Generalist · Corporate VC · Active
Samsung Next
Samsung Next is Samsung Electronics' global venture arm, founded 2013, operating from Menlo Park, NYC, Tel Aviv, Berlin and Seoul with ~$5B+ invested across 250+ companies.
Investment thesis
Samsung Next is Samsung Electronics' global venture arm, founded 2013, operating from Menlo Park, NYC, Tel Aviv, Berlin and Seoul with ~$5B+ invested across 250+ companies. Sister Samsung Catalyst Fund covers deep-tech and semiconductor bets. Invests Seed to Series B across AI, enterprise SaaS, fintech, deep tech. Cheques $1-15M. The Q Fund (2018 vintage) specifically targets AI and quantum.
Quantum portfolio is software-and-networking focused: Aliro Quantum (Harvard / NarangLab spin-out, seed 2019 co-lead from Q Fund; now the leading entanglement-based quantum networking platform with Cisco and Accenture Ventures as later backers); Classiq Technologies (Tel Aviv, Series B 2022 co-investor with HPE Pathfinder and IN Venture — quantum algorithm design and compiler); and IonQ (trapped-ion, public via SPAC 2021). Trimodal exposure across networking, software and hardware.
Value-add: Samsung's mobile, display, memory and 6G research labs create pull for quantum communication / QKD founders targeting consumer electronics and mobile security; Korean market access; Samsung Research AI labs provide deep technical collaboration.
Differentiated as the consumer-electronics-major CVC with structural interest in quantum networking for 6G and mobile security — a near-term commercial angle distinct from pure research bets.
Anti-thesis
The patterns that trigger a fast no with this fund.
- Thesis is consumer / software-led (gen AI, Web3, health, gaming), deep-tech hardware including quantum compute is structurally off-thesis, with quantum bets historically routed through Samsung Catalyst Fund or Samsung Ventures instead
- Early-stage focus (Seed / Series A) with software-style check sizes is mismatched to quantum capex curves
- Post-2023 reorg and layoffs (reported by The Information, Bloomberg) tightened mandate around near-term Samsung product synergies, especially Galaxy AI and on-device inference, leaving little room for 7 to 10 year quantum bets
- PQC interest is real but channeled via Samsung SDS and Samsung Research partnerships, not Next's portfolio
- No public quantum-labeled portfolio company on samsungnext.com as of 2025, pattern-matching suggests they pass on pure quantum and prefer 'AI x security' wrappers
Notable quantum portfolio
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