HB Investment Fosters 18 Scale-up TIPS Companies

HB Investment Unveils Innovative Achievements of 'Scale-up TIPS' Delta Team... Followed by KOSDAQ Listing Successes HB Investment, as the operator of the second phase of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' core support program, 'Scale-up TIPS', is drawing attention from the venture ecosystem by announcing brilliant interim results achieved through its Delta Team consortium. Scale-up TIPS is a public-private partnership program where the private sector and the government collaborate to accelerate the growth of promising startups. If a private investor makes an upfront investment of 1 billion KRW or more, the government provides matching support with up to 1.2 billion KRW in R&D funds and up to 2 billion KRW in equity investment over three years, thereby providing growth momentum. In this project, now in its fourth year, HB Investment is demonstrating unique capabilities. It has recommended a cumulative total of 23 companies, achieving a high success rate with 18 of them being selected, and has also successfully secured two government matching investments. This proves HB Investment's excellent expertise across the entire process, from company discovery to growth support. In particular, HB Investment formed the 'Delta Team' consortium with NVC Partners and Jihyun Strategic Consulting, establishing a full-cycle growth support system encompassing investment, R&D, commercialization, and global expansion. Close-knit consulting, led by dedicated coordinators, jointly designs technology development and commercialization milestones for companies, leading to substantial growth. As a result, remarkable success stories are continuously emerging. Notably, three companies – NJET, a semiconductor and display manufacturing equipment company; Coreline Soft, an AI medical imaging analysis company; and Lumir, an aerospace satellite imagery specialist – have successfully listed on KOSDAQ, showcasing the Delta Team's power. Eeso (semiconductor process sensors) and Glugen Therapeutics (AAV gene therapy), among others, are also growing into technology companies that will lead the future. Healthcare companies such as Ipsel, Onheal, Arpy, Morpheus, Oncosoft, AITRICS, and Monitor Corporation are also actively pursuing sales growth and overseas expansion, contributing to strengthening the global competitiveness of Korea's bio-industry. In particular, Lumir and Ipsel established a collaborative relationship through Delta Team networking, creating synergy by being selected as joint research institutions for the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'Innovative Project for Overcoming Medical Challenges'. HB Investment is maximizing synergy among companies through organic networking. It has regularized 'Delta Team Meetup Days' to foster technology sharing and R&D collaboration among companies, with 8 companies including NJET and Lumir participating in the 1st meetup in 2023, and 15 companies including Ipsel and Oncosoft participating in the 2nd meetup in 2024, maintaining active exchanges. Furthermore, it actively participates in over 10 global networking events, including Boston/New York meetups, FlyAsia, GSAT, and G-Invest Forums, establishing footholds for its portfolio companies to expand overseas. Moving forward, HB Investment plans to further drive the growth of the domestic venture ecosystem by expanding recommendations for global-type Scale-up TIPS companies, focusing investments on national strategic technologies such as AI, bio, materials, components, and equipment, and establishing new global investor matching programs. CEO Hwang Yu-sun stated, "Scale-up TIPS is not a structure that unilaterally supports portfolio companies, but rather a win-win program where we deliberate together and design growth directions," adding, "HB Investment will accompany our portfolio companies throughout their entire growth process as strategic partners and lead the development of the domestic venture ecosystem."