The logos of Point2 Technology, top, and Nvidia [POINT2 TECHNOLOGY/NVIDIA]
A tech startup founded by researchers at KAIST drew in $76 million in investment from major tech firms, including the U.S. chip giant Nvidia.
The investment came as part of a Series B round of funding for Point2 Technology, a semiconductor company founded by Prof. Bae Hyeon-min in 2014.
Investment firms such as NVentures, the venture capital arm of Nvidia, as well as Maverick Silicon and UMC Capital were among the investors. Point2 Technology is the first Korean-based startup and the first Korean semiconductor company to receive investment from Nvidia, according to KAIST.
The company’s main product is the so-called e-Tube technology, a data transmission technology based on plastic waveguides that uses radio frequency signals instead of the conventional copper cables and optical fibers.
AI data centers need to connect thousands of semiconductor chips, but the copper cables have distance constraints, and optical fibers consume too much electricity and are pricey. The e-Tube can reach 10 times further than copper cables and is around 30 percent more cost-effective and energy-efficient than optical fiber, according to the science school.
Bae Hyeon-min, KAIST electrical engineering professor and chairman of Point2 Technology [KAIST]
“This is a remarkable accomplishment, seeing KAIST’s technology receive investments from global Big Tech firms,” said Bae. ” We will strengthen support, so more competent startups can enter the global market.”
With this investment, Startup KAIST, the school’s entrepreneurship support center, will set up a system to accelerate the global advancement of startups from its school. The university plans to systematically support startups through a global investor network, aiding them at all stages, from the initial proof-of-concept stage, where the company’s potential is verified, to the final stage of securing investments.
Startup KAIST has raised a total of 3.5 trillion won ($2.36 billion) in investments over the past five years, with 24 companies going public since 2021. In 2025, three startups in areas such as AI and bio have gone public.
BY LEE JI-WON [[email protected]]
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