Big Basin Capital

Our primary geographic focus is Korea, where we see an increasing number of quality startups every year. As the world's 12th largest economy (and growing), Korea has produced many IT companies that quickly grew from initial concept to over $500M in value during the past decade. Benefiting from the most tech-friendly environment (e.g. world's highest smartphone penetration rate and the world-class infrastructures) and a highly-educated talent pool, lots of new ideas and technologies continue to form, develop, and thrive in Korea.  

Lately, many Korean entrepreneurs with a strong international background pursue opportunities with an eye toward global markets. In select cases, we may invest in U.S. startups that have substantial operations and businesses in Korea. 

The majority of our investments will be under $1M, with $500K being likely a median. We strive to be the first institutional investor for the startups we invest in, but are flexible in working with existing investors, and we often co-invest with other VCs. We will lead the deal, or participate in syndication depending on how we can best leverage our strengths.  

While no single number can suit every company, we believe that raising the "right" amount of money is important for startups. We prefer to back entrepreneurs who have a tendency to run a tight ship and stay lean until the scalability is proven.

We view our investment as the beginning of a partnership in a long journey together. For the majority of the companies we invest in, we serve on the board in an effort to provide hands-on guidance and assistance. Our partners and advisors have a large network in the tech industry across the US, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. In addition, many investors in our funds are highly successful entrepreneurs and executives, who love to engage with young startups. We do our best to connect company founders to the right people globally. And we mean it.