Youngjun Kong, principal at LG Technology Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2026.
When Youngjun Kong was a child living in the US, his father took him to see the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange. It kicked off a love of finance that has taken him to conglomerate LG’s corporate venture arm.
Kong majored in business in South Korea and after graduating he became an equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs, then an investment banker at Deutsche Bank, before joining a hedge fund as associate after completing his MBA. But, ultimately, he wanted to access the innovation coming from Silicon Valley and leverage the assets of a big corporate such as LG in his investments.
His public markets experience has also proven valuable in the AI age. “I do not think there are many investors in VC who have ample experience in the public equity market as well,” he says. “I have both the private and the public investor’s point of view.
“You need to be truthful to yourself and not jump into an investment just because of FOMO. You need to separate that from your strong convictions.”
“Sometimes valuations in the private market go too high, and when the company comes to the public markets they get penalised by public investors. I have a relatively better and a more balanced view when I look at a private company’s valuation.”
Kong has been an investment principal at LG Technology Ventures since 2022. While he has distinguished himself through his deal sourcing, closing and analytics skills, he says networking is valuable above all – not just for connections but to constantly test viewpoints and avoid FOMO (fear of missing out).
“There are some introverts in VC, but you really need to be aggressive in meeting people, listening to others and comparing views,” he says.
“And being honest in your views is really important, because even in CVC, we are the people making investments and taking the risk. You need to be truthful to yourself and not jump into an investment just because of FOMO. You need to separate that from your strong convictions.”
The Rising Stars are early-career corporate venture professionals who are making an outstanding contribution to their teams and the industry.
See the full list of Rising Stars 2026 here.
