'Incheon’s First Venture Capital' Notilus Investment to Begin Full-Scale Investment Next Year

Last Month Headquarters Relocated from Pangyo, Gyeonggi to Incheon
Managing Assets of 140 Billion KRW, Holding a Portfolio of 25 Companies in Total

Incheon City Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City announced on the 26th that it has attracted Nautilus Investment, a venture capital (VC) firm specializing in venture company investments.

Nautilus Investment, which relocated its headquarters from Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province to Incheon last month, plans to actively continue investment activities as Incheon's first VC starting next year.

With the deregistration of two VC firms registered and operated under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2007 due to voluntary cancellation in 2011, Nautilus Investment became Incheon's first VC.

Nautilus Investment is a VC operating based in Nautilus Venture Partners located in Silicon Valley, USA, specializing in supporting the global expansion of domestic companies.

Currently, it manages assets under management (AUM) of approximately 140 billion KRW and holds a portfolio of 25 companies. A team of professional evaluators from large corporations is responsible for open innovation and global expansion of invested companies.

Im Seongwon, CEO of Nautilus Investment, said, "Incheon is becoming known as a blue ocean for venture investment, shifting from the venture investment ecosystem centered in Gangnam and Pangyo," adding, "With recent developments such as attracting Startup Park in Incheon, establishing the Incheon Innovation Fund, and the selection of Songdo's 'K-Bio Lab Hub,' there will be more opportunities for discovering and investing in promising venture companies in Incheon through active investment ecosystem creation."

Incheon City has actively fostered a venture investment ecosystem to improve the investment environment in Incheon, which had been relatively barren compared to the concentration of venture investments in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

The Incheon Innovation Fund, with a scale of 600 billion KRW and launched this year, invested 4.5 billion KRW in three sectors (shared housing services, intellectual property, and venture startups) in the first half of the year, forming a total fund of 157.8 billion KRW, and recently completed the formation of the 'Incheon Innovation Fund No. 1' in the form of a mother fund.

An official from Incheon City stated, "Following the relocation of accelerator Tap Angel Partners to Incheon in August, the successful attraction of this investment startup company indicates Incheon's potential as a blue ocean for venture investment," and added, "We will continue to strive to secure active investment resources led by local governments and foster the ecosystem."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.