![Yang Sang-hwan, head of Naver's D2SF Center, greets at the 10th anniversary round table event held at D2SF Gangnam in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 13th. [Picture = Naver]](https://wimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202505/13/news-p.v1.20250513.eef835daaeca4e7295a450aeb602faa2_P1.jpg)
When Korean startups grow the best, the maximum expected value is Naver. Start-ups will inevitably worry about Naver. That’s why Naver should send startups to a wider market where deeper cooperation is possible. I will help technology companies become unicorns.
Naver’s enterprise venture capital (CVC) D2SF celebrated its 10th anniversary. In the meantime, it has invested in 115 startups to achieve 5 trillion won in corporate value. Naver D2SF plans to continue to prepare projects to support growth while striving to discover and invest in excellent startups.
On the 13th, Naver D2SF held a round table event at D2SF Gangnam in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and shared the past results and announced future plans.
Naver D2SF has invested in a total of 115 startups so far. D2SF was mostly in technology fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), mobility, virtual, robotics, and blockchain. 99% were below Series A at the time of investment. Despite this uncertainty, it has recorded an overwhelming survival rate of 96%. The cumulative corporate value of startups invested by Naver D2SF amounts to 5.2 trillion won. Compared to 2021 (70 units and 1.3 trillion won), it has nearly quadrupled.
Yang Sang-hwan, head of Naver’s D2SF Center, cited the advantages of Naver’s D2SF as being an organization with low financial pressure and being able to consider long-term growth without rushing to short-term profits. In addition, ‘Puriosa AI’, which designed the first AI semiconductor chip in Korea, ‘Clobot’, which was listed as the first robot software company, and ‘CrowdWorks’, which was listed as the first AI data platform, were cited as representative investment success stories.
Naver D2SF emphasized the need for global expansion. Currently, 81% of startups invested by Naver D2SF have jumped into expanding their business areas to the global market, and Naver D2SF also expanded its scope of activities to Silicon Valley in the U.S. in October last year.
![[Photo = Yonhap News]](https://wimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202505/13/news-p.v1.20250513.ab305df74883448eabc91bd699fd4416_P1.jpeg)
Director Yang of the center said, “Naver is facing its fourth wave since its foundation. AI has flooded over search, mobile, and commerce wars one after another. “It’s too strong a wave, so it’s hard,” he said. “Startups that have developed with Naver have a sense of crisis that they can survive only if they enter overseas markets beyond Korea and compete.”
“If it is a company that can create synergy in Naver’s global expansion, we are keeping (investment possibilities) open,” he said, promising that Naver D2SF will serve as a bridgehead between Korean and foreign companies and contribute positively to the startup ecosystem.
Startup founders also viewed collaboration with Naver D2SF positively. In general, it was evaluated that business development became easier after receiving investment from Naver D2SF. The fact that Naver D2SF’s funds have been invested has proven its technology, and it is explained that it can focus on technology development in a stable environment.
Start-ups that have been invested by Naver D2SF have grown into companies that have become important collaborative partners of Naver, have been listed on the stock market, and show Korea’s information technology (IT) technology, said Soo Yeon Choi, CEO of Naver. “In this process, Naver D2SF was also able to secure its perspective and achieve technical synergy with excellent partners.”
Naver has a technology gene that started with technology and grew with technology. Naver D2SF is a very meaningful activity for Naver, he said. “In the future, Naver will continue to work together to help startups achieve greater growth through global expansion.”
