Point2 Technology, a deep-tech startup originating from a KAIST laboratory, has become the first Korean company to secure strategic investment from Nvidia.
KAIST announced Wednesday that Point2 Technology, a deep-tech startup co-founded by Bae Hyun-min, head of the KAIST Startup Center and professor at the School of Electrical Engineering, along with his alumni, attracted a Series B extension investment on April 21 (local time) from investors including Nvidia’s venture capital arm NVentures, Maverick Silicon, and UMC Capital.
Point2 Technology closed a Series B round totaling $76 million (approximately 100 billion won) and became the first Korean company to attract strategic investment from Nvidia.
At the heart of this investment is Point2 Technology’s ‘e-Tube™’ technology. AI data centers require the connection of thousands of semiconductor chips, but conventional copper cables have been limited in transmission distance, while optical fibers have been criticized for high costs and power consumption.
The e-Tube technology developed by KAIST researchers is a plastic waveguide-based data transmission technology that utilizes radio frequency (RF) signals, simultaneously addressing these limitations.
The technology extends transmission distance 10-fold compared to copper cables, while reducing power consumption and cost to one-third of optical cables. It has also dramatically reduced data transmission latency, earning recognition as a core technology for next-generation AI infrastructure.
Nvidia’s direct investment is interpreted as recognition that the technology is an essential element for implementing future AI data center infrastructure.
Point2 Technology was also named a ‘2026 Pioneer’ by global energy and technology research firm BloombergNEF, gaining recognition for its potential as a green technology capable of addressing the surging power demand of the AI era.
“AI competitiveness is determined by interconnect technology, which links data between semiconductors,” Point2 Technology CEO Sean Park said. “We will collaborate with global partners to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation AI infrastructure.”
“This investment is a landmark achievement in which original technology developed at KAIST has attracted investment from a global Big Tech company,” said Bae Hyun-min, head of the KAIST Startup Center. “We will continue to strengthen support so that startups with outstanding technology can rapidly enter the global market.”
The KAIST Startup Center plans to establish a ‘Global Growth Acceleration System’ to support campus startups’ global expansion. Based on a global investor network, it will provide integrated support across the entire process from proof of concept (PoC) to investment attraction, systematically backing the scale-up of deep-tech startups.
Over the past five years, the KAIST Startup Center has recorded cumulative investment of 3.5 trillion won, with an annual average of 115 startups founded and a five-year survival rate of 92%. KAIST-affiliated companies are also making their mark in the global investment market, with the enterprise value of major startups estimated at approximately 20 trillion won. Twenty-four companies have gone public since 2021, and in 2025, three startups in the AI and bio sectors were listed.