• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.39-47
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• 2015

"Series A Crunch"problem has become worse off as funding gap between angel seed investment and traditional VC Series A investment is getting the larger due to big boom over early startup investment both in Korea and US. The strong needs for new concept of fund alternative such as bridge fund is outstanding to fill up the funding gap in the early stage of venture investment. This research is brought to define the concept of 'Series A Crunch' problem and to diagnose its causes, eventually, popping up 'the concept of Micro VC Fund' to come up with this problem in Korea. Also, this paper suggests the policy alternatives to introduce Mivro VC Fund and accommodate its successful performance.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technology Innovation Society Conference
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• 2017.11a
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• pp.173-185
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• 2017

본 논문에서는 해양 및 수산 분야의 투자용 기술력평가모형 개발을 위하여 민간 VC투자 활성화를 위한 평가기법 선행조사를 수행하며, 국내 관련 전문기관 등의 기술투자 관련 기술력평가 모형개발과 활용수준 등을 조사하고, 해외 관련 전문기관의 기술평가모형 현황에 대한 조사·분석을 수행하였다. 또한 투자용 기술력평가 모형의 용도와 방향 설정을 위하여 국내 기술투자 관련 전문가 그룹을 활용하여 기술공급자와 수요자 관점에서의 견해를 반영한 투자모형의 용도와 방향설정을 제시하였다. 결과적으로 기술투자 목적의 평가요인을 도출하고, 기술투자자 입장의 평가결과 유효성 검증을 통해 평가결과의 실무적 활용성을 제고시키고자 한다. 기술보증기금에서 개발한 기존의 투자용 기술력평가 모형이 많은 타 기관에 파급되어 운영되고 있지만, 활용수준이 미미한 점을 검토하여 VC의 투자의사결정 요소에 관한 연구결과를 기반으로 해양수산분야 투자용 기술력평가 신규모형을 설계하였다.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.133-145
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• 2023

This paper examines whether investors have adapted to the venture capital(VC) investment style. VC firms invest in privately held companies and generate returns by selling them after the lock-up period expires. We analyze the impact on stock prices before and after the lock-up period expiration, and compare the Cumulative Abnormal Return(CAR) between the past period(2015-2017) and the recent period(2020-2022) to investigate the effect of the second venture boom. The main findings are as follows. First, unlike in the past, stock price returns around the lock-up period expiration have been lower than the KOSDAQ index in recent years. Second, the impact on stock prices is significant for both 1-month and 12-month lock-up periods. Specifically, it is confirmed that stocks held by venture capital and professional investors with a 1-month lock-up period respond in advance to their information after the second venture boom. Finally, we find that there is a difference in CAR depending on whether or not the company received VC investment after the second venture boom. Based on our findings, we suggest that VC firms need to revise their exit strategies to improve performance. This includes finding ways to reduce information asymmetry and fees, as well as developing strategies to mitigate market volatility. Additionally, the current lock-up period for VCs should be reconsidered as it may increase the risk of stock price decline. We recommend that the government revise the scope and duration of lock-up periods to protect investors after IPO.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.85-94
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• 2017

In this study, we argue from the Resource-Based View and Signaling Theory that Independent and Corporate VC firms have Different Impacts on time to IPO due to their Different Interests, Motivations, and Resources. Independent VC firms are primarily Financial Oriented, but Corporate VC firms generally are Strategic in Orientation. The results of this study indicate that the time to IPO is differentiated between Corporate VC firms and Independent VC firms. The results show that Independent VC firms have shorter the time to IPO compared to the time to IPO of Corporate VC firms. In addition, this study suggests that it is necessary for firms to select a venture capital that suits their situation and secure a competitive advantage. Using a sample of 300 IPOs from 2010 to 2016, we found Support for the Hypotheses that Independent VC and Corporate VC Ownership are Positively Associated with Time to IPO, whereas Time to IPO of Corporate VC Ownership is Longer than that of Independent VC Ownership.

