The SMC raises ₩20B pre-IPO round ahead of KOSDAQ listing

What's the deal? The SMC, a South Korean content marketing company, has closed a $20B pre-IPO round as it pushes toward a KOSDAQ listing. LB InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Timefolio Asset ManagementDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Kolon InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Kolmar KoreaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → participated in the round.

The company has appointed Mirae Asset SecuritiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Eugene Investment & SecuritiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → as underwriters and aims to file for a preliminary listing review in the second half of 2025. Proceeds will go toward advancing its AI solutions, expanding globally, and hiring talent.

Why now? The SMC says it has been profitable every year since its founding in 2009, with 2025 operating profit roughly 2.6 times higher than the previous year. Investors pointed to the company's brand media expertise, creator network, and AI-driven growth potential as key factors behind the deal.

At the core of its AI push is "Lens by The SMC," an analytics tool that reads social signals and content context in real time. It evaluates virality, audience response quality, and growth trends to gauge brand fit — drawing on data from more than 100,000 creators.

What could go wrong? Content marketing is a crowded, fast-moving space, and AI-powered analytics tools are multiplying quickly. The SMC's valuation will need to hold up under the scrutiny of a public listing process. Expansion into Japan and Taiwan also brings execution risk in markets with distinct creator ecosystems and consumer behaviours.

The signal: The deal reflects growing investor appetite for companies that sit at the intersection of the creator economy and AI. As brands shift budgets toward creator-led, full-funnel marketing — from sponsorships and commerce to rights management and media operations — platforms that can quantify creator value stand to capture outsized returns. The SMC's path to public markets will be a test case for whether that thesis can scale beyond Korea.

The mix of financial investors like LB Investment and Timefolio Asset Management alongside Kolmar Korea — a corporate backer from the beauty and consumer goods sector — suggests that strategic buyers, not just funds, see AI-driven creator analytics as core infrastructure for their own marketing spend. With The SMC at breakout stage according to Dealroom and pursuing a KOSDAQ listing, its trajectory could set a valuation benchmark for creator-economy platforms across Asia.

Read more: Platum