Peak XV And HongShan Back AI Startup Tackling Online Counterfeits In $48 Million Round
Marq Vision, an AI-powered anti-counterfeits startup cofounded by a South Korean Harvard Law School graduate, has raised $48 million in a funding round led by Peak XV Partners, the former India and Southeast Asia arm of Sequoia Capital.
Other investors who participated in the Series B round include HongShan Capital Group (HSG), the ex-China arm of Sequoia; Salesforce Ventures; Y Combinator and its partner emeritus Michael Seibel; Altos Ventures; South Korean venture capital firm Atinum Investment and Japan’s Coral Capital, Marq Vision said in a statement on Monday. The Los Angeles-based startup, which also has offices in South Korea, Japan, China and France, said the round brings its total funding raised to $90 million.
Marq Vision was cofounded in 2020 by Mark Lee, a former McKinsey consultant who holds a Doctor of Law from Harvard, to identify counterfeits in online listings using AI. Since then, the startup has expanded to help businesses uncover and remove other intellectual property violations, including impersonated accounts, unauthorized sales and pirated content, across e-commerce and social media platforms. Marq Vision said its AI tool has been adopted by some 350 companies globally, including U.K. beauty products maker Lush and South Korean tycoon Kim Chang-soo’s apparel retailer F&F.
The startup also offers legal services against counterfeiting operations in China and the U.S. in partnership with law firms, as well as helping companies handle trademark registrations.
Following the funding round, Marq Vision said it’s expanding into Japan, while integrating Salesforce data to improve return on investment tracking for its customers. “We’ve reached a moment where AI-powered brand control is no longer optional; it’s the foundation for sustainable growth,” said Lee, CEO of Marq Vision, in the statement.
“The most valuable companies in the world will be the ones that can own and control their IP and brand perception at every touchpoint,” he added. “Marq Vision is making that possible by uniting AI innovation with unmatched legal expertise to give brands complete control over their presence, their reputation, and their revenue streams.”
Marq Vision’s last funding round was in late 2024, when it secured $16 million in a Series A extension round from investors including Altos Ventures, Y Combinator and Quantum Light, the venture capital firm founded by U.K. fintech billionaire Nik Storonsky. Its previous backers include DST Global Partners and SBVA (formerly SoftBank Ventures Asia).
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