The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said on the 14th that it held a policy forum at a hotel in Yeouido to mark the 20th anniversary of the launch of Korea Venture Investment Corporation and the Mother Fund.
The forum was organized to assess the management performance of the Mother Fund to date and discuss ways to achieve further growth, including extending its duration and expanding venture investment by private capital. Participants shared the view that the venture ecosystem has grown around a virtuous cycle in which the Mother Fund has contributed to investment, exit, and reinvestment.
The Mother Fund is a government-funded venture investment "mother fund," through which private managers create funds based on it to invest in Start - Up and others.
Some argued that the duration of the Mother Fund should be extended so it can play a role in fostering national strategic industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tech, attracting private capital into the venture investment market, and expanding venture investment outside the greater Seoul area. There were also calls for the Mother Fund to expand its role in attracting new limited partners, including pension funds and retirement pension funds, alongside the inflow of private capital.
Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "Over the past 20 years, the Mother Fund has been a solid pillar and a growth engine for Korea's venture investment ecosystem," and added, "We will strengthen the role of the Mother Fund so that diverse funds can flow into the venture investment market going forward."