NAVER Expands Startup Investments in Silicon Valley with the Planned Establishment of NAVER Ventures
- The new investment initiative will focus on investing in promising startups in North America, starting with video AI startup 'TwelveLabs'
- NAVER has a strong track record of tech startup investments through its NAVER D2SF and is also known for acquiring Poshmark
SEONGNAM, South Korea, June 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVER Corporation (CEO Choi Soo-yeon) announced the planned establishment of "NAVER Ventures," its new global venture investment initiative in Silicon Valley. The launch marks a significant step in NAVER's strategy to expand its global footprint and foster innovation by investing in promising startups in North America.
NAVER Ventures aims to build on NAVER's experience in supporting startups through its NAVER D2SF, which has invested numerous early-stage technology startups and supported their overseas expansion. The company also expanded its global portfolio by acquiring Poshmark, a leading U.S.-based social commerce platform, in 2023.
As part of its commitment to the Silicon Valley ecosystem, NAVER Founder and Chairman Lee Hae-jin, CEO Choi Soo-yeon, and Kim Namsun, President of investments visited the region to engage directly with entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors. They hosted the "Venturing NAVER's Next Chapter" networking event on June 5 at the Four Seasons Hotel, where they discussed NAVER's vision for supporting startups and fostering technological innovation.
NAVER Ventures has confirmed its first investment in TwelveLabs, a video AI startup recognized for its innovative technology. The investment aligns with NAVER's focus on AI competitiveness and its strategy to collaborate with global startups to drive future growth.
The new investment initiative, NAVER Ventures, overseen by Kim Namsun, is expected to complete its establishment process later this month. It will invest capital and expertise to help category-leading companies accelerate the growth of their businesses (/END)
About NAVER
Founded in 1999, NAVER is South Korea's largest Internet company and one of the world's leading technology companies. NAVER has grown into a global ICT company that leads in cutting-edge technologies and operates a diverse portfolio of businesses, including commerce, fintech, content, cloud services, AI, and robotics, as well as other global online services such as LINE mobile messenger, Webtoon and Webnovel publishing, SNOW video camera app and ZEPETO metaverse platform.
NAVER is expanding its global footprint through strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as SoftBank, Poshmark, and Wattpad. Currently, TEAM NAVER strengthens business portfolios and expands its service regions, including Japan, North America, and Europe.
In 2024, NAVER reported sales of KRW 10.74 trillion (approximately USD 7.5 billion) and NAVER is ranked as the 12th largest company in terms of market capitalization in Korea.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Korean students' motivation to study English drops as AI tools rise: study
An increasing number of middle school students in South Korea are asking whether they need to study English at all, now that artificial intelligence can do the work for them. A new government report shows a clear drop in student motivation to learn English, and education officials say the widespread use of AI-powered translation apps is playing a key role. According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Achievement, released Tuesday by South Korea's Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, just 61.3 percent of third-year middle school students (roughly ninth grade in the US) said they are motivated to study English. That marks a drop of 2.5 percentage points from 2023 and a more significant decline of 10.1 points compared to 2022. The report also found that fewer students see English as valuable for their academic or professional futures. In 2023, 73.1 percent of surveyed students said they believed English was a worthwhile subject. That number dropped to 69.6 percent this year. The survey drew responses from a nationally representative sample of 27,606 middle and high school students. Classroom teachers say the change is palpable. Many students now complete homework assignments by plugging English sentences into translation apps like Naver's Papago or OpenAI's ChatGPT. One Seoul teacher told researchers that students who returned from overseas trips and showed a renewed interest in learning English now heavily rely on AI tools, feeling less need to improve their skills on their own. An official from the Education Ministry put it this way: 'In Korea, English has mostly been something you study to pass exams, not something you actually use. That's always been a challenge." "But now, with AI tools handling translation so easily, students are asking themselves why they need to study at all. The ones who already lacked confidence in English are the first to give up, and over time, that's going to widen the learning gap,' he added.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Naver readies new social platform ThingsBook for US market
