By Hyung Kim
For the younger generation who are true digital natives, digital environments are becoming virtual playgrounds where they entertain themselves and meet new friends.

Gaming, in particular, is evolving into a new social platform. However, alongside this digital revolution, we are witnessing a rise in new forms of threats and privacy concerns. Recent data shows that 20% of gamers in the U.S. are under the age of 18, spending an average of 8.5 hours on screens per day. Furthermore, research from BCG indicates that nearly 72% of respondents have experienced at least one cyber threat.

As regulators strive to safeguard online experiences for kids, it becomes essential for publishers to ensure a safe digital environment without interrupting the user experience. This is where K-ID comes in.
We invested in K-ID because its global compliance engine will create a safer online environment for kids and parents while streamlining regulatory requirements for publishers. Backed by industry experts with deep understanding and knowledge in legal, compliance, and safety in the tech industry, K-ID has built a platform designed to solve various problems currently faced in the digital environment.

Strong Value Proposition: K-ID’s comprehensive compliance platform addresses one of the most critical challenges of the ever-changing regulatory landscape:
・Publishers/Developers can easily build safer platforms while staying compliant with ever-changing regulatory requirements.
・Parents/Kids can monitor and manage their kids’ online activities in a single platform with frictionless onboarding process. 
・Regulators can efficiently distribute and implement new regulatory guidelines to publishers.

Strong Team: Founded by leaders in legal, compliance, and safety within the tech industry, K-ID has already established strong relationships with global regulators and publishers. Kieran Donovan and his founding team are fully aware of the key pain points faced by regulators and publishers, which has allowed them to gain significant early traction.
Synergy: By partnering with K-ID, we are excited to explore potential collaborations with our services within LY Corporation. Leveraging the LY ecosystem will help broaden K-ID’s go-to-market strategy in the Asian market, ultimately achieving our shared mission to safeguard kids' online experiences.

We are thrilled to announce our Series A investment in K-ID along with a16z, Lightspeed, Okta Ventures and very excited to work together with Kieran Donovan, Julian Corbett, Jeff Wu, Timothy Ma, and the rest of the team. Together, we will implement the most innovative compliance platform for publishers and ensure online safety for kids and parents.