President Lee Meets Global VCs: "Let's Create the Next Generation of Samsung, Hyundai, and Naver Together"

President Lee Attends Silicon Valley Venture Investment Meetup
"Bold Reforms to Visa System... Creating the World's Best Environment for Investment and Entrepreneurship"
Mother Fund, National Growth Fund, and Pension Funds Linked Together
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During his visit to Silicon Valley in the United States, President Lee Jae-myung called on global venture investors on the 25th (local time) to invest in Korean startups, stating, "Korea and the United States must broaden the scope of our cooperation beyond a longstanding security alliance, advancing it into a technology alliance, an innovation alliance, and a startup alliance." He also presented plans to improve the visa system that blocks the inflow of overseas entrepreneurial talent and to support promising startups' global expansion by linking policy and private funding sources.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Silicon Valley venture investment meetup held at a hotel in San Francisco, USA, on the 25th (local time). July 26, 2026 Yonhap News Agency

In his opening remarks at the 'Venture Investment Meetup' held in Silicon Valley, President Lee said, "The Korean government will create the world’s best environment for investment and entrepreneurship." Attendees at the event included Martin Casado, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz; Alfred Lin, Co-Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital; Hemant Taneja, CEO of General Catalyst; Tony Florence, Co-Managing Partner at New Enterprise Associates; Barry Eggers, Co-Founder of Lightspeed Venture Partners; and Vinod Khosla, Founder of Khosla Ventures.

President Lee cited Korea’s strengths as swift execution, a world-class manufacturing base, digital infrastructure, outstanding talent, and strong cultural competitiveness. He emphasized, "Korea is an irreplaceable hub of innovation that can offer global investors new growth opportunities." He added, "The fact that the number of foreign entrepreneurs in Korea has more than doubled over the past three years means that Korea is establishing itself as an open innovation hub where global talent and companies take on challenges together."

He also outlined government support measures to create a global startup ecosystem. President Lee said, "We will boldly improve visa systems that hinder the inflow of overseas entrepreneurial talent and further strengthen the foundation for cooperation connecting domestic and international companies, research institutions, and investment organizations."

He stressed, "By organically linking funds such as the Fund of Funds, the National Growth Fund, pension funds, and private capital, we will comprehensively support investment, financing, and overseas expansion so that promising startups do not remain in the early stage but grow into global companies."

President Lee also proposed combining the strengths of Korea and the United States to jointly foster world-class innovation companies. He explained, "The U.S. has world-leading venture investment capabilities and a global network, and Korea boasts outstanding technology, manufacturing competitiveness, and a dynamic startup ecosystem."

He continued, "If the strengths of our two countries are combined, together we can create the next generation of global innovation companies like Samsung, Hyundai, SK, and Naver that will lead the world."

President Lee said, "When Korean startups gain access to American capital and markets, and U.S. investors and innovative enterprises connect with Korea's technology, manufacturing, and talent ecosystem, the two countries will become partners in innovation for the next 30 years." He added, "I hope today’s event serves as a starting point for promising Korean startups and global investors to open the door to new growth."

The event was organized to discuss global investment trends, case studies of investment in Korean companies, and ways to expand investment in Korean startups. Attendees exchanged opinions on promising investment sectors, their experiences investing in Korean startups, and the Korean government’s institutional support measures.

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