• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

This paper put the goal on boosting up early startup investment by delivering and positioning SAFE as the main early startup investment type in Korea. In particular, this paper proves the better fitting of SAFE as to the early stage of venture investment than these of Convertible Note. This paper as referring the previous studies of SAFE as the major keystone issues determining active SAFE applying (legal positioning issue, tax treatment issue, failure of inducing the following investment with uncertainty over maturity) proposes boosting up policy of Korean SAFE. First, as to accounting treatment of SAFE, it suggests SAFE to recognize legally as "the capital" on the Korean Venture Investment Act of introducing SAFE actively as venture investment type. Second, as to tax treatment issue, it proposes on amending venture indication rule as the best alternative of resolving tax issue by accepting SAFE as the investment meeting to venture investment requirement. Third, as benchmarking foreign cases, it delivers the method of modifying foreign SAFE Contract Format by adding up more clauses about safety vehicles against the failure of the following investment and fixing maturity date and event. Ultimately, all resolutions of this paper fall on highlighting the role of Korean Venture Investment Act and Ministry of SMEs and Startups.