• 한국벤처창업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2016.04a
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• pp.65-66
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• 2016

본 연구는 국내 창업초기투자생태계의 현황을 진단하고 향후 진화의 방향과제를 도출하는 것이 목적이다. 2013년 정부의 투자중심 창업지원 생태계 구축정책에 힘입어 국내 창업초기 투자생태계는 보다 세분화되고 활성화 되고 있다. 종전의 엔젤투자와 VC 투자자로 양분되었던 벤처투자시장에, 특히 창업초기단계 개인엔젤투자조합, 전문엔젤, TIPS, 엑셀러레이터와 창업초기 전용VC 펀드인 인큐베이팅펀드와 청년창업전용투자펀드등에서 최근 마이크로VC펀드에 이르기까지 다양한 창업초기 VC 펀드가 창출되며 다양한 그룹의 투자자들이 생성 진화중이다. 이렇게 창업초기 다양한 투자자그룹이 생성되고 성장하고 있는 이면에는 정부의 매칭투자와 투자연계 R&D 자금이 큰 역할을 하고 있어 투자자들에게는 창업기업에게 Valuation과 투자 위험 관리에 큰 도움을 주고, 창업기업에게는 과도한 지분의 희석 없이 투자자금이 가진 장점의 혜택을 극대화하고 있다. 그러나 본 연구의 국내창업초기 투자생태계 진단결과, 국내 창업투자생태계는 다양한 투자자그룹이 생성되고 성장하고 있지만 서로 다른 투자자 그룹 간 공동투자나 후속투자 연계 등의 협업적 활동 및 회수네트워크 연계 등 활동은 아직 미흡하다. 또한 투자분야 자체가 모바일 및 인터넷서비스 분야에 집중되고 있어, 상대적으로 긴 시간의 보육과 성장검증기간 및 규모 있는 투자를 필요로하는 제조분야는 비중이 약한 편이어서 투자 대상 사업 분야의 다변화 필요하다. 뿐만 아니라 국내 창업초기투자생태계는 창업의 글로벌 사업성과를 내기 위한 글로벌 투자자들과의 연계구조는 미흡한 상황이어 이를 촉진할 방안이 요구된다고 할 수 있다.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.21-35
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• 2023

Expectations surrounding generative AI technology and its profound ramifications are sweeping across various industrial domains. Given the anticipated pivotal role of the startup ecosystem in the utilization and advancement of generative AI technology, it is imperative to cultivate a deeper comprehension of the present state and distinctive attributes characterizing venture capital (VC) investments within this domain. The current investigation delves into South Korea's landscape of VC investment deals and prognosticates the projected VC investments by juxtaposing these against the United States, the frontrunner in the generative AI industry and its associated ecosystem. For analytical purposes, a compilation of 286 investment deals originating from 117 U.S. generative AI startups spanning the period from 2008 to 2023, as well as 144 investment deals from 42 South Korean generative AI startups covering the years 2011 to 2023, was amassed to construct new datasets. The outcomes of this endeavor reveal an upward trajectory in the count of VC investment deals within both the U.S. and South Korea during recent years. Predominantly, these deals have been concentrated within the early-stage investment realm. Noteworthy disparities between the two nations have also come to light. Specifically, in the U.S., in contrast to South Korea, the quantum of recent VC deals has escalated, marking an augmentation ranging from 285% to 488% in the corresponding developmental stage. While the interval between disparate investment stages demonstrated a slight elongation in South Korea relative to the U.S., this discrepancy did not achieve statistical significance. Furthermore, the proportion of VC investments channeled into generative AI enterprises, relative to the aggregate number of deals, exhibited a higher quotient in South Korea compared to the U.S. Upon a comprehensive sectoral breakdown of generative AI, it was discerned that within the U.S., 59.2% of total deals were concentrated in the text and model sectors, whereas in South Korea, 61.9% of deals centered around the video, image, and chat sectors. Through forecasting, the anticipated VC investments in South Korea from 2023 to 2029 were derived via four distinct models, culminating in an estimated average requirement of 3.4 trillion Korean won (ranging from at least 2.408 trillion won to a maximum of 5.919 trillion won). This research bears pragmatic significance as it methodically dissects VC investments within the generative AI domain across both the U.S. and South Korea, culminating in the presentation of an estimated VC investment projection for the latter. Furthermore, its academic significance lies in laying the groundwork for prospective scholarly inquiries by dissecting the current landscape of generative AI VC investments, a sphere that has hitherto remained void of rigorous academic investigation supported by empirical data. Additionally, the study introduces two innovative methodologies for the prediction of VC investment sums. Upon broader integration, application, and refinement of these methodologies within diverse academic explorations, they stand poised to enhance the prognosticative capacity pertaining to VC investment costs.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

