Prior to establishing ACE, David was with Korean technology private equity firm Skylake Investment for 10 years, most recently as Managing Director.
Between 2001 and 2007, David was an Equity Research Analyst with Merrill Lynch, CLSA Asia and HSBC Securities, and was named a Top 10 Analyst in IT Hardware by Asia Money.

David holds a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley.

Managing Director

Yu-Jin was previously the Fund Administrator with Unison Capital Korea.
She is a Korean CPA and Chartered Tax Adviser and holds a BA in Business from Konkuk University.

Dr. Nam was formerly with Halcyon Search, a senior management and private equity recruiter in Korea.
He is also an Adjunct Professor on Corporate Governance at Sogang University Business School.

Tony holds a PhD in Business from Loughborough University in the UK, and is a member of the Korea Securities Association.

Seungro Choe is an Executive Director based in Seoul.
Prior to joining ACE in 2018, Seungro was in Tri-C and CFP divisions of Doosan Corporation that are corporate strategy and M&A groups, respectively.
Prior to Doosan, he was formerly with Pine Tree Partners, a special situation fund in Korea.

He holds a BA in Business Administration and Western History from Seoul National University.

Ja No is a Senior Manager based in Seoul.
Prior to joining ACE in 2018, Ja No worked as an intern analyst at Medivate Partners and Standard Chartered Private Equity.
He holds a BS in Philosophy and Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and MA in Finance from Peking University HSBC Business School.

Sungik Choi is a Senior Manager based in Seoul.
Prior to joining ACE in 2023, Sungik worked as an investment professional at Must Ventures and H&Q Korea Partners.
Prior to that, he worked as a CPA at Samil PwC Deal Advisory department.

Sungik holds a BA in Business Administration from Yonsei University.
He is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountant.

Kyu Sang (Tom) Cho is an investment associate based in Seoul.
Prior to joining ACE in 2022, Kyu Sang was an investment banking analyst at Nomura International in Hong Kong for 2 years.
He holds a BA in Economics and Finance from Hong Kong University (HKU).

Before joining ACE, Michael is a Partner with Asia-IO Advisors.
He had 9 years with Apax Partners in Hong Kong and Munich, where his last role was Senior Principal, and he was most recently the Executive Director of the Global Private Equity Initiative for INSEAD.

He holds an MBA from INSEAD and an MSc in Business Administration from HHL Handelshochschule Leipzig.

Before joining ACE, Denis is the founder of Asia-IO Advisors.
Previously he was the Head of Private Investments – Asia with Lockheed Martin Investment Management Company, the corporate pension manager of Lockheed Martin Corporation, during which he was named “40 under 40” by Chief Investment Officer.
Prior to that, between 1999 and 2008, Denis had 10 years of experience in technology growth capital and venture capital in Asia and the US with firms including HSBC Private Equity (Asia), Whitney & Co. and Piper Jaffray Ventures. He also co-founded Acasia Technologies, which was acquired by TDK in 2004.

Denis holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BSc from Northwestern University, and is a Kauffman Fellow. He also serves on the China Leadership Board of the School of Global Policy & Strategy at UC San Diego, and on the Advisory Board on the School of Education & Social Policy at Northwestern University.

In-Kyum Kim is an Operating Advisor based in Seoul.
Prior to joining ACE, In-Kyum served as a Vice President (CFO) and Executive Manager for Woojin M&E and Semes, respectively.
In-Kyum holds a MA in Accounting and Finance from Korea University Graduate School of Business Information

Ki-bok Baek is an Operating Advisor based in Seoul.
Prior to joining ACE, Ki-bok served as the President of the Korean Human Resources Organization Association.
He was also an honorary professor and chairman of Kookmin University.
Ki-bok holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Houston, United States.

Operating Partner

Dr. Paik was most recently President and Chief Strategy Officer of Samsung SDI. Previously, he had served as Executive Vice President and Head of Electronic Materials Business at Samsung Cheil Industries, Dow Chemical and Rohm & Haas, respectively.
Dr. Paik was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University and holds a PhD in Chemistry from University of Pittsburgh, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry from Seoul National University.

Shane Shin is a Venture Partner based in UAE. Together with Mahmoud, Shane co-founded Shorooq Partners, a leading seed stage Venture Capital focusing on IT industry.
Shane was named Forbes 30 under 30 in 2019, being globally acknowledged as one of the brightest young entrepreneurs.
Shane holds a BA in Finance and Mandarin (Summa Cum Laude) from Upenn Wharton School

Mahmoud is a Venture Partner based in UAE.
After twelve years of experience in the investment sector, Mahmoud co-founded Shorooq Partners with Shane.
Prior to Shorooq, Mahmoud worked at Global Foundries, focusing on corporate development and M&A. Mahmoud holds an MBA from Stanford University.

Hyeri An is a Senior Associate based in Seoul office. Prior to joining ACE in 2017, Hyeri was formerly with Q Capital Partners.
She holds a BA degree in International Tourism Management from Shilla University.

Minyoung Park is a Senior Associate based in Seoul office.
Prior to joining ACE in 2020, Minyoung worked for Samjong KPMG Deal Advisory department. Prior to that, she was with CJ 4DPlex America, Inc based in Los Angeles.
She holds a BS degree in Management Science from University of California, San Diego and she is a USCPA.