13 investors fund seed rounds for Busan startups in 2026. The local scene is small and bank-led. New policy pushes more Seoul capital south.
Busan has very few seed funds of its own. BNK Venture leads the local pack.
The city and state fund most of the rest. New regional funds back local firms.
Much seed money still comes from Seoul. Policy now pushes it south.
Cheques run US$300K to US$3M locally. Seoul funds can write more.
Maritime and blockchain are local strengths. Those niches draw outside funds.
The port shapes what gets funded here. Logistics and deep tech sit close behind.
Seed rounds run on speed and clean data. Ellty keeps your files in one tracked room.
| Type | Check size | Sector focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNK Venture Investment | Bank-affiliated VC | US$0.3M-$3M | Smart mfg, marine, healthtech | bnkvc.co.kr |
| Busan Scale-Up Fund | Regional venture fund | US$0.5M-$3M | Smart mfg, logistics, emerging tech | busan.go.kr |
| Busan Startup Investment Agency | City investment agency | Programmatic | All Busan strategic sectors | busan.go.kr |
| KVIC | Gov fund-of-funds | Fund-of-funds LP | Sector-agnostic, regional push | kvic.or.kr |
| Korea Development Bank | Policy bank / anchor | LP / anchor | Deep tech, AI, strategic industry | kdb.co.kr |
| KB Investment | Seoul seed VC | US$0.5M-$3M | ICT, deep tech, healthcare | kbic.co.kr |
| Enlight Ventures | Regional seed VC (Daegu) | US$0.2M-$2M | 4IR, smart city, AI, bio | enlightv.com |
| ViNe Ventures | Seoul seed VC | US$0.2M-$1.5M | Consumer, healthtech, content | see LEESOL deal |
| SPACETIME Investment | Seoul early-stage VC | US$0.3M-$2M | Content, edtech, health, consumer | see LEESOL deal |
| SBVA | Seoul seed VC | US$0.5M-$5M | AI, deep tech, consumer, fintech | sbvacorp.com |
| Strong Ventures | Seed VC (US-Korea) | US$0.1M-$1M | Consumer, enterprise, retail | strongvc.com |
| Big Basin Capital | Cross-border seed VC | ~US$1.85M | SaaS, consumer, content, gaming | bigbasincapital.com |
| Hashed | Blockchain seed / infra | US$0.5M-$10M | Web3, blockchain, digital assets | hashed.com |
Keep your seed data room ready for every fund
Busan and Seoul funds both review your numbers remotely. Ellty logs every view so you know who is serious before the call.
Start free 14-day trialWhat a seed investor backs
A seed investor backs early proof, not just an idea. They want first users and a plan.
They write the first institutional cheque. Most run a real venture capital check.
AI and maritime tech draw interest here. They want a clear early edge.
They look for a market that can get big. A neat product in a small niche rarely wins.
They back the team as much as the metrics. A founder who knows the port wins trust.
Ellty gives each fund one tracked link to your data. You see who read your deck first.
All of Busan's well-established logistics systems are digital assets. It is indeed the prime land in the digital era.
13 Busan seed investors
1. BNK Venture Investment
BNK Venture is Busan's main local venture fund.
Recent Activity: Led Busan startup LEESOL's 2026 bridge round
Sector Focus: Smart mfg, marine, healthtech
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: US$0.3M-$3M
Location: Busan
Website: bnkvc.co.kr
2. Busan Scale-Up Fund
This regional fund backs Busan-rooted scale-ups.
Recent Activity: A ₩101B parent fund launched in 2025
Sector Focus: Smart mfg, logistics, emerging tech
Stage Focus: Seed, scale-up
Check Size: US$0.5M-$3M
Location: Busan
Website: busan.go.kr
3. Busan Startup Investment Agency
BSIA is Busan's city startup investment agency.
Recent Activity: City agency that launched in 2025
Sector Focus: All Busan strategic sectors
Stage Focus: Seed
Check Size: Programmatic
Location: Busan
Website: busan.go.kr
4. KVIC
KVIC is the fund-of-funds behind most Busan funds.
Recent Activity: Feeds most Busan funds as a fund-of-funds
Sector Focus: Sector-agnostic, regional push
Stage Focus: Fund LP
Check Size: Fund-of-funds LP
Location: Seoul (feeds Busan)
Website: kvic.or.kr
5. Korea Development Bank
KDB anchors regional funds across the southeast.
Recent Activity: Runs Korea's national growth fund from 2025
Sector Focus: Deep tech, AI, strategic industry
Stage Focus: LP, anchor
Check Size: LP / anchor
Location: Seoul (active southeast)
Website: kdb.co.kr
6. KB Investment
KB Investment is a Seoul VC eyeing Busan deals.
Recent Activity: Joined a 2026 Busan deal-flow roundtable
Sector Focus: ICT, deep tech, healthcare
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: US$0.5M-$3M
Location: Seoul (eyes Busan)
Website: kbic.co.kr
Share one link with every Busan seed fund
Ellty shows when BNK Venture or a Seoul fund opens your deck. Follow up with each fund at the right time.
