mezzanine/pre-IPO, secondary share purchases, or theme-aligned government programs — and is structured around named co-investors and program partners.

The revenue model is classic venture capital GP economics: recurring management fees on committed or invested capital, supplemented by carried interest on profitable exits and capital gains on portfolio realizations. Distribution is conducted entirely through direct institutional LP relationships in Korea — government-backed funds, securities firms (Daishin), asset managers (Meritz, Smart Korea, Smart Magna, Kyungdong, KIP), and provincial governments (Gyeonggi) — with no consumer-facing product or pricing. The firm adopted the Korean Stewardship Code in 2020 and was appointed a Premium VC member of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2026. Operating geographies are limited to South Korea, with no disclosed international expansion.

Name

Kingo Investment Partners

Legal name

(주)킹고투자파트너스

Website

https://kingo.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kingo Investment Partners (주식회사 킹고투자파트너스) is a Seoul-based Korean venture capital firm founded in 2017 that manages 11 thematic funds and approximately KRW 3,632 billion in AUM across 135 portfolio companies in bio, green tech, materials/components, secondary, and growth/pre-IPO strategies, serving institutional LPs and Korean startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Management

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+) (FSANAAAC)

Keywords

• Venture capital management
• Growth capital funds
• Mezzanine financing
• Portfolio investment services
• Fund management services

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, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: Kingo earns recurring management fees from each fund vehicle, typically calculated as a percentage of committed or invested capital under management. Fees sustain the firm's operations and investment team.
2. Carried Interest (Performance Fees): The firm earns carried interest (성과보수) on profits generated from successful portfolio company exits, aligning the investment team's incentives with fund investors (LPs).
3. Capital Gains on Portfolio Companies: Returns realized through equity appreciation, M&A exits, IPOs, and secondary transactions of portfolio company stakes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kingo Investment Partners raises and manages a portfolio of specialized venture capital funds that invest equity, mezzanine, and pre-IPO capital into Korean early-stage and growth-stage companies across bio healthcare, green new deal, materials/components/equipment, mobility/ICT, and secondary transaction themes. The firm earns management fees from limited partners and carried interest on successful portfolio exits across 11 funds with combined AUM of approximately KRW 3,632 billion and 135 portfolio companies as of 2026.

Product overview

Kingo Investment Partners is a venture capital firm established in August 2017 by Sungkyunkwan University alumni and related companies. The company operates as a single unified investment platform managing multiple specialized funds across diverse sectors including bio healthcare, green technology, materials/components/equipment, and secondary investments. Their fund portfolio spans 13 distinct funds with a total AUM of 3,632 billion KRW as of 2026, serving 135 portfolio companies. The funds include bio growth funds, green new deal funds, technology impact funds, and secondary market funds, each targeting different investment strategies from early-stage venture to Pre-IPO opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kingo multiple6 1st Fund (킹고 멀티플6 농식품 제1호 투자조합) Agri-food and 6th industry venture investment fund targeting food management entities pursuing primary production, processing, and distribution integration in Korea.
• Kingo Bio Growth 1st Fund (킹고 바이오 그로스 제1호 투자조합) Bio healthcare venture fund established in 2019 for new technology investments in Korean bio industry startups.
• Gyeonggi Do-over Fund (경기 재도전 투자조합) Regionally focused re-startup fund supporting SMEs and venture companies in Gyeonggi Province seeking a second attempt at growth.
• Kingo Bio Growth 2nd Fund (킹고 바이오 그로스 제2호 투자조합) Bio growth project investment fund established in 2020; fully liquidated in September 2024.
• Meritz Kingo Fund 1 (메리츠킹고신기술금융조합 제1호) Co-sponsored new technology finance fund in partnership with Meritz targeting Korean technology startups; liquidated September 2024.
• Smart Korea Kyungdong Kingo Bio Fund (스마트 대한민국 경동킹고 바이오펀드) Bio healthcare venture fund co-sponsored with Smart Korea and Kyungdong, targeting bio healthcare founders and venture companies.
• Smart Magna-Kingo Green Fund (스마트 마그나킹고 그린펀드) Green New Deal venture fund targeting founders and venture companies in Korea's Green New Deal 5 priority areas, including technology-innovation and management-innovation SMEs.
• KIP-Kingo Fund for Materials, Components and Equipment (한국투자-킹고 소부장성 투자조합) Largest single fund in Kingo's portfolio, co-sponsored with Korea Investment Partners, providing equity capital to Korean companies in the materials, components, and equipment (소부장) sector.
• Kingo Secondary 1st Fund (킹고 세컨더리 투자조합 제1호) Secondary market fund acquiring existing shares of Korean SMEs and venture companies, providing liquidity to early investors and shareholders.
• 2024 Daishin-Kingo Growth Capital New Technology Investment Fund (2024 대신-킹고 Growth Capital 신기술투자조합) Pre-IPO and growth capital fund co-led with Daishin Securities, targeting listed Korean companies and Pre-IPO mezzanine investments.
• Kingo Tech Impact Fund (킹고 테크 임팩트 투자조합) Early-stage venture investment fund targeting early-stage Korean technology companies, supporting tech impact themes.
• Start-up Korea Kingo S&T Innovation Fund (스타트업 한국 킹고 과학기술혁신펀드) Government-backed innovation fund established in partnership with the Start-up Korea program, targeting Korea's 12 national strategic technology fields and mid-career founder investments.

