NAVER D2SF Invests in F4GE, a Defense and Manufacturing Infrastructure Startup

-F4GE connects Korea's manufacturing network with global demand from defense and advanced manufacturing companies, building a programmable manufacturing network

-Standardizes data from Korea's core manufacturing factories and converts it to meet global buyer requirements, supporting supply chain compliance for the U.S. Department of Defense

-NAVER D2SF expands investments in defense and manufacturing technology startups, aligning with TEAM NAVER's industrial AX initiatives

SEONGNAM-SI, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVER D2SF, the corporate venture capital arm of NAVER, has made a new investment in F4GE (CEO, Hyukhyun Kwon), a defense and manufacturing infrastructure startup. F4GE is building infrastructure that integrates Korea's fragmented core manufacturing factories into a unified manufacturing network and connects them with global defense and advanced hardware companies. NAVER D2SF decided to invest in the team based on its ability to identify new business opportunities for Korea's manufacturing capabilities amid supply shortages in the global defense and manufacturing industries.

Global demand across the defense and manufacturing sectors is growing rapidly, while the manufacturing infrastructure capable of reliably meeting that demand remains limited. In defense, large-scale procurement demand is surging, yet major defense companies cannot fulfill all of it through their own production infrastructure alone. Korea, meanwhile, is home to approximately 60,000 core manufacturing factories across areas such as casting, forging, machining, and molding, with high levels of manufacturing quality and productivity. However, many of these factories have been unable to secure global sales channels due to challenges in meeting the compliance, documentation, and traceability requirements demanded by global companies.

F4GE addresses this gap by integrating Korean manufacturing factories into a "programmable manufacturing network" that can be utilized by global defense and manufacturing companies. The company deploys its proprietary software into existing factory environments to collect real-time data on equipment, processes, inspections, and workflows, then converts that data into standardized documentation and compliance systems required by global buyers. This enables Korean manufacturers to meet the requirements for entering global supply chains without large-scale system replacements, while allowing global buyers to secure verifiable manufacturing partners.

F4GE's infrastructure consists of three key layers. First, it automatically standardizes and integrates equipment data formats and languages that vary by manufacturing site. Second, it directly learns from skilled workers' accumulated know-how and tacit knowledge, turning it into a new database. Third, F4GE manages the full process from factory allocation and process standardization to logistics, customs, and documentation. Through this approach, the company helps maintain a consistent level of manufacturing quality while supporting compliance with supply chain management certifications such as CoC(Chain of Custody), required by the U.S. Department of Defense and other global buyers.

F4GE is currently expanding partnerships with core manufacturing factories across Korea's southeastern manufacturing hubs, including Sacheon, Changwon, and Busan. The company is also broadening its network with demand-side companies in North America and Europe across defense, aerospace, shipbuilding, and robotics. By connecting Korea's manufacturing infrastructure with global demand, F4GE aims to increase factory utilization in Korea while strengthening the competitiveness of domestic manufacturers across global core industry value chains. Manufacturing sites are also showing strong expectations for F4GE's ability to create new global sales channels.

Founded in January 2026, F4GE has secured its first institutional funding through this investment round. Investors participating in the round include NAVER D2SF, KNET Investment Partners, Sazze Partners, DCAMP, 500 Global. CEO Hyukhyun Kwon brings experience serving in the Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare Flotilla, founding a defense startup, and working as an investor in AI and manufacturing startups in the United States. Based on his understanding of and network across the defense and manufacturing industries in Korea and abroad, F4GE brings strong execution capabilities in connecting global demand with Korea's manufacturing sites. With this investment, the company plans to expand hiring across manufacturing engineering, AI development, and other areas, while broadening new manufacturing partnerships.

"Defense and manufacturing are sectors where global supply chain restructuring and technological advancement are creating new opportunities at the same time," said Sanghwan Yang, Head of NAVER D2SF. "F4GE is building a structure that connects Korea's on-the-ground manufacturing capabilities with global demand from defense and manufacturing industries. This is meaningful because it can help Korea's manufacturing infrastructure play a greater role in global value chains." He added, "As TEAM NAVER is also advancing industrial AX across areas such as defense-specialized AI models, defense and manufacturing LLMs, and physical AI, NAVER D2SF will continue to discover startups that solve structural problems in defense and manufacturing through technology and create opportunities in global markets."

NAVER D2SF has also launched an open call for startups in the defense and manufacturing sectors. It plans to discover and invest in a broad range of startups across areas including data analysis and integration, simulation and verification, physical AI, strategic and tactical AI, command-and-control and battlefield management, manufacturing and maintenance automation, cybersecurity, and dual-use infrastructure. Applications for investment review will be accepted through the NAVER D2SF website until October 25.

NAVER D2SF is NAVER's in-house corporate venture arm, supporting sustainable growth by collaborating with startups. Founded in 1999, NAVER has maintained its position as Korea's leading search engine for over 20 years and operates across commerce, content, fintech, and cloud services. Under the technological vision of D2SF, NAVER is actively developing new technologies and global partnerships to grow as a leading tech company. To learn more, visit https://d2sf.naver.com

SOURCE NAVER D2SF