KTB Ventures

KTB Ventures, now part of DAOL Financial Group following a rebranding in March 2022, was founded in 1981 as one of the first venture capital firms in Korea. The Korea and China entity operates as KTB Network (now DAOL Investment), headquartered in Seongnam, while the US entity operates as KTB Ventures (now DAOL Ventures) in Palo Alto, California. Over its 30-plus year history, more than 250 portfolio companies have IPO'd in Korea and overseas, accounting for over 10 percent of Korean IPOs — a record unmatched among domestic venture firms. The firm invests in early and growth-stage startups, primarily at Series A, B, and C stages, with investment tickets of $5 million to $10 million. KTB Network in Korea has a team of 31 with 15 partners and 54 investments, while KTB Ventures in the US has 10 team members with 6 partners and 69 tracked investments. Combined portfolio highlights include one unicorn — Toss, the Korean fintech platform, which achieved unicorn status in 2018 — 23-plus IPOs, and 33-plus acquisitions. Notable portfolio companies include Grab, 42dot, Blinkit (acquired by Zomato for $568 million in June 2022), Inphi (semiconductor, acquired by Marvell), and Com2uS (gaming). The most recent IPO was Wisenut on KRX in January 2025 at a $155 million market capitalization. Investment verticals span software, fintech, transportation, healthcare, gaming, edtech, and robotics. Under the DAOL Financial Group umbrella, the venture capital practice operates alongside private equity, asset management, investment banking, brokerage, research, and proprietary trading divisions. This integrated financial platform gives portfolio companies access to a full range of capital markets and advisory services from early growth through public listing.