Jeju International Free City Development Center (Chairman Yang Young-cheol, hereinafter JDC) announced that it will fully launch the '2025 Investment-Consulting Linkage Program' in cooperation with Friend Investment Partners (CEO Shin Jin-cheol), a new technology business finance company, to strengthen the IR capabilities of companies located in Jeju Science and Technology Complex and Route 330 and to provide practical investment attraction opportunities.
In this program, JDC will oversee planning, corporate recruitment, operation, and related resource linkage, while Friend Investment Partners will provide investment and professional consulting of up to 3 billion won.
Through a preliminary briefing session for companies to move in held on March 12, we confirmed the participation of approximately 30 companies, and on March 24, through preliminary consulting with three companies, including Winops (realistic content), Cubism (drones), and Perigee Aerospace (aerospace), we checked the on-site demand and the need for customized support for companies, and confirmed the effectiveness of the program.
JDC is focusing on creating a startup ecosystem that can attract investment within Jeju beyond simple financial support by establishing a multi-layered growth support system through fund investment, joint government R&D attraction, and linkage with related department projects.
Friend Investment Partners is an investment firm with assets under management (AUM) of KRW 340 billion. It will provide practical consulting services such as writing IR materials for participating companies, pitching coaching, and actual presentations, as well as direct investment, to create tangible results.
This program will be operated in parallel as an 'Investment Track' and a 'Consulting Track', and after recruiting participating companies from April 7 to 25, they will undergo document screening and direct investment in excellent companies through IR pitching, mentoring, investment deliberation, and follow-up meetings. In particular, Friend Investment Partners and three other major domestic venture capitals (VCs) will participate in the IR presentation, so participating companies will have networking opportunities with various investors.
Meanwhile, in the pilot program in 2024, four companies including NatureMobility, Dronic, Sheco, and Trento Systems participated in the final IR presentation, and among them, Sheco (CEO Kwon Ki-seong) achieved the result of attracting 1 billion won in investment.
Kim Myeong-jin, managing director of Friend Investment Partners, said, “Through the process of continuously examining and cooperating with companies in the Jeju area together with JDC, we were able to confirm the sufficient potential of these companies’ technological prowess and market expansion potential.” He added, “Through this program, we will connect the growth of promising companies with actual investment and establish a performance-oriented cooperation model through business review and investment linkage.”
Koo Byung-wook, head of JDC’s Industrial Promotion Headquarters, said, “This cooperative program goes beyond a simple investment attraction opportunity and focuses on strengthening the capabilities of resident companies and providing a foundation for growth,” adding, “We will continue to foster a sustainable growth ecosystem for regional startups through collaboration with various private investment organizations.”
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