
Smilegate Investment
16~17F 217, Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06134, South Korea
Overview
Smilegate Investment, founded in 1999 originally as MVP Capital, is a venture capital and private equity firm that grows remarkably alongside invested companies. Since initial venture capital funding in 2000, the firm has since organized and managed more than 30 venture capital and private equity funds and has invested in more than 200 companies with promising growth potential.
- Total investments
- 53
- Lead investments
- 13
- Investments · 12mo
- 9
- Active investors
- 0
Sector focus
- Finance
- Financial Services
- Venture Capital
Investment portfolio
- GGWP
Led · Series A · Apr 2026
GGWP offers an AI-based moderation and community management platform serving global game publishers across PC, console, and mobile platforms. Its platform supports more than 20 languages and includes in-client game moderation through a partnership with Unity. GGWP entered the Japanese market last year and counts major Asian gaming and technology companies among its strategic investors and partners. The company positions itself as enterprise-grade infrastructure for live service community management, focusing on user protection, retention, and brand safety. Following its $15 million Series A, GGWP is prioritizing expansion in Korea and the Asia-Pacific region and upgrading compliance, stability, and analytics capabilities to support global-scale publishers.
- Aim Intelligence
Participated · Series A · Apr 2026
Aim Intelligence builds AI security technologies, offering red team solutions that simulate attack scenarios to detect vulnerabilities and guardrail solutions to prevent misuse of AI services. The company has participated in model safety projects with global AI firms including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. Financially, Aim Intelligence raised a 10 billion won Series A in April and has since attracted strategic investments from Naver D2SF, LG Electronics, and Hyundai Motor. As part of its commercialization efforts, it is jointly developing physical AI security solutions with LG and conducting product demonstrations with Hyundai Motor Group’s Zero One Ventures. Naver D2SF discovered the startup through a campus contest and is pursuing practical cooperation with the company’s security organization. CEO Yoo Sang-yoon has stated the firm aims to become an AI security infrastructure company supporting development, verification, and operation of generative AI, agent AI, and physical AI.
- ADEL
Participated · Equity · Apr 2026
ADEL develops therapeutics targeting central nervous system disorders and advances antibody candidates through clinical development. Its notable programs include ADEL-Y01, a tau antibody candidate that was licensed out to Sanofi in a deal valued up to $1.04 billion with an $80 million non-refundable upfront payment. The company is advancing follow-on candidates ADEL-Y04 (ApoE4-targeting antibody) and ADEL-Y03 (β2-microglobulin-targeting antibody) and aims to accelerate their clinical timelines. ADEL intends to strengthen partnerships with domestic and international CNS specialists and further develop proprietary technology platforms. The company cites global business achievements and investor support as validation of its pipeline value. Management plans to complete a KOSDAQ technology special listing within the year and deploy the newly secured funds to deliver early pipeline development results.
- Rootrix
Participated · Series A · Feb 2026
Rootrix aggregates data from more than 700 tree-specialized farms and supplies verified trees to 102 landscaping construction companies through its digital marketplace. By locking in price, quality, and delivery terms at the quotation stage, the platform removes the traditional supply-chain volatility that plagues landscaping sites. The company has delivered to marquee projects such as Maple Xi Apartments and Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club, demonstrating its reliability with large construction partners. Rootrix has achieved cumulative revenue of ₩8.5 billion, making it the only Korean startup to reach that sales scale in tree distribution. Management now plans to roll the service out to small and midsize landscaping contractors, promising one-click quotations via KakaoTalk and guaranteed on-site delivery within the first half of the year. These expansions aim to turn previously unpredictable tree procurement into a standardized, manageable process across the industry.
- Afinit
Participated · Series E · Feb 2026
Afinit develops an artificial-intelligence platform that analyzes alternative data to produce credit scores for financial institutions. The company’s core offering enables lenders to underwrite borrowers in emerging markets where traditional credit data are scarce. With the fresh capital, Afinit plans to deepen its relationships with Indian banks, scale its AI-based credit-scoring engine, and roll out new insurance-focused financial products while bolstering its technical teams. Management also signaled that the funding supports preparations for an eventual IPO. Operationally, Afinit reported 2024 revenue of ₩146 billion and operating profit of ₩11.6 billion. For 2025, the company projects revenue of ₩165 billion and operating profit of ₩30 billion, reflecting confidence in its scalable, data-driven model. The firm views expansion in high-growth markets such as India as a key growth lever.
Team
No current team members are available.