인공지능(AI) 산업의 VC 투자 동향과 시사점
Trends and Implications of Venture Capital Investment in the Artificial Intelligence Industry
최새솔 (S.S. Choi, saesol.choi@etri.re.kr) 지능화정책연구실 책임연구원
주보라 (B.R. Joo, lara4036@etri.re.kr) 지능화정책연구실 박사후연수연구원
연승준 (S.J. Yeon, sjyeon@etri.re.kr) 지능화정책연구실 책임연구원/실장
ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly diffused across industries and societies as nations’ essential strategic
technology. In innovative technology, such as AI, a startup leads to technological innovation and significantly
impacts the expansion of relevant industries. Thus, this study examined the trend of AI startup venture
capital (VC) investments globally, focusing on ① noteworthy VC investment statuses (the number and size of
the investment, company establishment, and corporate collection), ② the characteristics of each key nation’s
investments, and ③ the characteristics of each submarket’s investments. Among the 11 countries, the results
showed that Korea ranked near the bottom for absolute quantitative measures, including the number and size
of investments, company establishment, and corporate collection. However, Korea has built a foundation of
catching up with what AI-leading countries have established, considering Korea’s high growth rate in the number
and size of investments and a recent mega-round. This study has practical implications in that it determined the
AI startup VC investment status of Korea’s rival countries, not only G2 (US and China). The results can be used in
policy-making. Furthermore, identifying the AI industry’s submarkets and analyzing each market’s VC investment
status could be used to establish strategies for the AI industry and R&D.
KEYWORDS 벤처캐피탈, 세부시장, 스타트업, 인공지능, 투자 동향
