🎙️ Welcome to a new episode of The Corporate Venturing Podcast!
What does it take to build a Corporate Venture Capital unit from scratch and scale it into one of the world’s most respected deep tech investors?
In this episode, I sit down with Dong-Su Kim, Ph.D., Founding CEO of LG Technology Ventures, and one of the top 2025 GCV Power List leaders. Since 2018, Dong-Su has led LG’s CVC arm from zero to nearly $900 million AUM, with over 80 investments and more than 10 exits and IPOs across AI, batteries, energy, advanced materials, and more.
We dive into the bold choices and core principles that guided him in building LG Ventures as an autonomous, future-focused, and globally connected investor: operating more like a financial VC, but wired for strategic value.
Dong-Su shares his perspective on:
🧠The false dichotomy of strategic vs. financial value in CVC
⚙️ How to structure teams for both investment performance and startup collaboration
🌍 Balancing Silicon Valley speed with Korean corporate culture
🧪 Why deep tech is the foundation of LG’s long-term edge—and how CVC fits in
🧱 How LG Ventures helps startups validate tech, enter markets, and scale
🚀 The real meaning of “value creation” beyond just capital
📉 Lessons from past investments and avoiding hype cycles
🔮 Why he’s considering a new fund with external LPs to double down on breakout ventures
Plus, we close with a candid look at what personally drives Dong-Su: the joy of helping exceptional founders succeed.
Whether you’re running a venture arm or navigating corporate-startup collaboration, this episode is a real-world blueprint for building something that lasts.
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