Overview

• Naver Ventures has made its inaugural investment in TwelveLabs, a Silicon Valley video AI startup recognized by CB Insights for its multimodal content-understanding technology.
• Founder Lee Hae-jin highlighted the importance of connecting with startups and talent in Silicon Valley during his first overseas engagement since returning to management.
• The new venture arm, overseen by Kim Nam-sun, is scheduled to finalize its establishment later this month to concentrate on North American startup investments.
• Naver’s strategic capital division will focus on consumer-to-consumer commerce ventures—building on assets like Poshmark—alongside developing sovereign AI capabilities.
• The company is also extending its global AI footprint through collaborations such as a partnership with Nvidia to build a Thai-language large language model and expansion into the Middle Eastern market.