New Paradigm Investment, a specialized accelerator for startups (startup planner), announced its major investment performance for 2024 along with its plans for new and follow-up investments in startups for 2025 on the 19th.
New Paradigm invested a total of 6 billion won in 14 startups, executing 2.1 billion won in new investments in 6 corporations and 3.9 billion won in follow-up investments in 8 corporations last year.
▲ Vincen, ▲ As We Make, and ▲ Medical AI received follow-up investments of over 10 billion won each, while ▲ Open Plan (4.6 billion won), ▲ Next Payments (4.3 billion won), ▲ Resol (4 billion won), and ▲ Korea Bio (3.4 billion won) secured a total of 39.5 billion won in follow-up investments, bringing the cumulative total of follow-up investment to 70.3 billion won. New Paradigm's target for follow-up investments in 2025 is 90 billion won.
Following BlueMTec, a representative nurturing corporation that successfully went public (IPO) at the end of 2023, Medical AI, invested in by the 1st fund, has selected Korea Investment & Securities as its lead manager and is pushing for an IPO by the end of this year.
New Paradigm noted that in 2024, all 8 corporations recommended in the startup investment and nurturing program 'TIPS' (Technology Incubator Program for Startups), which is supported by the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Startups, were selected, achieving the top-level selection record for TIPS in Korea. A total of 34 corporations have been selected so far, and this year, the goal is to select more than 10 new corporations for TIPS.
A customized scale-up (growth) program tailored to the growth stages of startups will also be expanded further. Currently, the scale-up program is operating in 5 key areas: ▲ Investment, ▲ Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tech, ▲ IPO, ▲ Enhancing Member Competencies, and ▲ Synergy, with plans to increase from 5 times in 2023 to 9 times in 2024 and over 14 times in 2025.
In particular, New Paradigm plans to establish a new fund for exclusive investments and follow-up investments with a scale of 10 billion won this year, continuing to expand investments in its portfolio companies and support for scale-up. By consecutively establishing investment funds for follow-up investments, it aims to support the rapid growth of previously invested portfolio corporations through value-up and scale-up.
Park Je-hyun, CEO of New Paradigm, stated, "The target for cumulative follow-up investment this year is 90 billion won," adding, "We plan to execute around 8 billion won through new investments and follow-up co-investments in more than 16 promising startups. Our goal is to nurture more than 20 baby unicorn corporations by 2027."