A delegation of all South Korean venture capital funds arrived in Israel looking for opportunities

A large delegation of all South Korean venture capital funds arrived in Israel for a direct meeting with Israeli companies, as part of a seminar that provides a rare opportunity to learn about investment and financing possibilities in South Korea and to hold business meetings with leading investors from the country. The funds delegation arrives in Israel at the invitation of the Economic Attaché of the Ministry of Economy and Industry in Seoul. The first conference was a result of a cooperation agreement signed two months ago led by IATI with South Korean venture capital fund KVCA.
Most Israeli companies sell South Korea in the context of large technology companies such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG, but not many know that the country has a strong and diverse venture capital industry. The venture capital industry in South Korea is growing steadily each year and receives substantial support from government budgets, institutional investors and banks, who view the funds as a platform for diversifying investments and taking a more risky position.
The main areas of investment of venture capital funds in South Korea are communications, software and semiconductors, but the fields of pharma and biotechnology are also significant investment areas. The interest in pharma is mainly due to the unique structure of the capital market in South Korea and the possibility of raising funds in a convenient manner for companies in these fields.
The venture partner, the Korean Venture Capital Association (KVCA), is a venture capital fund consisting of 110 venture capital funds that together manage about $ 18 billion. The Association acts as a supervisory body and promotes legislation and regulation in the field of venture capital. According to the association, in 2017 South Korean venture capital funds invested a total of 2.2 billion dollars and raised capital of 4.1 billion dollars.
The visit of the Korean delegation comes at a time of great work and cooperation is tightening with the world's 12th largest economy. In 2017, total trade in goods between South Korea and Israel exceeded the $ 2 billion mark, with total exports of $ 883 million.
The Minister of Economy and Industry, Eli Cohen, noted: "Such important initiatives help to increase Israeli exports and strengthen Israel's image as a leading country in innovation. Israeli companies can use our economic representatives around the world, enter the various markets and use the many tools that the Ministry of Economy and Industry has for the benefit of industry and business in Israel, especially in the field of exports. "
Karin Mayer Rubinstein, CEO of IATI: "Israel as an international leader in high-tech, entrepreneurship and venture capital funds is committed to maintaining and developing continuous contact with as many international strategic players as possible. As the umbrella organization of Israel's high-tech and life sciences industries, we are working to promote such connections in cooperation with the Economic Representations of the Ministry of Economy around the world. At the current conference, we strengthened the communication channel with one of the strongest economies in the Far East and created a meeting between leading venture capital funds in Korea and Israeli entrepreneurs, a link that opens a new world for injecting strategic money into entrepreneurship in Israel. "