Coupang to Invest 75 Billion Won to Co-Create 'AI Unicorn' with Government

(Seoul=Yonhap Infomax) Pil Joong Jeong = Coupang Inc., South Korea's leading e-commerce platform, announced on the 11th that it will invest 75 billion won ($56 million) in the Alpha Korea Sovereign AI Fund (Scale-up AI Convergence Sector), part of the 'Next Unicorn Project' led by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to foster artificial intelligence (AI) unicorns.

Venture capital firm SBVA will serve as the general partner (GP) for the fund, with Coupang contributing 75 billion won and the government-backed Korea Fund of Funds matching the amount. The total fund size will reach 150 billion won ($112 million), targeting investments in AI-driven startups and growth-stage companies.

Coupang stated that this investment aligns with its commitment to support the government's AI development policy, lead innovation based on AI technology, and promote shared growth with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and microbusinesses.

The company has made significant regional investments to build an AI-powered logistics innovation model. By leveraging AI and machine learning to forecast tens of millions of product orders, Coupang has enhanced operational efficiency and established a proprietary end-to-end fulfillment and delivery network, enabling services such as Rocket Delivery and same-day shipping.

Coupang emphasized that bold capital investment will drive unprecedented innovation, contribute to the government's AI startup and venture ecosystem, and create local jobs.

Park Dae-jun, CEO of Coupang, said, "As South Korea's first unicorn, this investment reflects our determination to nurture the next Coupang in line with the government's vision to become a global top-three AI powerhouse. We will leverage our accumulated expertise in AI logistics innovation to actively support and invest in AI startups and growth companies, helping them become unicorns."

joongjp@yna.co.kr

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