Naver D2SF accelerates investments in Silicon Valley startups

South Korea's online giant Naver Corp.'s startup nurturing organization D2SF (D2 Startup Factory) said on Friday it started to discover and invest in North American startups by engaging with local investors and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.

Naver D2SF plans to support North American startups in expanding into the Asian market by establishing networks with local companies, investors, and entrepreneurs in the US.

The organization is publicly recruiting a new investment team through its website, targeting startups in both Korea and North America.

In September, Naver D2SF invested in Claythis, a generative AI-based 3D content creation startup based in North America, and YesPlz, a startup developing multimodal (multi-information processing) AI focused on fashion.

Naver D2SF emphasized its role as a bridge to help South Korean startups enter the North American market, promoting a path for them to succeed globally.

Since its launch in 2015, Naver D2SF has invested in around 110 early-stage tech startups.

Write to Ji-Eun Jeong at jeong@hankyung.com