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  • AMCHAM Private Equity & Venture Capital Committee Meeting
    • DATE & TIME

      Wednesday, February 25, 2026

      10:30 AM - 1:00 PM

    • VENUE

      Fairmont Ambassador Seoul, Azaleas (7 Fl.)

    EVENT DESCRIPTION
    As we kick off 2026, it is increasingly clear that founders, business leaders, and corporations must develop a stronger understanding of how to effectively leverage AI strategy and tools.
    This committee meeting will explore how traditional SMEs and middle-market businesses can prepare for AI adoption and integration. Three industry experts will share practical, real-world use cases, highlighting tangible applications and key considerations for investors and managers, particularly within the PE and VC space.

    • Lunch will be served during the meeting.
    • No media attendance is permitted at the event. (This committee meeting is by RSVP only, and media attendance is not permitted)
    Detail
    COST • Member Companies: KRW 147,000 per admission
    • Non-Member Companies: KRW 169,000 per admission
    RSVP/PAYMENT BY Noon, Monday, February 23, 2026
    * No refunds or cancellations after this date and time.
    * Please complete registration in advance. No walk-ins or payments accepted at the door.
    * 2 complimentary admissions for Founding Partners.
    About the Speakers

    • [Speaker/Panelist] Richard Lee, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

      Topic : AI in PE Portfolios
      Experience and expertise
      • Work with technology (consumer electronics, electronic components), media (internet platforms, e-commerce) and telecom clients across Asia Pacific, including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and Thailand
      • Functional expertise in M&A and deals, working with the leading financial and strategic investors in Korea across deal due diligence, portfolio company value creation, and exit
      • Recent work includes implementing AI for major PE investors for their deal scanning and evaluation as well as leveraging AI for portfolio value creation
      • Speaker at events such as Korea Enterprise Federation, World Knowledge Forum, Asian Leadership Forum, Financial Times Moral Money Summit, and Korea Times Forum

      Education and prior work experience
      • MIT, BS
      • Harvard Business, MBA

    • [Speaker/Panelist] Jimmy Kim, Co-founder & Partner, SparkLabs Global Ventures

      Topic : AI Overview from a VC Perspective
      Jimmy Kim (Korean name: Ho min Kim) is Co-founder & Partner at SparkLabs Global Ventures. He is also a Co-founder & Partner at SparkLabs, a startup accelerator in Korea. Previously, Jimmy was CEO of Nexonova, a game development studio of Nexon Corp that specializes in Social Network Games.

      While at Nexonova, Jimmy also served as Executive Vice President of Nexon Corp, and Head of Nexon’s Portal and Web Services (www.nexon.com, Nexon is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange:TYO: 3659) In 2012, Jimmy also co-founded gaming company StudioEx which was acquired by Disney.

      In 2016, Jimmy was named Fintech Asia 100 which was compiled by Next Money, in partnership with EY and supported by Visa.

      In 2020, Business Insider named Jimmy to their annual list of 10 leaders transforming investing in Asia.

      Jimmy received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University, and also a M.S. in Bio-medical Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Jimmy also completed the Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business’s Executive Management Program.

    • [Speaker/Panelist] Laura Kang, Former Senior Vice President of AI R&D, CJ Group

      Topic : AI Trends and Use Cases from a Large Corporation Perspective
      Dr. Laura Kang is an AI executive and strategist with over 20 years of experience leading enterprise-scale AI transformation and value creation. She advises organizations on applying advanced analytics, machine learning, and production-scale AI systems to drive operational efficiency, margin expansion, and growth.

      She served as Senior Vice President of AI R&D at CJ Group, where she led enterprise-wide AI strategy and deployed production-scale systems, including real-time inference platforms and AI-driven decision and automation systems, across finance, manufacturing, bio and healthcare, retail, logistics, food and beverage, and media.

      Earlier in her career, Dr. Kang built and led a global data science organization at Samsung Electronics and held leadership roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and multiple startups, applying AI to pricing, forecasting, optimization, and growth initiatives. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Harvard University and a B.A. with highest honors from UC Berkeley.

    • [Moderator] Steve J. Byun, Managing Partner, Widus Partners
      Steve is the Managing Partner and Founding Member of Widus Partners. Steve has advised and invested in growth and venture stage companies in Korea, Hong Kong, and the US since 2008. Before founding Widus Partners, he has experience working as a corporate lawyer specializing in private equity and M&A transactions at Ropes & Gray, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Kim & Chang in Hong Kong and Korea. Steve also worked at KPMG in the Financial Advisory Services group in Seoul and San Francisco, advising on various cross-border deals. Steve received his JD from Northwestern University School of Law, MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and his B.A from the University of California, Berkeley.
    Contact

    (email) committees@amchamkorea.org

Founding Partners
Corporate Partners
  • American Chamber of Commerce in Korea
    Address
    50Fl., Three IFC, 10, Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 07326, Korea
    Name of Representative
    James Kim
    Business Registration No
    771-82-00210
    E-Commerce No
    2019-서울영등포-0027
    E-mail
    amchamrsvp@amchamkorea.org / membership@amchamkorea.org
    Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm (Closed on Korean Public Holidays.)
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