Start free 14-day trial7. Enlight Ventures
Enlight is a Daegu seed VC active in the southeast.
Recent Activity: Daegu seed VC active across the southeast
Sector Focus: 4IR, smart city, AI, bio
Stage Focus: Seed
Check Size: US$0.2M-$2M
Location: Daegu (southeast)
Website: enlightv.com
8. ViNe Ventures
ViNe is a Seoul seed VC with a real Busan deal.
Recent Activity: Led Busan firm LEESOL's 2024 Series A
Sector Focus: Consumer, healthtech, content
Stage Focus: Seed
Check Size: US$0.2M-$1.5M
Location: Seoul (backs Busan)
Website: see LEESOL deal
9. SPACETIME Investment
SPACETIME is a Seoul VC that co-invested in Busan.
Recent Activity: Co-invested in Busan's LEESOL in 2026
Sector Focus: Content, edtech, health, consumer
Stage Focus: Seed, early
Check Size: US$0.3M-$2M
Location: Seoul (backs Busan)
Website: see LEESOL deal
10. SBVA
SBVA is a national seed VC Busan founders pitch.
Recent Activity: A national seed VC Busan founders pitch
LinkedIn: SBVA LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, deep tech, consumer, fintech
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: US$0.5M-$5M
Location: Seoul
Website: sbvacorp.com
11. Strong Ventures
Strong Ventures is a US-Korea seed fund.
Recent Activity: A US-Korea seed fund open to regional founders
LinkedIn: Strong Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer, enterprise, retail
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
Check Size: US$0.1M-$1M
Location: Seoul / LA
Website: strongvc.com
12. Big Basin Capital
Big Basin is a Korea seed fund reachable from Busan.
Recent Activity: A Korea seed fund reachable from Busan
LinkedIn: Big Basin Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, consumer, content, gaming
Stage Focus: Seed
Check Size: ~US$1.85M
Location: Cupertino (backs Korea)
Website: bigbasincapital.com
13. Hashed
Hashed builds Busan's blockchain zone and backs Web3.
Recent Activity: Builds Busan's blockchain zone with Bdan and Npay
Sector Focus: Web3, blockchain, digital assets
Stage Focus: Seed, early
Check Size: US$0.5M-$10M
Location: Seoul (active in Busan)
Website: hashed.com
Busan's regional seed machinery
Busan's seed money runs on a few funds. BNK Venture leads the local lot.
The city and state feed those funds. They reserve money for local firms.
A local-fund lead can unlock that pool. Use it to anchor your round early.
A local LP base survives down cycles. It keeps cheques flowing in lean years.
The new ₩101B parent fund deepens that base. More dry powder stays in the city.
Clean investor relations help here. Strong metrics win the round.
Ellty keeps your early data ready to share. See our Busan angel investors guide too.
Seoul capital pushed south
Most seed money still starts in Seoul. New policy pushes it to Busan.
Funds like ViNe back Busan startups. The LEESOL deal shows the path.
A clean remote pitch wins these funds. They rarely visit in person early.
A Seoul co-lead can lift your round. One name often unlocks more.
A tracked data room replaces the in-person look. Funds judge you on what they open.
Remote deals need tight file control. Use granular permissions on each one.
Ellty controls who opens each sensitive file. You see exactly who studied your deck.
From seed to a Series A
A seed round buys time to find fit. Series A wants real growth.
Busan Series A money is thin too. Many founders raise it in Seoul.
Start that next raise before you run low. A strong seed sets up the round.
Line up your Series A leads early. Warm intros shorten the next raise.
Keep one data room live from seed to Series A. Each new fund slots into the same flow.
Read our due diligence for investors guide. Know what each fund will ask.
Learn how to prepare for due diligence early. Ellty logs who opened each file and when.
How to pitch a Busan seed investor
Show early proof, not just an idea.
- 1.Show early proof, not just an idea.Seed funds want first users, so open with what your early users already do.
- 2.Bring a clean cap table and metrics.Tidy files speed the round, so have your numbers ready before the first call.
- 3.Use a local fund to anchor the round.Busan capital starts the deal, so land BNK or a city fund as your lead investor.
- 4.Share one Ellty link to your whole data room.Skip scattered email attachments and track who opens which files in real time.
- 5.Follow up the same day a fund digs in.Ellty flags the moment they open your deck, so you reach out while interest is high.
How Ellty helps you land a seed investor in Busan
You've shortlisted your Busan seed funds already. Set up a data room before the first call.
- 1.Upload your deck, cap table, and metrics.Set access per fund or per partner.
- 2.Share one trackable link with each fund.Each fund gets its own tracked link.
- 3.Watch opens and follow up at the right time.Use Ellty analytics to time each nudge.
Busan seed investor questions
- BNK Venture leads locally. City and Seoul funds back the rest.
- Most run US$0.3M to US$3M in 2026. Seoul funds can write more.
- Very few are based here. Most money comes from Seoul.
- Yes, a new ₩101B scale-up fund. Part is reserved for local firms.
- Maritime, logistics, and blockchain. The port shapes its startups.
- Before your very first seed call. Track who opens your deck.
