LG Technology Ventures

Corporate venture capital from Silicon Valley

LG Technology Ventures describes itself as the venture capital investment arm of the LG Group. It was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Silicon Valley, where it partners with early-stage and growth-stage companies. The sectors it names on its site are artificial intelligence, biotech and cleantech, and the cleantech heading covers energy and batteries. Its older site copy listed further areas of interest in mobility, the Internet of Things, data analytics and robotics.

What a parent group adds

The firm's central pitch is that its portfolio companies receive more than capital. It says they gain access to knowledge and opportunities across the global network of the LG Group, so a start-up can meet the people and businesses of a large industrial group at an early point in its life. The older version of the site opened with the group's slogans about moving forward and wanting to take the next steps together with founders.

How the investors describe their role

The team is presented as seasoned investors and independent thinkers whose job is to add value to the businesses they back. The firm talks about working with founders in a fully collaborative fashion, and says its experience becomes the founders' experience. Several of its partners have served on the boards of portfolio companies, and the team's backgrounds include venture investing, semiconductors, healthcare software and work inside large technology groups.

Record to date

According to its own figures, the firm has seen ten exits or initial public offerings from its portfolio. Companies it has backed include a medical imaging business that was later acquired by another healthcare technology company, and the site lists several others in areas such as batteries, advanced materials, digital health and biotechnology, some of which have gone on to list publicly.

Who it suits

Founders in the technology and science sectors above, particularly those who would gain from a relationship with a large corporate parent with operations around the world, are the target of the firm. It describes itself as a corporate venture capital investor and so combines financial investing with a link to the strategic interests of its owner.

LG Technology Ventures invests in technology companies on behalf of the LG Group, of which it is the venture capital arm. It says it wants a close, collaborative working relationship with the founders it backs.

Services

• Venture investment: funding for technology companies.
• Experienced partners: team members with backgrounds in venture investing, semiconductors and healthcare software.
• Board roles: its partners have held board seats at portfolio companies.

Who it works with

Technology companies across areas such as semiconductors, equipment, materials, storage systems, artificial intelligence, mobility, data analytics, robotics and energy. One portfolio example named is Zebra Medical Vision, acquired by Nanox.

Key facts

• Parent: LG Group
• Type: corporate venture capital