Taejoon Park, managing director at LG Technology Ventures, is one of our top 50 Emerging Leaders in corporate venturing for 2025.

Taejoon Park is a corporate VC veteran, having logged more than six years with LG Technology Ventures, following a similar length of time with semiconductor maker Applied Materials’ venture unit. During that time, one of the key things he has learned is to take a broader view of investments.  

“I was more narrowly focused in the early days of my venture career, looking primarily at a semiconductor domain that had an impact on our parent company,” he says. “If I had a better understanding of broader changes in the tech industry, I might have been able to seize more investment opportunities.” 

When Park first entered the industry, CVCs were viewed with some suspicion by startups, with a reputation for asking too much and not giving enough back, he says. But he has seen the industry mature and evolve over that time and the reception is very different now. 

“We have four or five junior members in my team and I want them to learn as much as possible, as fast as possible” 

That open-minded approach also informs what he looks at today. Park has become the unit’s resident expert in generative AI. He led investments in Anthropic – now a $60bn company – in 2023 and followed that up with Figure AI and Poolside last year. 

“I am particularly excited about taking generative AI into the physical domain,” he says “How it can be applied in our day-to-day life, in the physical environment.” 

Beyond technology or finance, what excites Park about his work is helping entrepreneurs realise their dreams. He is also very interested in helping to bring along the next generation of corporate investors.  

“We have four or five junior members in my team and I want them to learn as much as possible, as fast as possible so that they can become standalone investors – at LG Technology Ventures or somewhere where there might be a better opportunity,” he says. “That is what satisfies me, beyond getting a 10x return.”  

See the full list of Emerging Leaders 2025 here.