Shinhan Securities brings Japanese deep-tech companies to Seoul, expands Korea-Japan investment cooperation

[Financial News] Shinhan Securities has set out to expand technology and investment cooperation between Korea and Japan by introducing promising Japanese deep-tech companies to Korea’s investment industry.
Following its introduction of Korean deep-tech companies in Tokyo in August, Shinhan Securities has now invited Japanese companies to Seoul, stepping up efforts to build an investment platform connecting the two countries.
Shinhan Securities said on the 15th that it co-hosted the ‘Korea-Japan Deep Tech Conference’ on the 13th at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, with UMI Ventures, a Japanese venture capital (VC) firm specializing in materials, parts and equipment.
The event was organized to introduce promising Japanese technology companies to Korea’s industrial sector and investors and to identify practical business and investment opportunities. Around 30 organizations attended, including Korean VCs, asset management firms, securities firms, corporate venture capital (CVC) arms of large conglomerates, research institutes and related organizations.
Japanese deep-tech companies JEPLAN and Tsubame BHB, which presented at the event, introduced their core technologies and growth strategies in resource circulation and next-generation eco-friendly energy, respectively.
JEPLAN is a resource-circulation company with chemical recycling technology that turns waste plastic and clothing back into raw materials. It shared its closed-loop resource-circulation model, which reuses waste as a resource, as well as examples of collaboration with global companies.
Tsubame BHB is developing next-generation green ammonia solutions based on catalyst technology that produces ammonia under low-temperature and low-pressure conditions. It outlined a strategy to expand into carbon-neutrality-related fields, including eco-friendly fertilizers and hydrogen carriers.
The participating organizations showed interest in the two companies’ technological competitiveness as well as business models designed to respond to changes in industrial structures, including carbon neutrality, resource circulation and the energy transition. After the presentations, discussions continued on business cooperation, joint research and development (R&D), and potential strategic investments.
The event also aligns with efforts to establish a fund for joint investment in deep-tech companies from both countries. In August, Shinhan Securities and UMI Ventures signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a ‘cross-border venture fund’ that will jointly invest in Korean and Japanese deep-tech companies.
The two companies are broadening opportunities to connect promising companies and investors in each other’s country by holding conferences in succession in Tokyo and Seoul. Whether this can lead beyond simple technology introductions to concrete cooperation, including joint research, business partnerships and strategic investment, is seen as a challenge going forward.
A Shinhan Securities official said, “Through the two events in Tokyo and Seoul, we confirmed that there is strong demand for cooperation between Korean and Japanese companies in advanced technology fields,” adding, “We will continue to identify business cooperation and investment opportunities between the two countries through regular exchange programs and strengthen our role as a platform connecting the Korea-Japan deep-tech ecosystems.”

[email protected] Kang Jung-mo Reporter