Quantifiable outcome

• AUM of approximately KRW 3,632 billion as of 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers38 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KB Investment: KB Investment is a major Korean VC firm with a diversified fund stack across early-stage to growth capital. It competes with Kingo for institutional LP mandates and Korean portfolio companies across bio, ICT, and mobility.
• Primer (formerly KTB Network): Primer (formerly KTB Network) is a Korean VC firm with a long track record in early-stage and growth-stage investments across ICT, bio, and consumer. It is a direct comparable in fund structure and Korean deal sourcing.
• Shinhan Venture Investment: Shinhan Venture Investment is the VC arm of Shinhan Financial Group, a major Korean banking conglomerate. It operates thematic VC funds comparable in scale and structure to Kingo's, often backed by similar institutional LP types.
• Korea Investment Partners: Korea Investment Partners (KIP) is Korea's largest venture capital firm and the co-sponsor of Kingo's flagship KRW 1,125B materials/components fund. KIP operates across virtually identical stages (early to pre-IPO) and verticals, making it the most direct comparable.
• Meritz Investment: Meritz is a Korean securities/financial group with a venture and growth capital arm. It co-managed the Meritz Kingo Fund 1 with Kingo, operates in identical Korean VC mandates, and serves the same LP base.
• M Venture Investment: M Venture Investment is a Korean early-to-growth stage VC firm with broad sector mandates. It competes directly with Kingo for deals in Korean AI, mobility, and biotech, and shares similar fund structures.
• Smilegate Investment: Smilegate Investment is a Korean VC/PE firm focused on early-stage startups in gaming, ICT, and bio. It pursues a similar multi-stage, multi-sector strategy within the Korean venture ecosystem.
• Daishin Securities (Growth Capital): Daishin Securities co-leads the 2024 Daishin-Kingo Growth Capital New Technology Investment Fund (KRW 500B). Daishin's growth capital/Pre-IPO mezzanine operations directly overlap Kingo's late-stage vehicles.
• Atinum Investment: Atinum Investment is a Korean VC firm specializing in early-stage deep tech, ICT, and bio investments — overlapping closely with Kingo's Tech Impact and Bio Growth fund mandates.

Broad incumbents

• NH Investment & Securities (VC arm): NH Investment & Securities operates a venture capital arm within a large Korean securities group. It pursues broader-stage mandates than Kingo but competes for the same institutional LP capital and pre-IPO deal flow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments31 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Kingo Investment Partners