The Suhyup Bank (President Shin Hak-ki) and the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST, President Jeon Jae-woo) have jointly implemented a startup and export support project, which is gaining attention as a new model for fostering marine and fisheries startups and venture companies. Last year, Suhyup Bank contributed KRW 500 million to the mutual growth cooperation fund, and KIMST operated it through a tailored support program for marine and fisheries startups and ventures, selecting and supporting 11 promising marine and fisheries companies. The industry showed keen interest, as evidenced by the high competition rate of 8.7 to 1, and the program raised expectations with systematic support from startup to overseas expansion, including market research, promotion and marketing, and new buyer discovery.

The most significant achievement of this project is the expansion of entry into overseas markets. Led by the KRW 8.7 billion overseas expansion of the seafood platform company The Pirates Co., Ltd., the total export performance of beneficiary companies exceeded KRW 10 billion. Companies such as 'Seawolf Marine Co., Ltd.', a manufacturer of life jackets for ships and leisure, and 'Coconut Silo', a dry port logistics platform company, also succeeded in securing new contracts in the Asian and European markets through this program.

The investment attraction achievements of startup companies in the fisheries sector are also notable. 'AD Fisheries', a company specializing in whiteleg shrimp and smart aquafarm equipment, secured an investment of KRW 1.98 billion, laying the groundwork for business expansion. The smart aquaculture solution and seafood sales platform company Tidepool Co., Ltd. is concretizing the commercialization of 'AI-based smart aquaculture' in collaboration with a subsidiary of GS Construction.

This project is evaluated as a public-private cooperation model that aligns with the new government's core national task of 'fostering SMEs to leap globally'. Particularly, as the marine and fisheries industry is a future growth industry, the influx of young talent and the activation of technology-based startups are key elements to enhancing the sustainability of the industrial ecosystem. This project is expected to be a model case where the public and private sectors cooperate to create a virtuous cycle.

A representative from Suhyup Bank stated, "Activating startups and ventures is the key to opening the future of the marine and fisheries industry," and added, "Suhyup Bank will fulfill its responsibility as a partner for the sustainable development of the industrial ecosystem."

A KIMST representative also emphasized, "As the linkage effect with private funds has been proven, we will continue to discover various cooperation models for the sustainability and expansion of the project."

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