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

President Lee Attends Silicon Valley Venture Investment Meetup

"Bold Visa Reforms... Creating the World's Most Attractive Environment for Investment and Entrepreneurship"

Linking Korea Venture Investment Fund, National Growth Fund, and Pensi

During his visit to Silicon Valley, President Lee Jae-myung called on global venture capitalists on the 25th (local time) to invest in Korean startups, emphasizing that "Korea and the United States must expand their cooperation beyond a longstanding security alliance to encompass technology, innovation, and startup alliances." He also outlined initiatives to improve visa regulations that have been hampering the influx of overseas entrepreneurial talent into Korea and to support promising startups in their overseas expansion by connecting policy and private capital.

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 keynote remarks at the 'Venture Investment Meetup' held in Silicon Valley, President Lee stated, "The government of the Republic of Korea will create the world's best environment for investment and entrepreneurship." The event was attended by Martin Casado, General Partner of Andreessen Horowitz; Alfred Lin, Co-Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital; Hemant Taneja, CEO of General Catalyst; Tony Florence, Co-Managing Partner of New Enterprise Associates; Barry Eggers, Founding Partner of Lightspeed Venture Partners; and Vinod Khosla, Founder of Khosla Ventures. The combined assets under management of these six firms alone amount to 313 billion dollars (approximately 458 trillion won).

President Lee highlighted Korea's strengths, which include rapid execution, a world-class manufacturing base, advanced digital infrastructure, outstanding talent, and cultural competitiveness. He described Korea as an "irreplaceable innovation hub that can provide new growth opportunities to global investors," noting that "the doubling of foreign entrepreneurs in Korea over the past three years illustrates that the country is becoming an open innovation hub where global talent and companies take on challenges together."

He also announced government support measures to foster a global startup ecosystem. President Lee stated, "We will boldly reform visa systems that have blocked inflows of overseas founding talent, and further expand the foundations for collaboration linking domestic and overseas companies, research institutes, and investment entities."

Furthermore, he emphasized, "By organically linking the Korea Fund of Funds, the National Growth Fund, pension funds, and private capital, we will provide comprehensive support for investment, finance, and overseas market entry, so promising startups do not remain in their early stages but grow into global companies."

President Lee also proposed harnessing the strengths of both South Korea and the United States to jointly foster world-leading innovative companies. He explained, "The United States has world-class venture investment capabilities and an extensive global network, while Korea possesses outstanding technology, manufacturing competitiveness, and a dynamic startup ecosystem."

He added, "When the strengths of both countries combine, we can jointly create a new generation of global innovative companies that will lead the world, much like Samsung, Hyundai, SK, and Naver have done."

President Lee stated, "When Korean startups meet American capital and markets, and when U.S. investors and innovative firms connect with Korea's technology, manufacturing, and talent ecosystem, our two countries will become partners in innovation shaping the next thirty years together." He concluded by saying, "I hope today's event will serve as the starting point for promising Korean startups and global investors to open new doors to growth."

Global venture capitalists also praised Korea's manufacturing and semiconductor capabilities, as well as its competitive talent, expressing their intent to expand investment. Martin Casado, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, noted his firm's recent establishment of a Seoul office and lauded Korea for possessing world-class companies and exceptional engineering talent in manufacturing and semiconductors, positioning the country uniquely in the AI sector. He added that combining Korea's hardware and manufacturing strengths with America's software and AI technology would create significant opportunities for both countries.

Hemant Taneja, CEO of General Catalyst, emphasized the potential for Korea-U.S. cooperation in the fields of AI and physical AI applied to core industries such as defense, healthcare, and energy. He shared that he has been exploring collaborative models with Korean companies in recent years and pledged to develop more plans in Korea. Alfred Lin, Co-Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital, mentioned that his firm was an early investor in Coupang and committed to continually expanding investments in Korea. Vinod Khosla, Founder of Khosla Ventures, also described Korea as a talent powerhouse and revealed that robotics-related projects are underway in Korea.

Barry Eggers, Founding Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, shared examples of investments in Korean startups and the entry of portfolio companies into Korea, expressing his intention to build long-term partnerships with Korean entrepreneurs and institutions. Tony Florence, Co-Managing Partner at New Enterprise Associates, stated, "Korea is an important market," and predicted that Korea will play a pivotal role in the future global AI ecosystem.

At the event, Kang Yoo-jung, Senior Presidential Spokesperson, stated in a written briefing that "global venture capitalists identified the most essential factors for Korean startup success as a resilient culture that allows entrepreneurs to rise after failure and the provision of adequate investment." President Lee responded, "These are truly resonant proposals" and promised to pursue policy changes to create a society where all citizens, including young people, have the opportunity to start businesses. He reportedly asked Policy Chief Kim Yongbeom and First Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups Noh Yongseok whether there might be more feasible ways to connect universities and investment firms.

At the event, the National Pension Service and six venture capital firms also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish and promote a close cooperation framework.

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