Son Mikyung, CEO of Genaxis, "Domestic Startups Will Attract Global Investment"

First Recipient of the "Top Female Accelerator Award"
"Growth of Digital Healthcare Startups"
Composed of Experts... Over 120 Advisory Members
"Investing in Promising Companies with a 5- to 10-Year Outlook"

"We will serve as a bridge to widely promote domestic startups in overseas markets and attract global investment."

Son Mikyung, CEO of the accelerator (AC) 'Genexis,' which invests in and nurtures early-stage startups (photo), said, "The scale of domestic venture investment has grown to an all-time high," adding, "Our future task is to lead global investment and create successful business cases."

Since officially registering as an AC in March 2019, Genexis has operated 13 private investment associations within three years, surpassing a total investment formation amount of 8 billion KRW (cumulative). To date, it has invested in a total of 15 companies, mainly in the bio and healthcare sectors, with six of them receiving follow-up investments.

CEO Son said, "Digital healthcare startups we invested in, keeping pace with the accelerating digital transformation, are showing good results," adding, "Recently, we have added alternative meat and clean beauty companies, which are at the intersection of healthcare and eco-friendliness, to our investment portfolio."

Having majored in the bio field, CEO Son gained experience in new product development at Lotte Central Research Institute before moving to the U.S. to earn an MBA from Hult International Business School. She witnessed the Silicon Valley venture boom firsthand and prepared her business while building networks with Korean entrepreneurs and investors. Genexis is composed mainly of experts related to bio and healthcare and has an advisory group of over 120 members domestically and internationally.

CEO Son has developed her business insight by participating in various government projects, including serving as a judge for the startup competition 'Challenge! K-Startup.' Last year, she participated in investment attraction programs at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and Korea University, providing IR capability enhancement training and consulting, and creating domestic and international networking opportunities. She said, "We not only led two domestic investment rounds but also achieved results such as establishing overseas distribution channels, conducting joint clinical trials, and fundraising led by foreign investors."

When discovering and investing in promising startups in the bio field, she focuses on three main aspects: "Whether they possess original technology, the size of the related market, and whether there is a well-prepared plan that goes beyond R&D to clinical trials."

Among the invested companies, she introduced 'Rokit Healthcare,' which is scheduled to be listed on KOSDAQ. Rokit Healthcare has technology that creates bio-ink using patients' autologous cells, prints patches perfectly fitting the affected area with a 3D printer, and applies them internally to regenerate damaged tissues. In particular, the 3D printer 'Doctor In Vivo,' which produces patches for diabetic foot patients, is set to be launched this year. There are 40 million diabetic foot patients worldwide, and the market size reaches 40 trillion KRW.

She said, "Although investment sentiment in the bio sector has recently somewhat contracted, we will continue investing in promising companies with a view toward 5 to 10 years in the future." She added, "By being agile to changes in social structure and technology while thinking about humanity and caring for the Earth, we can see the businesses needed in the future," and "I realized that this leads to startup growth."

Last year, CEO Son received the 'Best Female Accelerator Award' from the Korea Accelerator Association and the Korea Women Venture Association. As the first recipient, she said, "I think it means 'work even harder,'" and added, "We will build an investment ecosystem so that companies are not undervalued just because the CEO is a woman."

Finally, she emphasized, "We will have a sense of responsibility toward customers who trust and believe in our capabilities and integrity within the capital market," and "Our vision is to lead a virtuous cycle of funds in the corporate ecosystem and repay investors with increased investment assets."