This paper examines the influence of the portion of lead investors and investors' status on the investment performance of venture syndication. According to existing literature, multiple investors in VC syndicates can positively impact investment performance by investing both tangible and intangible resources in target companies based on market influence or high visibility. On the other hand, the presence of multiple leaders can cause conflicts in formulating and implementing investment strategy or free-riding problems or increase entry barriers for potential investors, lowering additional investment from existing investors. Therefore, we hypothesize that the relationship between proportion of lead investors and investment performance is inverted-U shape. Moreover, we predict that the status of VCs in the syndication will moderate the relationship between proportion of lead investors and investment performance since high-status actors are less likely to cooperate with or yield power to others. We tested these hypotheses using 24,677 VC syndicated investment data from 1991 to 2005 and found solid supports for the hypotheses. The findings suggest that firms need to consider relationship-based power dynamics among investors within a syndication and design effective role setting and coordination systems.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.33-51
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• 2022

This study analyzes newly listed companies on KOSDAQ from 2011 to 2020 for both firms having experience in attracting venture investment before listing (VI) and those without having experience in attracting venture investment (NVI) by examining differences between two groups (VI and NVI) with respect to both the level of listing performance and that of firm performance (growth) after the listing. This paper conducts descriptive statistics, mean difference, and multiple regression analysis. Independent variables for regression models include VC investment, firm age at the time of listing, firm type, firm location, firm size, the age of VC, the level of expertise of VC, and the level of fitness of VC with investment company. Throughout this paper, results suggest that listing performance and post-listed growth are better for VI than NVI. VC investment shows a negative effect on the listing period and a positive effect on the sales growth rate. Also, the amount of VC investment has negative effects on the listing period and positive effects on the market capitalization at the time of IPO and on sales growth among growth indicators. Our evidence also implies a significantly positive effect on growth after listing for firms which belong to R&D specialized industries. In addition, it is statistically significant for several years that the firm age has a positive effect on the market capitalization growth rate. This shows that market seems to put the utmost importance on a long-term stability of management capability. Finally, among the VC characteristics such as the age of VC, the level of expertise of VC, and the level of fitness of VC with investment company, we point out that a higher market capitalization tends to be observed at the time of IPO when the level of expertise of anchor VC is high. Our paper differs from prior research in that we reexamine the venture ecosystem under the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 which stimulates the degradation of the business environment. In addition, we introduce more effective variables such as VC investment amount when examining the effect of firm type. It enables us to indirectly evaluate the validity of technology exception policy. Although our findings suggest that related policies such as the technology special listing system or the injection of funds into the venture ecosystem are still helpful, those related systems should be updated in a more timely fashion in order to support growth power of firms due to the rapid technological development. Furthermore, industry specialization is essential to achieve regional development, and the growth of the recovery market is also urgent.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.43-54
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• 2020

This paper investigates the causal impact of the increase in institutional distance between two geographic regions on the flow of cross-border Venture Capital (VC) between the regions. While cross-border VCs are believed to have competitive advantages at identifying and managing promising startups in a local market compared to local counterparts, the discrepancy in institutional characteristics between two markets exacerbates the difficulty of credible information exchange and negotiation, significantly increasing transaction cost related to a cross-border venture capital investment. This study conducts a difference-in-difference analysis to examine the relationship between institutional distance and the flow of cross-border VC investment using the fact that the official adoption of the Euro currency by member countries of the European Union except the UK created an institutional chasm between the UK and other EU member countries. The outcomes of the analysis suggests that UK-based VCs significantly decreased the VC investment into EU-based startups and that EU-based VCs reduced the investment into UK-based startups. The results have meaningful implications for understanding the impact of the change in institutional difference on cross-border VC investment, which seems to increasingly take place with the recent trend of de-globalization and the rise of protectionism.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.29-43
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• 2022

This study measures the realized rate of return of venture capital(VC) fund at the level of investment agreement(as opposed to fund level returns reported by most of the relevant studies). It also measures the stock price return of the VC's portfolio firms (unlisted start-ups) at firm level(as opposed to fund returns) and its variance for the first time using unique data of the VC funds held by the Korean Venture Capital Association. Results of the analysis confirm that VC fund returns exceed individual stock price returns. Additionally, it is confirmed that VC portfolio firms exhibit a positive relationship between risk and return measured by total risk. Finally, we find that stock price returns at firm level are lower than that implied by the associated levels of risk. Consequently, this may make individual investors hesitate to directly buy unlisted startups' stocks even when investment in individual startup companies guarantees high risk-high returns relationship.