ContributionUS partnerships vital to Korea's tech industry

As a venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley, I work with frontier technologies and the teams building them around the world. On a recent trip to Korea, I saw a surge in the number of companies and investors looking to engage with the U.S. technology ecosystem. The conversations were distinctly different from the ones I had five years ago. The question was no longer whether to engage, but how.

That shift is promising, but Korea needs to move faster.

The country has spent decades building world-class capabilities in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, defense technology and data center infrastructure. It has the technical talent, industrial expertise and resources to become a leader in this technology cycle. What it does not yet have is influence within the U.S. innovation ecosystem that matches those capabilities.

That matters more now than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping nearly every major industry, and no one knows exactly where the technology will create the greatest value. The companies, investors and institutions closest to the people building it will have an advantage in understanding where the market is moving and acting on those shifts early. Korea has an opportunity to be one of them, but it cannot afford to watch this cycle develop from a distance.

Five years ago, on my first trip to Korea, I met with seven groups and came away believing only two were seriously focused on U.S. venture capital. On my most recent trip, I met with roughly 20 Korean companies and investors, and nearly every conversation reflected serious interest in U.S. venture and emerging technologies.

Investors wanted to know what we are seeing in Silicon Valley, how data center infrastructure is developing and where important technologies are emerging. Even GS Group, which already has a presence in Silicon Valley through GS Futures, spent significant time discussing data centers and what we are seeing from our position in U.S. venture.

Korea is not starting from behind. Samsung and SK hynix have made the country indispensable in semiconductors, and its companies are increasingly important across data center infrastructure, defense technology and advanced manufacturing. Yet in the U.S., Korea remains underestimated relative to what it has built. That gap creates an enormous opportunity for the institutions willing to close it.

Partnership is real advantage

Venture capital runs on relationships. Capital can open a door, but the best partnerships connect companies and investors to customers, expertise, technology and markets they might not otherwise reach.

We are already seeing that between Korea and the U.S. technology ecosystem. Anduril has partnered with Hyundai Heavy Industries, while Saronic has partnered with Samsung Heavy Industries. Multiple MVP Ventures portfolio companies have also received investments from Korean groups, including Hanwha and Samsung Ventures.

These relationships give emerging U.S. companies access to industrial expertise, manufacturing capabilities, capital and Asian markets while giving Korean institutions direct connections to technologies.

At MVP Ventures, we take the same approach with our limited partners. We work with a concentrated group because we want those relationships to extend beyond capital. Five of our Korean LP partners have described MVP as their best venture partner. The goal is to help our partners understand where markets are moving, build relationships with the companies driving that change and find opportunities to work together. In a technology cycle moving as quickly as AI, that proximity can become a competitive advantage.

Korea can build for world

The opportunity also runs in the other direction. Korea should not settle for becoming a strategic partner to U.S. technology companies. It has the talent and technical capabilities to produce more globally important technology companies of its own.

Israel offers a useful model. Its strongest technology companies build for global markets rather than allowing the size of the domestic market to define their ambitions. On my recent trip, our team evaluated roughly a dozen Korean startups pursuing versions of that model, pairing technical talent in Korea with ambitions to reach customers, capital and markets in the U.S. and beyond.

Some Korean institutions are already moving. Samyang Chemical Group has helped broaden access to U.S. venture among a wider group of Korean families and corporations. GS Group was one of the first partners to introduce us to the Korean market. Smilegate has become one of our closest partners there, while Shift Up and Shinhan Ventures are building deeper relationships with the U.S. technology ecosystem.

Five years ago, that level of engagement was concentrated among relatively few institutions. Today, the ambition is much broader. Now it needs to translate into action.

Korea already has the talent, technology and industrial capabilities to lead in this cycle. What it needs now are deeper relationships inside the U.S. innovation ecosystem, people on the ground empowered to move quickly, stronger commercial connections and more founders building for global markets from day one.

The window is open now. The institutions that move decisively will not only gain access to where technology is going. They will help shape where it goes next.

Weston Moyer is co-founder and managing partner at MVP Ventures