The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Korea Venture Investment Corporation held the first 2026 Mother Fund policy forum on the 2nd to discuss the operation status and performance of the Mother Fund, as well as key pending issues.
At the forum, attendees included First Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS); Lee Dae-hee, CEO of Korea Venture Investment Corporation; Lim Jung-wook, co-CEO of Startup Alliance; Seo Jong-gun, head of the Busan Institute of Startup and Technology Investment; Baek Yong-uk, a KAIST professor; Kim Sung-hoon, an attorney at Law Firm Mission; and Song Jae-jun, CEO of Crit Ventures, among other venture capital, startup, and academic representatives.
The first session of the forum focused on the state of globalization in venture investment and measures to improve the system. Participants emphasized the need to connect Korean ventures and startups at home and abroad to the global market. They also agreed on the need to invigorate overseas entrepreneurship to attract foreign investment and facilitate early global expansion.
There was also a view that deep-tech ventures and startups should secure competitiveness in the global market based on large-scale investment demand. To that end, the Mother Fund should strengthen its role in expanding domestic and overseas investment networks and supplying long-term investment capital.
The need for institutional improvements was also raised. Participants stressed that the criteria for recognizing overseas startups should be improved to focus on contributions to the domestic economy rather than formal requirements such as corporate domicile or domestic employment size. They also said that to encourage preemptive investments by venture capital, documentation requirements should be simplified and administrative procedures and timelines shortened.
The second session discussed the role of the Mother Fund in revitalizing regional venture investment ecosystems. Korea Venture Investment Corporation shared the results of seven Regional Tour Venture Policy and Venture Investment Briefings held since February this year together with Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC) and others. As a representative case that encouraged participation by local limited partners, it cited expanding the Mother Fund's commitment ratio when forming regional parent funds and providing incentives to private limited partners.
Participants agreed that to dramatically increase the share of regional investment going forward, the Mother Fund should expand its role in building investment infrastructure, including networks between regional ventures and startups and venture capital, and the provision of information on regional venture investment.
First Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok said, "The Mother Fund has established itself as a solid pillar and growth engine of the venture investment ecosystem," adding, "Based on on-the-ground feedback, we will flesh out the Mother Fund's investment strategy, including supplying long-term patient capital, so that deep-tech ventures and startups can grow on the global stage." He continued, "We will strengthen the functions and roles of the Mother Fund so that corporations, universities, banks, and other community members can experience venture investment and enjoy the returns."