Kakao Ventures Invests Seed Funding in US Deep Tech Startups OlligoSpace and Zaphon

[Financial News] Kakao Ventures announced on the 29th that it has invested in the satellite development automation startup OlligoSpace and the multi-AI agent system developer Zaphon. Both companies are US-based deep tech startups and have attracted their first institutional investment through this seed round. The amount is undisclosed.
OlligoSpace addresses design and manufacturing issues, considered the biggest bottlenecks in space launch vehicle development, with AI-based design automation and 2D sheet metal manufacturing technology. It optimizes the remaining systems after designing mission equipment. 
OlligoSpace is composed of talents who have researched probes, launch vehicles, and satellites, and AI-based space systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL), and have gained experience at SpaceX, Google, and Northrop Grumman, a US aerospace company. Based on a solid team composition, it has attracted participation from leading US deep tech investors, including Lux Capital, from the first investment round. It is regarded as a team that will lead a new paradigm in the space launch vehicle market.
Zaphon is developing systems necessary for multiple AI agents to interact and perform complex tasks. As AI agents collaborate, the amount of computation and system complexity increases exponentially, and Zaphon aims to showcase technology that can maintain high performance and stability even in such environments. Based on the Rust language, known for its strengths in security and fast processing speed, it aims to provide high-performance, high-efficiency infrastructure essential for multi-AI agent environments.
Zaphon is composed of a team led by serial entrepreneur Noah El, who graduated from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and has startup experience in Europe and the US, and world-class system engineers with experience in implementing system infrastructure such as operating systems, networks, hardware, and storage at OpenAI, Tesla, and ARM. It is attracting attention as a team to realize the new era of AI collaboration ecosystems and is finalizing follow-up investments with major US and European investors just three months after this round.
Kakao Ventures has been expanding its investment network since setting a global strategy direction in 2024. Last year, it expanded its researcher-centered network and laid the groundwork for local investment in the US. Following new investments in semiconductor technology company FS2, medtech company Compass, and robotic surgery company Magnendo, it has made follow-up investments in AI-based investment intelligence platform LinkAlpha and robotics startup Contoro. This year, it plans to aggressively discover and invest in advanced technologies that bring the necessary future closer. As an early-stage specialized venture capital that proactively detects global technology directions, it aims to establish a unique investment track.
Shin Jeong-ho, Senior Investment Officer at Kakao Ventures, said, "In an era where technology evolves beyond borders, investment to find good teams also knows no boundaries," and "Kakao Ventures is actively building networks with top-tier US investors and is actively investing in local teams, as well as continuing investments in globally-based domestic teams." He added, "We will continue to expand the scope of initial technology investments as an investment firm that breaks down investment boundaries and creates paths."


yjjoe@fnnews.com Yoonju Jo Reporter