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Interviews · Podcasts · Keynotes

Ethan Cho

A perspective on AI, business, and work—from inside Korea’s technology and venture ecosystem.

CIO & Partner, TheVentures · Based in Seoul · Interviews in English and Korean

ethan.cho@theventures.vc

Short introduction

Ethan Cho is CIO and Partner at TheVentures in Seoul. Previously at Google and Qualcomm Ventures, he writes and speaks about AI, business, work, and Korea’s place in global markets.

Speaker biography

Ethan Cho is Chief Investment Officer and Partner at TheVentures, based in Seoul. His experience spans Google, Qualcomm Ventures, KB Investment, and Samsung. A Korean CPA and Columbia MBA, he writes about AI, business, work, and Korea’s opportunities in global markets. He is the author of Moduui Tuja, a Korean-language book on venture fundraising.

Conversations worth having

01

Korea builds the chips. Who captures the AI opportunity?

The gap between industrial strength and globally competitive AI businesses—and what founders, investors, and buyers should watch.

Related essay (English)

02

Why successful companies miss the next shift

What Google and Nike reveal about incentives, products, and the cost of relying on yesterday’s success.

Related essay (Korean)

03

What happens when honest work becomes cheap?

AI lowers the cost of execution. How does that change careers, judgment, and the meaning of useful work?

Related essay (English)

04

When a founder should turn down venture capital

Matching the business, the founder’s goals, and the financing model—before fundraising becomes the goal itself.

Related book (Korean)

Watch Ethan in conversation

AI Proem · May 11, 2026 · English

There’s more to Korea than just chips

An English-language conversation about Korea’s AI supply chain, founders, and the next opportunities to build for global markets.

  • 02:47 Korea’s AI supply chain
  • 33:39 Assessing founders
  • 39:39 The next export opportunity
Watch the video or read the transcript ↗

Book · Korean-language edition · 2026

Moduui Tuja

A founder’s guide to venture fundraising

From the first investor meeting to financing terms—and the choice not to raise venture capital. Published in Korean in July 2026.

Book details (Korean) ↗

For producers and editors

Please include the subject, audience, format, preferred dates, and whether recording is remote or in person. Ethan is based in Seoul and speaks English and Korean.

Discuss an interviewethan.cho@theventures.vc