Wonik Investment Partners Completes KRW 161 Billion First Closing, "Takes Aim" at Deep Tech with Expertise
Fund to Expand to KRW 220 Billion Through Second Closing
Lee Seokjae, Head of the Venture Division, to Serve as Lead Fund Manager
Investing in Deep-Tech... Poised to Leverage Science and Engineering Expertise
Wonik Investment Partners has completed the first closing of a deep-tech fund worth about KRW 160 billion and plans to raise additional commitments to bring the total to KRW 220 billion. It is expected to actively seek out promising deep-tech companies, drawing on its expertise in science and engineering.
According to the venture capital industry on November 10, Wonik Investment Partners held a formation meeting late last month for the Wonik 2026 Deep Tech Next Unicorn Scale-Up Investment Partnership and completed the first closing of the fund at KRW 161 billion. In April, the firm was selected as the general partner (GP) for the Next Unicorn Project Scale-Up category of Korea Venture Investment Corporation's 2026 First Regular Fund-of-Funds Investment Program under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
The first closing was based on a KRW 75 billion commitment from the Fund of Funds, with participation from Korea Development Bank, Korea Growth Investment Corporation, Korea Federation of SMEs, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Chungcheongnam-do, and the Shinhan Venture Nexus Fund, among others. Financial institutions including KB Securities, Kiwoom Securities, NH NongHyup Capital, and Woori Financial Capital also participated, as did Wonik IPS, an affiliate of the Wonik Group.
The fund is expected to grow after its second closing. Following the formation meeting, Wonik Investment Partners received commitments from the Military Mutual Aid Association, the Hana Modu Growth K-Future Strategic Industries Venture Fund of Funds, and the Export-Import Bank of Korea, among others. The firm plans to complete the formation by January 2027 at the latest, expanding the fund to KRW 220 billion.
The fund must invest at least 60% of its total assets in companies in deep-tech fields, including system semiconductors, bio and healthcare, future mobility, eco-friendly technologies and energy, robotics, cybersecurity and networks, aerospace and marine industries, next-generation nuclear power, and quantum technology. In particular, including follow-on investments, the fund must invest an average of at least KRW 10 billion per company among its primary investment targets before the fund is dissolved.
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Lee Seokjae, executive vice president and head of the venture division, will serve as lead fund manager. The fund will be managed by a team of four key investment professionals, including Managing Directors Kim Hoseong and Cho Seongwoo and Director Yang Changmo. Lee will lead the management of the deep-tech fund, drawing on his expertise in science and engineering, built through a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from KAIST, a master's degree in mechanical design from Seoul National University, and experience at Samsung Electronics, as well as more than 20 years of know-how in the venture investment industry. The fact that all investment review professionals in the venture division have science and engineering backgrounds is also expected to strengthen the firm's investment expertise.
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