Korean Startup Investment Tops 10 Trillion Won, but Only Thanks to Dunamu Deal

Domestic startup investment reached 10.18 trillion won in the first three quarters of 2026, the first time above 10 trillion since 2022. But 2.21 trillion won came from a secondary Dunamu stake sale; excluding it, the total is about 8 trillion won and Q3 funding fell 9.2% year over year to roughly 2.2 trillion won.

• Nine-month startup investment hit 10.18 trillion won, first above 10 trillion since 2022
• The 2.21 trillion won Dunamu stake sale accounted for over 20% of the total
• Q3 investment was about 2.2 trillion won, down 35% QoQ and 9.2% YoY
• AI and robotics took 45% of Q3 investment funds