Busan National University Technology Holdings Forms 'S-PNU Busan Regional Innovation Investment Fund'

First Venture Investment Association Selected for the 'Busan Future Growth Venture Fund'... Joint Operation with S-Ventures
General Meeting Held at PNU AVEC on the 26th
Investment in Busan Region's Small and Venture Companies for 4 Years, Operated for 10 Years

Busan National University Technology Holdings has recently been selected as a regional league (VC) of the ‘Busan Future Growth Venture Fund,’ marking the beginning of active revitalization of the venture ecosystem in the Busan area.

Busan National University (President Choi Jae-won) announced that Busan National University Technology Holdings (CEO Kang Jeong-eun), together with S-Ventures (Co-CEOs Kim Hyun-chul and Do Seung-hwan), a specialized investment institution in the metropolitan area, held the inaugural general meeting for the sub-fund of the Busan Future Growth Venture Fund, named 'S-PNU Busan Regional Innovation Investment Association,' on the afternoon of the 26th at PNU AVEC (Busan National University Technology Startup Platform).

Busan National University Technology Holdings is having a general meeting to form an investment association and is taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Busan National University

The parent fund, ‘Busan Future Growth Venture Fund,’ is a regional fund established with approximately KRW 101.1 billion contributed by Busan City, the Korea Development Bank, the Korea Fund of Funds, BNK Financial Group, and others, making it the largest non-metropolitan area focused venture fund to date.

Busan National University Technology Holdings plans to operate the sub-fund ‘S-PNU Busan Regional Innovation Investment Association,’ with a scale of KRW 13.65 billion, focusing on investments in promising innovative companies in the Busan region, including the nine strategic industries and five future new industry sectors, in line with the regional league (VC) nature of the selected Busan Future Growth Venture Fund.

The regional league (VC) is one of the investment sectors of the parent fund, Busan Future Growth Venture Fund, and requires investing at least 70% of the committed amount in small and venture companies that meet the conditions of Busan regional enterprises.

Through this, the fund plans to directly invest in innovative companies that can lead the stagnant industry and economy of Busan and support their stable growth.

This new fund will be operated for a total of 10 years, including a 4-year investment period. The main investment target is small and venture companies that meet the Busan regional enterprise conditions, with plans to invest more than 70% of the committed amount.

Busan regional enterprises are defined as companies that have at least one headquarters, research institute, or factory in the Busan area and meet this condition during the investment (payment) period from the fund’s establishment date.

As joint general partners, Busan National University Technology Holdings and S-Ventures participate, with special partners including the Busan Future Growth Venture Fund, and limited partners such as Busan National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, GenSquare, Dong-A University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Ilju GNS, Korea Sunjae, Dongseo University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, and multiple individual investors who are experts in patent and startup fields.

In particular, Kim Seong-geun, the director of Busan National University Technology Holdings, who is at the core of fund management, has 22 years of experience in university technology commercialization, and Kim Hyun-chul, the representative fund manager of S-Ventures, is an investment expert with 15 years of investment experience and 17 years in VC.

The formation of this fund is especially meaningful as the two institutions, which have developed investment capabilities in different fields?university-originated technology startups and venture company nurturing?plan to discover promising small and venture companies by leveraging their respective strengths with a shared goal of regional innovation and growth.

Since its establishment in 2010, Busan National University Technology Holdings has contributed to the development of the university-originated technology startup ecosystem in the Busan region through the establishment of 38 subsidiaries and follow-up growth support, leading efforts to establish a virtuous cycle structure for university technology-based startups, including the construction of PNU AVEC through EXIT profits.

With the formation of this fund, Busan National University Technology Holdings has emerged as a leading university investment specialized institution in the Southeast region, managing a total of seven investment associations (five sole GPs, two Co-GPs) with total assets under management of KRW 35.85 billion.

Kang Jeong-eun (Director of Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation and Professor of Urban Engineering), CEO of Busan National University Technology Holdings, stated, “The combination of the technology startup know-how accumulated by Busan National University Technology Holdings and the financial strength and broad network of S-Ventures, located in the metropolitan area, is expected to inject new vitality into the venture ecosystem in the Busan region.” She added, “We will strive to discover companies that can trigger regional innovation and support their scale-up, thereby reducing the gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas and contributing to sustainable regional economic development.”