이 기사는 2021년 06월 14일 07:37 thebell 에 표출된 기사입니다.

Kakao VX, a subsidiary of Kakao Games, seeks to raise 100 billion won ($90 million) from outside investors to expand its new business.

Kakao VX is in talks with three financial investors for its planned fundraising, industry sources said Thursday.

This will be the company’s third fundraising, aiming to expand its business to other golfing segments.

Kakao VX raised a combined 8 billion won from KB Securities, Mirae Asset Daewoo, Korea Investment Partners and BTC Investment through a rights offering in 2018. The firm raised 20 billion won from Q Capital in 2019. Q Capital acquired redeemable convertible preference shares (RCPS) of Kakao VX using its fund closed at 300 billion won.

Kakao VX reportedly plans to select one of the three financial investors, which values the company the highest on a pre-money basis.

Kakao VX entered the screen golf market in 2017 by purchasing Maum Golf, the second largest screen golf operator. Kakao adapted Kakao Friends’ popular characters to its screen golf system to increase its market share with young golfers.

Apart from screen golf, it has smart home training, a golf booking service through an artificial intelligence-based chatbot, and golf product businesses.

The company is also very active in golf course acquisitions and consignment operations. Kakao VX signed consignment agreements in 2019 with Gyeongnam Tourist Hotel and Hamyang Sky View Golf Club, an 18-hole public golf course.

Earlier this year, a consortium of Kakao VX and Stonebridge Asset Management was picked as the preferred bidder for Ceragio Country Club (CC) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province and Saint Four CC in Jeju Island, which are owned by Halla Group. (Reporting by Seon-young Kim)