As founder Lee Hae-jin returns to lead, Naver doubles down on US expansion with AI, user-centric platforms South Korean internet giant Naver is preparing to enter the crowded US social media market with a new platform, marking the company's boldest push yet into the world's most competitive digital market. The company said Monday it is developing the new user-generated content platform, named ThingsBook, through its US-based subsidiary But the date and the specifics are still under wraps. 'We are developing a platform targeting the US market, but the launch date and the specific details are undecided at this time,' a Naver spokesperson said. is spearheading the development of ThingsBook as part of Naver's efforts to create a service for the global market from the ground up instead of simply adapting popular Korean services for international users. Naver's Webtoon and Band were both launched in the US after achieving success in Korea. Dubbed a 'personal museum,' the new service will allow users to collect, organize and share content based on personal preferences. Naver has opened a LinkedIn page for ThingsBook, describing it as 'a new kind of social media made just for people who love organizing, collecting and sharing their favorite things, from books and movies to travel spots, fashion, food and more.' As it gears up for launch, Naver has begun recruiting brand ambassadors to help promote the platform, with content categories ranging from food and travel to books, games, movies and fashion. Naver's renewed global push follows the return of its founder Lee Hae-jin earlier this year. He was elected chair of the board at Naver in March, reclaiming a leadership role after an eight-year hiatus since stepping down in 2017. In June, Lee visited Silicon Valley and announced the establishment of Naver Ventures, a US-based investment arm. The new investment company aims to invest in AI startups and future technologies, highlighting Naver's ambitions in the US tech sector. With ThingsBook, Naver appears to be focusing on securing high-quality, localized data, which is critical in AI development. During a trip to the US last month, Lee cited user-generated content as a key factor that helped Naver compete against global tech giants like Google in the local search market. He also stressed that securing a wide range of data will be key to gaining an edge in the AI era. ThingsBook will add to Naver's growing portfolio in the US, which includes the Webtoon platform, operated by US subsidiary Webtoon Entertainment, Naver Band, a social media platform that has gained popularity among after-school activity groups, and Poshmark, a US fashion resale platform that was acquired by Naver in 2023.
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Korea Herald
SEMIFIVE Files for Pre-IPO Review on KRX
SEOUL, South Korea, July 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SEMIFIVE, a leading design solution provider and pioneer of platform-based custom silicon solutions, today announced that it has submitted its preliminary IPO application to the Korea Exchange (KRX), marking the official start of its listing process on the KOSDAQ. Samsung Securities and UBS are serving as joint lead underwriters. Since its founding in 2019, SEMIFIVE has demonstrated rapid business growth, raising a total of KRW 240 billion from prominent investors including Pavilion Capital (a Temasek subsidiary), Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Korea Investment Partners, Korea Development Bank, and Doosan Tesna. In 2024, just five years after its establishment, the company recorded KRW 111.8 billion in annual revenue and posted the highest sales among Samsung Electronics' official Design Solution Partners (DSPs) in the system semiconductor category. SEMIFIVE's core strength lies in its proprietary, reusable, and automation-driven System on Chip (SoC) design platform, which enables the company to cover the entire system semiconductor value chain—from chip design and mass production to the IP business. This integrated approach has enabled SEMIFIVE to establish a robust revenue pipeline across all stages of the value chain. From the outset, SEMIFIVE has collaborated with leading Korean AI fabless companies such as FuriosaAI and Rebellions to co-design and mass-produce AI and high-performance Computing (HPC) chips, building a stable revenue base. The company has been actively expanding its customer base through projects with HyperAccel, Mobilint, and XCENA, while also accelerating international revenue growth through new design wins from customers in the U.S., China, and Japan. In the IP domain, SEMIFIVE has secured a solid revenue stream through its wholly owned subsidiary Analog Bits, a global leader in low-power mixed-signal IP. Analog Bits supplies core IPs—such as clocking, sensors, and SERDES—to global foundries including TSMC, Samsung Foundry, and Intel. By integrating these IPs into its SoC platform with automated implementation, SEMIFIVE enhances design efficiency and differentiation. With a global workforce of over 400 employees, SEMIFIVE has established regional hubs in the U.S., China, Japan, Vietnam, India, and the Czech Republic to strengthen local customer engagement and technical support. The company has also been actively expanding its R&D investment to enhance technological competitiveness and accelerating the development of 'Premier', a CPU chiplet platform based on Arm architecture, as an Arm Total Design Partner. "As AI is applied across a wide range of industries, the demand for ASIC is growing rapidly," said Brandon Cho, the CEO and co-founder of SEMIFIVE. "Our vision is to become The New Global Hub of Custom Silicon. We are committed to leading innovation in the next-generation ASIC market, playing a pivotal role." Media Contact About SEMIFIVE SEMIFIVE is the pioneer of platform based SoC design, working with customers to implement innovative ideas into custom silicon in the most efficient way. Our SoC platforms offer a powerful springboard for new chip designs and leverage configurable domain-specific architectures and pre-validated key IP pools. We offer comprehensive spec-to-system capabilities with end-to-end solutions so that custom SoCs can be realized faster, with reduced cost and risks for key applications such as data center or AI-enabled IoT. With a strong partnership with Samsung Foundry as a leading SAFE TM DSP partner, as well as the larger ecosystem, SEMIFIVE provides a one-stop shop solution for any SoC design needs. For more information, please visit
