Investment into startups up 34 per cent in first quarter 18:43 | 04/05/2021 Startups are raising far more funds than in previous years. Photo: BBVA The first-quarter report of South Korean venture fund Nextrans showed that investment in startups jumped by 34 per cent on-year to $100 million, with foreign investors being dominant. However, the number of deals fell 20 per cent to 16. This decrease is quite small compared to the 20 deals in 2020 and 30 deals in 2019. Despite the reduction, the total deal value has increased remarkably by 34 per cent on-year, excluding unannounced deals. Foreign investors outperformed their local counterparts with nine deals, the report said. The total investment by local actors was under $10 million, while it was $100 million for foreign investors.