Sopung Ventures (CEO Sangyeop Han) , a specialized climate tech investment firm, has been selected as a specialized climate tech operator under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' newly introduced TIPS program. With this selection, Sopung Ventures plans to actively pursue the discovery and growth of early-stage domestic climate tech startups over the next two years.
TIPS is a public-private partnership startup support program where private investors make preemptive investments in promising technology startups, and the government provides R&D and commercialization funding. This year, investment firms with regional and global expertise, including climate technology, have been selected as specialized TIPS operators, accelerating the development of future innovative companies.
Sopung Ventures has focused its investments on climate-related startups over the past decade, focusing on carbon neutrality, resource recycling, sustainable agriculture, and eco-friendly energy. Building on this experience, Sopung Ventures has discovered and invested in over 60 climate tech startups. Furthermore, more than half of the startups selected for TIPS through Sopung Venture have climate tech-related expertise, solidifying its position as a leading climate tech investor in Korea. With this specialized operating company designation, Sopung Ventures will provide systematic support to high-potential climate tech startups, including growth roadmap design, expert mentoring, and industry value chain-based business strategy consulting, in addition to TIPS funding.
Recently, the government and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups have announced a series of initiatives to address the pressing challenges of carbon neutrality and the transition to renewable energy, as well as to achieve sustainable economic growth. These initiatives include the "Energy Highway Construction and Climate Tech Industry Fostering" and the "Climate Tech Innovation Startup Level-Up Strategy." The selection of TIPS as a specialized climate tech operator is also seen as a reflection of this policy commitment.
Sopung Ventures plans to focus on discovering innovative startups across the entire industrial ecosystem and supporting their global expansion, focusing on the five key climate tech sectors defined by the government (clean, carbon, eco, food, and geotech). This initiative is expected to contribute to securing domestic startups' competitiveness on the international stage amidst the global decarbonization transition, driven by the expansion of ESG management and increased participation in RE100.
Sangyeop Han, CEO of Sopung Ventures, said, “Climate tech startups face realistic challenges such as long technology development cycles and financial burdens, so connecting with R&D through TIPS is essential.” He added, “Based on Sopung Ventures’ expertise, we will do our best to foster innovative climate tech venture startups, accelerate carbon neutrality, and create Korea’s first global climate tech unicorn.”
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