SBVA and Innocean Hold 'UP 2026' Growth Forum to Support Portfolio Companies

Venture capital (VC) firm SBVA (formerly SoftBank Ventures) and Innocean, the advertising affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, announced on the 17th that they jointly held the 'UP 2026' forum to support the enhancement of portfolio companies' brand value and the establishment of global growth strategies.

Participants at the 'UP 2026' event held at the Innocean headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 16th are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by SBVA

The forum, held the previous day at Innocean headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was organized to allow SBVA portfolio companies to share experiences and insights in one space and to seek solutions for each company's growth challenges. According to SBVA, "As AI technology advances, differentiated customer experiences and unique identities are emerging as key corporate assets. In collaboration with Innocean, which leads brand experience innovation, we planned this forum to support the strengthening of our portfolio companies’ competitiveness."

The event was attended by representatives from SBVA portfolio companies, including Gravity Labs (AI-based healthcare platform), KREAM (limited-edition trading platform), Queenit (lifestyle platform for the 40s and 50s demographic), Dentlink (digital dental laboratory platform), Rael (global women's wellness brand), Laundrygo (mobile laundry service), Modusign (the leading electronic signature and contract management service in Korea), Blind (social platform for professionals), Santa (AI for personal growth), Amondslab (jewelry A to Z platform), Today’s House (lifestyle platform), and Charan (full-care secondhand fashion app).

The sessions leveraged Innocean’s creative capabilities and expertise in global marketing, focusing on topics such as market changes and the role of brands in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), customer experience innovation, and strategies for entering global markets. In subsequent one-on-one in-depth meetings, leaders from Innocean’s key business divisions participated to jointly assess each company’s brand competitiveness, new market entry, and business model advancement, while also discussing potential for future business cooperation and expansion.

Junpyo Lee, CEO of SBVA, stated, "As AI technology makes it increasingly difficult to differentiate products and services, brand and customer experience are becoming critical competitive factors for companies. I hope this forum serves as a starting point for our portfolio companies to review their challenges during the growth process and to leap to the next stage."

Kim Kyung-Ah, CEO of Innocean, commented, "It is meaningful to create a venue for discussion on innovation-driven growth in partnership with SBVA, which has supported the investment activities and business expansion of global companies. I hope that participating companies will be able to clarify their growth agendas and, through collaboration with Innocean, generate tangible business expansion and concrete results."

Meanwhile, SBVA operates industry-specific networking programs, global partnership connections, and seminars and community programs focused on key management agendas such as IPOs and global expansion to support the growth of its portfolio companies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.