News linked to both this project and an event.
According to Korean media Asiae, six top Silicon Valley VC firms, including Sequoia Capital, a16z, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst, and NEA, announced the signing of a strategic investment cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the South Korean National Pension Service (NPS), planning to jointly explore investment opportunities, share investment information, and strengthen their global venture capital layout. Additionally, with the South Korean government accelerating policies to attract overseas venture capital, coupled with the launch of the 200 trillion won "National Growth Fund," the market expects the Korean venture capital sector to see simultaneous inflows of policy funds, private capital, and overseas capital, with strategic industries such as AI and semiconductors expected to receive more investment. However, industry insiders warn that if a large amount of capital concentrates on a few popular enterprises, it may push up corporate valuations and create bubbles, potentially facing valuation correction pressure during future IPO and M&A exits, affecting fund return rates.
According to Fortune, Catena Labs—founded by Sean Neville, co-founder of Circle—has raised $30 million in its Series A funding round, led by Acrew Capital and a16z crypto, with participation from Breyer Capital, General Catalyst, and QED. Catena Labs focuses on developing tools that enable AI agents to conduct financial transactions securely. The company has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in New York for a national trust bank charter, seeking regulatory authorization to process payments and hold customer funds. Previously, in 2025, Catena Labs secured an initial $18 million financing round led by a16z crypto.