Participated · Equity · Jan 2022

AmazeVR builds immersive VR concerts and a music-focused metaverse service distributed across major VR app stores and next‑generation headsets. The company produces commercial VR concerts (including a U.S. tour with Megan Thee Stallion) and is expanding partnerships with artists, labels, agencies and publishers. AmazeVR has a joint venture with SM Entertainment to launch Studio A in South Korea and plans to produce concerts with K‑pop artists. The startup intends to hire AI, Unreal Engine and VFX engineers to advance its technology and broaden content. It reported about 75% attendance on its Enter Thee Hottieverse tour (roughly 4.3x typical theater occupancy) with $20–$25 ticket prices. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Seoul and a team of 62. Its recent financing activity has brought total funding to approximately $47.8 million. AmazeVR builds VR concert experiences and content-generation tools that let users attend immersive concerts as avatars and interact with other fans. The company has developed proprietary 9K cameras and software that automate complex Unreal Engine–based VFX and can run more than 100 headsets simultaneously. AmazeVR is rolling out its first commercial VR concert with Megan Thee Stallion in select AMC Theatres and has secured a second A-list artist while finalizing a third. The startup plans to scale content creation and release new VR concerts weekly by 2024 to both in-theater and at-home audiences. Leadership says the company pivoted fully into VR concerts in late 2019 and has grown its team from 12 employees at the start of 2021 to 41 across Hollywood and Seoul. AmazeVR intends to use the new capital to hire additional headcount as it pursues broader adoption of VR and metaverse experiences. AmazeVR is a virtual concert platform that creates high-quality VR music content and enables artists to connect with fans through immersive technologies. It offers an end-to-end solution—from ultra-high-resolution custom cameras to cloud-based creation tools and social interaction features that let users experience concerts as avatars. Founded in 2015 and based in Los Angeles, CA, the company produced a debut immersive concert with Roc Nation duo Ceraadi and has several other concerts in the works. AmazeVR raised $9.5M in a funding round led by Murex Partners. The round included participation from We Ventures, Bass Investment, Dunamu & Partners and existing investors Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Mirae Asset Capital, Partners Investment and Timewise Investment. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and broaden its business reach. AmazeVR produces and distributes immersive virtual-reality entertainment content and is moving into location-based experiences. The company has opened an 11,000-square-foot entertainment hub at Incheon International Airport that mixes meditation and relaxation VR videos, a performance stage for immersive musical performances, and an indoor playground. AmazeVR has partnerships with immersive studios Atlas V and Felix & Paul Studios and says it aims to broaden distribution offline to accelerate consumer VR adoption. The company launched last May with backing from Korean hardware manufacturer LG and leverages entertainment industry connections to develop unique VR experiences. Financially, AmazeVR recently secured an additional $2.5 million commitment, bringing its total funding to around $9 million. AmazeVR operates a cloud-based VR content and production platform that stitches 360-degree video, provides editing and production tools for creators, and builds its own cameras for capture. The company sells VR content via a subscription priced at $7 per month (three-month bundles $18, six-month bundles $24) and has more than 1,000 subscribers. AmazeVR already offers about 20 interactive VR experiences and shares revenue from subscriptions and individual downloads with video creators. The company is partnering with LG U+ to host content and use AmazeVR’s proprietary tools to produce and roll out up to 1,500 new VR experiences on LG’s service. Founding executives are former Kakao leaders (JB Lee, Steve Lee, Jeremy Nam, and Steve Koo) and the team is active in Los Angeles to connect with talent for additional productions. Strategic backing from LG Technology Ventures and others underpins the company’s push to scale its content library and consumer adoption.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2021

Plask is an AI-driven, cloud-based animation company that automates character movement using pose extraction combined with deep learning to instantly animate characters. Its automated web solution is designed to reduce the cost and manual labor of traditional animation workflows. Plask has been beta-testing its flagship product with animation production companies, game developers, and entertainment studios. The company says its technology can meet the high-quality, high-volume content demand driven by the metaverse and interactive virtual entertainment. Plask plans an official product launch before the end of 2021 and will use the pre-Series A proceeds to aggressively recruit key talent, according to CEO Junho Lee. Naver is an existing investor and Naver D2SF leader Yang Sang Hwan highlighted expected technology synergy with Naver.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2021

S-Alpha Therapeutics develops digital therapeutics that combine information technology and biology, with several products in an R&D pipeline. The company is advancing SAT-001, its lead program for pediatric myopia, which is undergoing clinical evaluation at multiple sites in South Korea and is planned for further trials in the U.S. S-Alpha is also validating SAT-008, aimed at inducing immune-boosting effects, and is exploring business development models around evidence from clinical studies. The company uses its Series A proceeds to complete verification of SAT-008 and to support broader R&D across its pipeline. Founded in 2019 and based in Seoul, S-Alpha has positioned clinical validation as a near-term priority to demonstrate safety and efficacy. Financially, the company completed a $2.7M seed round in 2020 and closed an $8.7M Series A in 2021 to fund its development plans. S-Alpha Therapeutics is a Seoul, South Korea–based digital therapeutics company with platform technologies that enable digital devices to treat multiple disease areas. Its pipeline includes products in ophthalmology, neuropsychiatry, cancer, and immunology, with a lead product, SAT-001, aimed at treating eye disease. SAT-001 is in the process of regulatory submission to start clinical studies in Korea following MFDS guidance from June 2020, and the company completed a meeting with the US FDA in July 2020 to discuss development. S-Alpha is preparing to launch clinical studies in the United States and intends to use recent funding to execute those trials. The company is led by CEO Seung Eun Choi and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Myung Joon Kim. Financially, S-Alpha completed a seed round to support its clinical development activities.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2020

Afun Interactive develops 3D content based on real-time rendering technology and provides services for augmented and virtual reality while also creating and distributing its own content. The company emphasizes digital humans and operates a dedicated studio for those assets. It plans to use newly raised capital to hire technical staff to advance 3D rendering, expand the digital-human studio, and pursue IP collaboration projects with global content media companies. Leadership has stated intentions to integrate IP and AI to evolve into a live character platform and to focus on global expansion of real-time digital-human services. Afun began operations in 2016, joined Born2Global Center in 2017, and in November 2019 established a U.S. subsidiary, Interactive AF, in California where it operates a local studio. The company has received recognition including winning NVIDIA's Edge Program and earning Best VR Experience at the 75th Venice Film Festival.

Participated · Series C · Jul 2019

신테카바이오 is an AI-driven drug discovery company that leverages genomic big data to develop novel therapeutics and collaborative drug-development programs. The company advances both its own pipeline and joint projects with pharmaceutical partners; it received an immuno-oncology candidate via technology transfer from CJ Healthcare in March and signed an MOU in May with Cellid and SCM Life Science to expand joint R&D. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to accelerate internal pipeline development and to expand R&D and headcount for collaboration projects. The company has an established history of partnerships with firms such as CJ Healthcare and JW중외제약. Financially, 신테카바이오 completed a ₩20 billion Series C and previously raised ₩6 billion in a 2016 Series A and ₩12 billion in a 2018 Series B. It is also preparing for an IPO and has been working with KB Securities as lead underwriter while implementing governance updates and auditor appointments.