'Discovering and Investing in Tech Companies'... 5 Consortia Selected as Scale-up TIPS Operators

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 1st that it has finally selected five consortia as the second batch of Scale-up TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startups) operators.

Scale-up TIPS is a system where private operators (R&D specialized companies + VC consortia) discover promising SMEs and startups at the scale-up stage and make early investments, and the government supports them concurrently through equity investment and contributed R&D.

It was newly established in August last year to grant business rights to operators in three-year terms to accumulate expertise while promoting competition and cooperation among operators.

Five operators were selected in the first batch last November, and with an additional five selected this time, the system will expand to 10 operators starting this month. The second batch of operator consortia includes institutions with various characteristics such as leading domestic venture capitals, region-based investors, and R&D specialized companies.

First, Daedeok Venture Partners and UAID, based in Daejeon outside the metropolitan area, are expected to discover excellent region-based SMEs and startups together with Lotte Ventures, which manages Lotte Group’s strategic fund.

DT&I Investment focuses on investing in tech companies such as bio and healthcare. Navion and DTNC are also R&D specialized companies specialized in supporting global expansion and testing and certification businesses.

Ajou IB Investment has been recognized for its investment performance through multiple funds in materials, parts, equipment, bio, and healthcare. It plans to support scale-up together with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Korea University Medical Center, and Korea Technology Venture Foundation, which have experience in technology commercialization.

HB Investment is recognized for its investment performance in bio, medical, ICT, and more. NVC Partners, based in Busan, is expected to provide professional support based on technology development and commercialization solutions together with Strategy Consulting Jiphyeon.

Capstone Partners has invested in more than 100 promising companies since 2008. Along with Korea University of Energy Science, FuturePlay, SparkLabs, and Mirae Science and Technology Holdings, it is expected to support promising companies in the energy and materials sectors.

The selected operators will select and discover tech-based promising companies, make early investments, and recommend them, after which the government will support scale-up throughout the entire cycle?from company selection, research and development, commercialization, to global expansion?through matching investments.

In addition, the right to recommend companies will be differentially granted according to each operator’s support performance and operational results to promote competition and cooperation among operators, and the operators will be gradually expanded by reviewing future performance.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to hold a meeting with the finally selected operators at the end of this month to share and exchange directions for technology development support, investment know-how, and expertise among operators, and to officially join the Scale-up TIPS program.

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