
Samsung NEXT
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $500K – $20M
- Stage
- Seed, Series A, Series B+
- AUM
- $2B
- Sectors
- AI, Digital Health, Deeptech +1
- Founded
- 2013
- HQ
- San Francisco, CA
About Samsung NEXT
Samsung NEXT is the venture and innovation arm of Samsung Electronics, based in San Francisco and operating since 2013. It invests at seed, Series A and Series B and later across artificial intelligence, digital health, deeptech and consumer technology, and is credited with roughly $2 billion in assets under management. Its declared thesis is backing entrepreneurs building breakthrough technologies that will shape the future of connected experiences, and it gives portfolio companies access to Samsung's global ecosystem and manufacturing capabilities.
The arm's current published focus narrows that mandate to four areas: AI and intelligent machines, healthtech, consumer services, and frontier technology spanning robotics, synthetic biology and advanced hardware. Companies named on its own site include Mosaic, Deci, Alchemy and Covariant. Names long associated with the group in directory records include SmartThings, Viv, Otto, Fuel3D, LocoMobi, Premise, TTTech and Harman, several of which entered Samsung through corporate acquisition rather than a venture round.
What separates the arm from a conventional fund is the balance sheet behind it. Capital comes from Samsung Electronics rather than outside limited partners, which removes fund-life pressure and lets the team hold positions against a strategic clock rather than a ten-year one. Portfolio management teams route into Samsung's manufacturing capacity, device distribution and business units, a form of support independent funds cannot replicate, and the group frames itself as a long-term partner rather than a financial investor. Eighteen investment and operating professionals are named publicly, led by David Lee with Raymond Liao as managing director, and check activity concentrates at the earliest institutional rounds.
Investment Thesis
“Investing in entrepreneurs building breakthrough technologies that will shape the future of connected experiences.”
Leadership Team
David Lee leads Samsung NEXT as its head, working alongside Managing Director Raymond Liao and Investment Director Andy Duong. The investment bench also includes Diane Choi, Maneeshika Madduri, Mark Kim, Vinod Joseph, Miguel Cruz and Albert Kim, with Haerim Yun, JinKyung Lee and Michael Shim in venture operations and Leena Yu on business strategy. Operating leadership runs through Vivian Lovett as head of legal, with Elaine Di Iorio in legal, Helen Lin as head of people operations, Joon Kim as head of finance and Ryan Park as finance manager. Eighteen people are named in total, a heavier apparatus than most early-stage funds carry, because the arm also coordinates diligence and commercial introductions with Samsung's operating divisions. The firm publishes titles without biographies, so prior roles for individual investors are not disclosed.
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
Samsung NEXT invests off Samsung Electronics' balance sheet rather than from outside limited partners, so it files no exempt-offering paperwork with the SEC and publishes no fund names, vintages or closed-capital figures. A search of federal Form D records returns no Samsung NEXT vehicle, and the firm's own site discloses no assets under management. What the arm documents instead is mandate and cadence. It writes early checks into four declared areas: artificial intelligence and intelligent machines, healthtech, consumer services, and frontier technology, the last covering robotics, synthetic biology and advanced hardware. Companies it names publicly include Mosaic, Deci, Alchemy and Covariant. The group positions capital as an entry point to Samsung's manufacturing capacity, device distribution and business units, and describes a long-term partnership posture rather than a fixed holding period. Because the balance sheet is the fund, deployment follows no vintage schedule and carries no fund-life pressure, and the assets-under-management figure carried in third-party directories has no published source.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Samsung NEXT invest at?
Samsung NEXT primarily invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B+ stages. This means they focus on companies that are building their initial product and finding product-market fit.
Where is Samsung NEXT located?
Samsung NEXT is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Samsung NEXT focus on?
Samsung NEXT focuses on investments in AI, Digital Health, Deeptech, Consumer. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Samsung NEXT's typical check size?
Samsung NEXT's typical investment check size ranges from $500K to $20M. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Samsung NEXT have under management?
Samsung NEXT manages approximately $2B in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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