The Korea Development Bank (KDB) is accelerating the revitalization of regional innovation ecosystems by holding the “KDB V: Launch Session” to support the growth and investment attraction of startups in the southern region.
The KDB V:Launch 2026 Southern Region Fund Session was held at the Busan NextONE IR Center on Aug. 21, attended by approximately 40 people including representatives from venture capital firms, asset management companies, and local startups.
KDB V: Launch is Korea’s first regional specialized venture platform, launched in May 2023 with the aim of driving the value and victory of Korean venture startups.
It has served as a bridge, providing startups in the southern region with golden opportunities to attract investment and supporting their networking and business expansion.
KDB holds the KDB V: Launch 2026 Southern Region Fund Session at the Busan NextONE IR Center on Aug. 21.
Now in its fourth year, the platform has held a total of 32 sessions, including this one.
During this period, 100 startups participated in the Investor Relations \ sessions, and 34 of them successfully attracted 273 billion won in investment.
KDB played a significant role as an anchor investor by directly investing 47.3 billion won of this total.
This event also included a briefing session on investment projects for the 2026 Southern Region Growth Support Fund, which was newly established by KDB.
KDB shared details regarding the fund size, key investment targets, mandatory investment ratios, and the schedule for selecting general partners, presenting specific support strategies for fostering new industries in the southern region and restructuring the businesses of small and medium-sized enterprises.
In the subsequent startup IR session, four promising local technology-driven companies made presentations on their unique technological competitiveness and business plans to investors.
The four were Natronics (eco-friendly battery materials), Mold (robot automation solutions), SR (waste battery recycling technology), and Christine Company (smart shoes production).
“KDB will further strengthen its customized comprehensive support system through organic connections among venture platforms, direct investment and financing, and regional innovation funds,” a KDB official said.
“We will continue to contribute to the revitalization of innovation and venture ecosystems in the southern region and to balanced regional development.”
KDB NextRound Special Round
KDB announced that it held the KDB NextRound Special Round at its IR Center on Aug. 18 and 25.
The national advanced strategic industry special round was launched to expand the foundation for the growth of Korea’s advanced strategic industries which determine future national competitiveness and to strengthen connections between promising startups and investors.
The Defense Round held on Aug. 18 was organized to support investment attraction by startups with promising technologies and to promote the revitalization of Korean defense industry ecosystems as K-defense emerges as an export growth engine beyond national security.
During the Defense Round, attended by approximately 70 officials from relevant organizations, Team Leader Yoo Yoon-jin of Hyundai Rotem delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “K-Defense: Beyond Self-Reliant Defense to Export Industry.”
Group Leader Lee In-sung of Bluepoint Partners made a presentation on the topic of “Changes in the Global Defense Market and Opportunities for Korean Startups.”
Following IR pitching by four Korean defense startups, they networked with major VC investors to strengthen ties between startups and investors and to explore the growth of future strategic industries in Korea.
Meanwhile, KDB held the “KDB NextRound Physical AI Special Round” at the same venue on Aug. 25.
The Physical AI Round was held to support investment attraction for promising startups in the field as the convergence of AI and robotics expands artificial intelligence beyond the digital space into the real world and physical AI emerges as a core technology leading innovation across industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and services.
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