“Breaking the Thermal Limits of AI Chips" — KoolMicro Secures Pre-A Funding from Silicon Valley VCs and Global Investors
Seoul, Korea – February 27, 2026 — KoolMicro, Inc., a deep-tech startup specializing in next-generation liquid cooling solutions, announced today that it has successfully closed its Pre-A funding round featuring participation from top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital. This milestone follows a series of high-impact showcases of its innovative Integrated Manifold Microchannel (IMMC) technology at world-class tech events such as SC25 and CES 2026.
Starting with the Super Computing Conference (SC25) in November 2025 and continuing through CES 2026 in January, KoolMicro has maintained aggressive momentum in pioneering overseas markets. During this period, the company held numerous technical meetings with leading global data center operators, hyperscalers, server OEMs, and chip makers. Currently, KoolMicro is in deep discussions for strategic technical collaborations and system integration-level Proof of Concept (PoC) projects—directly embedding its technology into next-generation AI accelerators. With its proprietary IMMC technology—which significantly reduces thermal resistance and supports a TDP(Thermal Design Power) of over 4kW, a breakthrough compared to conventional liquid cooling—KoolMicro presented its innovations to the global market at DesignCon 2026, the world’s premier electronic and system design conference in Silicon Valley, starting February 25. The company presented new thermal management standards to experts in high-speed digital and system design, further solidifying its technical leadership.
The company’s leadership has been equally active on the global stage. In January, CSO Wonyoung Maeng delivered a compelling pitch at the '82 Startup Summit UKF 2026' in Silicon Valley, followed by CEO Yun Hyeok Im’s successful presentation at 'Semicon Korea' in February. Both sessions received high acclaim for the company’s technological prowess and business vision. This trajectory will continue at NVIDIA GTC 2026 this March in San Jose. Through its participation, KoolMicro aims to strengthen its collaborative network within the global AI semiconductor ecosystem and establish its cooling solutions as a mainstream industry standard.
Intense interest from the global market has translated into significant investment results. KoolMicro successfully finalized its Pre-A funding round in January. This round included lead participation from Silicon Valley VCs and domestic VCs specializing in semiconductor materials, components, and equipment, serving as an objective validation of KoolMicro’s disruptive technology and global scalability.
KoolMicro plans to use the newly secured capital to accelerate the advancement of its IMMC liquid cooling solutions and prepare for mass production. The company is aggressively recruiting top-tier global talent to join its team of engineers from Georgia Tech, KAIST, and Samsung Electronics. Specifically, KoolMicro is building a global team in core areas such as thermal engineering, product development, and business development to further refine the technology already recognized by Silicon Valley. "Our achievements in the first quarter of 2026 prove that KoolMicro’s technology is the most viable and powerful solution to the critical thermal challenges of the AI and HPC era," said Yun Hyeok Im, CEO of KoolMicro. "We will continue to work with the best talent and strengthen our global partnerships to define the new standard for the next-generation cooling market."
About KoolMicro, Inc.
Founded by CEO Yun Hyeok Im, a Research Faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology, KoolMicro is a deep-tech powerhouse comprised of leadership and core personnel from KAIST and Samsung Electronics. The company overcomes the limitations of traditional cooling with its proprietary IMMC technology, which circulates coolant directly within the semiconductor chip. Recognized for its technical leadership and growth potential, KoolMicro is a member of KOTRA, KIC (Korea Innovation Center), Silicon Valley Plug & Play, and Mind the Bridge.
Source: KoolMicro, Inc.