Country comparison
United States vs South Korea: startup funding compared
Since 2 June 2025, startups in the United States raised $487.4B across 2,833 rounds, 194.0 times South Korea's $2.5B.
Capital raised running total by month
Where the money goes share of capital by sector
United States
South Korea
Biggest rounds
United States
South Korea
Stage mix share of rounds
Most active investors rounds joined
| Investor | United States | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Y Combinator | 178 | · |
| Andreessen Horowitz | 130 | · |
| General Catalyst | 110 | · |
| Sequoia Capital | 94 | · |
| Lightspeed Venture Partners | 81 | · |
| Khosla Ventures | 77 | · |
| Alumni Ventures | 64 | · |
| Bessemer Venture Partners | 59 | · |
| Accel | 52 | · |
| Insight Partners | 51 | · |
| Kleiner Perkins | 49 | · |
| Menlo Ventures | 48 | · |
Startup hubs rounds and capital by city
United States
South Korea
Latest rounds
Questions
Which country raised more startup funding, the United States or South Korea?
The United States. Since 2 June 2025, startups in the United States raised $487.4B across 2,833 rounds, against $2.5B across 91 rounds in South Korea, 194.0 times more. That is 70% and 0.4% of all the capital FundraiseBase tracked worldwide over the period.
How many startup funding rounds were announced in the United States and South Korea?
2,833 rounds in the United States and 91 rounds in South Korea since 2 June 2025, about 157 and 5 a month.
Are startup rounds bigger in the United States or South Korea?
The median round is $20M in the United States and $6.8M in South Korea, and the average round $172M and $27.6M. The median shows the typical round; the average is pulled up by a few very large ones.
What is the biggest startup round in the United States?
The biggest startup rounds in the United States since 2 June 2025 are OpenAI ($122B, 31 Mar 2026), Anthropic ($65B, Series H, 28 May 2026) and Anthropic ($30B, Series G, 12 Feb 2026).
What is the biggest startup round in South Korea?
The biggest startup rounds in South Korea since 2 June 2025 are FuriosaAI ($620M, 29 Oct 2026), Rebellions ($400M, Growth, 30 Mar 2026) and Rebellions ($250M, Series C, 30 Sept 2025).
Which sectors attract the most startup funding in the United States and South Korea?
In the United States, AI ($381.8B, 78% of the capital), Robotics & Hardware ($25.4B, 5%) and Health ($21.5B, 4%) lead. In South Korea, AI ($1.9B, 77% of the capital), Robotics & Hardware ($207M, 8%) and Health ($165M, 7%) lead.
Is the United States or South Korea better for early-stage startups?
Early-stage rounds (Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A) make up 57% of rounds in the United States and 35% in South Korea. The United States recorded 883 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds and South Korea 15 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds, with a median of $6M and $1.5M.
How much growth funding (Series B and later) goes to the United States and South Korea?
Startups in the United States raised $232.3B in 711 Series B or later rounds, 48% of the country's capital. In South Korea, $901M in 27 rounds, 36% of the capital.
Who are the most active startup investors in the United States?
Y Combinator (178 rounds, 16 led), Andreessen Horowitz (130 rounds, 65 led) and General Catalyst (110 rounds, 39 led) are the most active investors in the United States.
Who are the most active startup investors in South Korea?
Korea Development Bank (13 rounds, 5 led), KB Investment (7 rounds, 2 led) and Crit Ventures (6 rounds, 4 led) are the most active investors in South Korea.
Which investors back startups in both the United States and South Korea?
33 investors joined rounds in both countries. The most active: Salesforce Ventures (27 in the United States, 1 in South Korea), Samsung Ventures (6 in the United States, 3 in South Korea), LG Technology Ventures (7 in the United States, 1 in South Korea), SBI Investment (5 in the United States, 3 in South Korea) and Korea Investment Partners (4 in the United States, 4 in South Korea).
Which cities lead startup funding in the United States and South Korea?
San Francisco leads the United States with $133.5B across 529 rounds, ahead of New York ($26.1B). Seoul leads South Korea with $1.6B across 37 rounds, ahead of Yongin ($122M).
Which month brought the most startup funding?
In the United States, March 2026 ($133.9B). In South Korea, October 2026 ($620M).
How much did startups in the United States and South Korea raise in the last 90 days?
In the 90 days to 12 Nov 2026, startups in the United States raised $49.4B across 397 rounds and in South Korea $620M across 1 round.
Where does this data come from?
FundraiseBase lists startup funding rounds from public announcements: press releases, company posts and news coverage, checked and updated every day. Amounts are in US dollars. Some rounds are never announced, so the figures show what was made public, not every round. Corrections are welcome.