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NAVER, KRAFTON, and Mirae Asset Launch Large-Scale Tech Investments to Discover Promising Indian IT Companies

- Introducing the Unicorn Growth Fund to local enterprises and venture capitalists in conjunction with the president’s state visit to India

- Choi Soo-yeon, NAVER CEO, outlines plans to invest in high-growth tech companies centered in India, leveraging the combined core capabilities of the three firms to generate strategic synergies

April 21, 2026

NAVER Corp. (Choi Soo-yeon, NAVER CEO), alongside KRAFTON and Mirae Asset, hosted a roundtable in New Delhi, India, on April 21 (local time) to mark the launch of the Unicorn Growth Fund (UGF), an investment vehicle valued at up to KRW 1 trillion.

Organized in conjunction with President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to the country, the gathering introduced the UGF to Indian enterprises and venture capitalists. Attendees included Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-gwan; Choi, CEO of NAVER; Kim Chang-han, CEO of KRAFTON; Sohn Hyun-il, CEO of KRAFTON India; Mirae Asset India Vice Chairman Swarup Mohanty; and Mirae Asset Venture Investment India CEO Puneet Kumar.

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“Backed by abundant IT talent and a dynamic startup culture, India is fast emerging as a global digital innovation hub and expanding its AI industry ecosystem,” Choi stated at the event. “Focusing on India the UGF will target high-growth tech companies across AI, fintech, and content. It will serve as the core foundation for generating strategic synergies by organically combining the competencies of our three companies.”

KRAFTON CEO Kim Chang-han added, “India is the world’s fastest-growing gaming market and a rising hub for content and technological innovation. Drawing on our experience in cultivating the local gaming ecosystem, KRAFTON will leverage the UGF to serve as a mid- to long-term partner, helping promising Indian companies advance onto the global stage.”

Minister Kim remarked, “As three leading companies representing Korea’s IT, entertainment, and finance sectors launch full-scale investments into Asian tech innovation centered on India, this initiative will broaden the global reach of our industries. I expect it to serve as a solid bridgehead for domestic companies looking to expand into emerging markets like India.”

Prior to the roundtable, Choi met with Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on the 20th to outline the UGF’s vision and plans going forward. Minister Goyal expressed his support for the fund’s objectives.

Launched earlier this year, the UGF began operations with an initial KRW 200 billion capital injection from KRAFTON. Combined with investments from NAVER, Mirae Asset, and external sources, the fund now operates at a scale exceeding KRW 500 billion.

This initiative serves as the successor to the Asia Growth Fund (AGF), jointly established by NAVER and Mirae Asset. The AGF previously achieved success through investments in unicorns, including Zomato, India’s leading food delivery and quick-commerce platform, and Grab, Southeast Asia’s premier mobility platform.

Accelerating its expansion into the Indian market, NAVER also formed a strategic partnership on the 20th by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tata Consultancy Services Limited, the IT subsidiary of India’s largest conglomerate, the Tata Group. Through this collaboration, the company aims to uncover new business opportunities across AI, cloud, and B2C services.