POSCO-Graphene Square Selected as an Excellent Case of Win-Win Growth by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

POSCO, Win-Win Cooperation with Graphene Square Since 2021
Support for Production Facilities, Technology Solutions, and Infrastructure

Conceptual diagram of the graphene continuous production line. Photo by POSCO

POSCO and the venture company Graphene Square have been selected as an excellent case of win-win cooperation in the 'WIN-WIN HONORS Project' hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS).

The WIN-WIN HONORS Project, launched by MSS this year, is a project aimed at selecting and spreading outstanding cases of mutual growth activities carried out by large corporations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) together.

MSS evaluated the importance, difficulty, implementation efforts, achievements, and sustainability of mutual growth cases for each company, announced a total of five excellent cases including the cooperation activities between POSCO and Graphene Square, and held a WIN-WIN HONORS commemorative plaque awarding ceremony on the 7th. Representatives from POSCO, Graphene Square, and other selected companies and their partners attended the event to receive the plaques.

POSCO has contributed to revitalizing the venture ecosystem by building a 'Venture Platform' that supports venture companies' startup incubation, product development, and market expansion using the infrastructure held at the group level, and investing according to the characteristics of each growth stage. Graphene Square, selected as an excellent case this time, is one of the representative companies supported through POSCO's Venture Platform.

Graphene Square is an advanced nanomaterials company that holds patented technology capable of continuous production of graphene using large-area chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Graphene has thermal conductivity more than twice that of diamond and mechanical strength over 200 times stronger than steel, yet it is flexible and does not lose electrical conductivity even when stretched or folded. Due to these characteristics, it is attracting attention as a next-generation material applicable to flexible displays, transparent displays, and wearable computers.

Since 2021, POSCO has established an industry-academia-research-government cooperation system together with Pohang City, POSTECH, and RIST (Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology), and has supported Graphene Square with production, facility technology, and manpower.

To utilize the excellent infrastructure owned by POSCO, POSTECH, and RIST, Graphene Square relocated its headquarters from the metropolitan area to Pohang in 2021, moved into POSCO’s venture startup incubating center ‘Change Up Ground Pohang’ and POSTECH Nano Convergence Technology Institute. Additionally, it received wastewater reduction technology related to graphene production from RIST and technical consulting on continuous production methods and roll-to-roll processes, which are key to mass production of graphene, through POSCO.

Based on POSCO’s comprehensive support, Graphene Square has devoted itself to R&D for graphene application technology development and establishing a mass production system, completing the graphene wafer production line within POSTECH in November 2022, and is currently promoting the construction of a mass production factory in the Pohang Blue Valley Industrial Complex.

Through this process, products applying Graphene Square’s technology won the CES 2023 'Best Innovation Award' and the 'Invention of the Year Award' selected by TIME magazine in the U.S. for two consecutive years since last year. It also succeeded in attracting investments worth approximately 20 billion KRW from Samsung Venture Investment, EcoPro Partners, and others.

POSCO plans to continue sharing the efforts and achievements of mutual growth with Graphene Square and to continuously strive to spread a culture of win-win cooperation based on collaboration and partnership in the future.