Korea Venture Investment Corporation said on the 3rd that it held an information session for the "Mother Fund 2026 first regular commitment project (commitment project)" at the Science and Technology Convention Center in Gangnam District, Seoul, and proceeded to recruit managers.
At the session, Korea Venture Investment Corporation outlined key details related to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Mother Fund commitment project, explained commitment terms and the criteria and procedures for selecting managers, and answered managers' questions.
This year, the early-stage small category will invest at least 20% of the aggregates in tech entrepreneurs and regional entrepreneurs supported by the "Startup for All Project." The plan is to link venture investment to promising entrepreneurs discovered and funded by the state to support their growth. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) "Startup for All Project" is a nationwide startup audition program with a budget of 100 billion won.
It will also run the "Next-generation unicorn project," which supports step-by-step investment, from founding promising companies in artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tech to scaling up, leaping to unicorns valued at 1 trillion won or more, and expanding overseas. This year, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to allocate at least 30% of the Mother Fund commitment budget.
The restart category will widen its investment targets to companies that switch business models at the project level. A "secondary small category" has been newly created to support early investment exits. To vitalize regional investment, the general Mother subfunds will be required to invest 20% in regions, and managers proposing to exceed this ratio will receive preference in selection.
The performance fee and evaluation system will also be revamped. The criteria for paying additional performance fees based on regional and early investment records will be eased, and the payout rate will be raised. The plan also emphasizes the role of venture investors by expanding the reflection of early investment records in quantitative evaluations.
Korea Venture Investment Corporation will accept applications until the 26th and plans to select managers by April. Chief Executive Lee Dae-hee of Korea Venture Investment Corporation said, "For the national agenda of becoming one of the top four venture powerhouses and the success of the Startup for All Project announced this time, the role of patient capital that underpins private-sector challenge and innovation is more important than anything," adding, "We expect this commitment project to become a meaningful stepping stone for both startup companies and venture capital (VC) to leap onto the global stage."