Gangwon Province Selects Four Managers for Strategic Industry Venture Fund... Investment Opportunities for Startups

Four Fund Management Companies Selected Through Public Recruitment
Total Fund Size of 44.3 Billion KRW... Investments to Begin in March

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jintae) has completed the first-year selection process for the creation of the 'Gangwon Strategic Industry Venture Fund' and has finalized the selection of a total of four fund management companies.

Kim Jintae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, is holding a press conference on the 5th. Provided by Gangwon Province

The application process began with an announcement on October 15 and accepted submissions until November 5, with a total of 12 management companies applying. After a document review, on-site due diligence, and presentation evaluations, the final management companies were selected through a comprehensive assessment of their management capabilities and investment strategies.

By field, Gangwon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation was selected in the 'First Step in Regional League' category, while three companies were chosen in the 'Regional League VC' category: Waf Investment-JKP Partners Consortium, Pathfinder H, and Kangwon National University Technology Holdings-Trigger Investment Partners Consortium.

The Gangwon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, recognized for its strengths in discovering and nurturing early-stage and start-up companies, is expected to contribute to revitalizing the local start-up ecosystem. The Waf Investment-JKP Partners Consortium is evaluated to support the growth of promising companies within the province, leveraging its extensive venture investment experience and network.

In addition, Pathfinder H is expected to contribute to the revitalization of local industries by discovering and nurturing early-stage and growth-stage companies across Gangwon's seven major future industries. The Kangwon National University Technology Holdings-Trigger Investment Partners Consortium is anticipated to create synergy effects by utilizing its collaborative network with local universities and start-up-related institutions.

The selected management companies plan to establish a fund totaling 44.3 billion KRW, aiming to begin full-scale discovery and investment in promising local small, venture, and start-up companies as early as March 2026.

In this regard, the province will hold the 'Gangwon Strategic Industry Venture Fund Investment Agreement Ceremony' on January 8 in the small conference room of the new provincial government building, initiating the official creation of the fund and investment activities through agreements with the sub-fund management companies. This ceremony is intended to formalize the cooperation system between the province, seven cities and counties, and the management companies, and to share future investment directions.

Kim Jintae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, stated, "We established a separate 'First Step in Regional League' category because there were concerns that investments would be made only in already successful companies to realize short-term returns. We have lowered the entry barriers so that even new companies that find it difficult to attract investment can receive funding, and we plan to start investing as early as March."

He added, "The province, cities and counties, and sub-fund management companies will establish a cooperative system to systematically discover and support promising companies in Gangwon's future industries."