U.S. Attorney Woo Hyuk Sky Ju of LIN conducted a consulting session with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Washington, D.C. on July 18 for participants of the 2024 Korea University Lab Startup Exploration Team Practical Training (overseas education).

This consulting was conducted to support market verification (Customer Discovery) for technology commercialization of public technology-based startup ideas of the Korea University Lab Startup Exploration Team and to enter the U.S. market, and, on July 18 (Thursday), U.S. Attorney Woo Hyuk Sky Ju explained the U.S. incorporation process and visa information in a case-based manner , and provided consulting on how to draft international contracts and strategies for establishing a startup and entering the U.S. market. For more information, please refer to the attachment.

While global VC investments hit a five-year low in the first quarter of this year due to geopolitical risks and a prolonged investment drought in the wake of a shrinking secondary market, the U.S. has been a hotbed of global corporate-led venture capital (CVC) investment, growing from $18.7 billion in Q4 2023 to $20.1 billion in Q1 2024.

It's worth noting that CVC investment in the U.S. continues to be particularly strong, with big tech ramping up AI-focused investments and partnerships, up 18% quarter-over-quarter to $19.5 billion, and areas such as AI, cleantech, and cybersecurity continuing to be areas of interest to investors.

We provide highly integrated legal services through the collaboration of our International Legal Affairs Team and Private Equity Team. Our Private Equity Team is comprised of lawyers with both expertise in private equity funds and venture capital and global practice experience in the U.S., Europe, Hong Kong, and elsewhere, and professionals with diverse experience in government agencies and large corporations. Through organic collaboration, we provide differentiated legal services to meet the needs of our private equity and venture capital clients in all areas of their business, including onshore and offshore fundraising, inbound and outbound transactions, acquisition financing, and tax planning. Please contact our Private Equity Team at +82 2 3477 8585 for assistance.