Ecopro Group's venture capital firm Ecopro Partners is expanding its investment scope while growing in size. In addition to its existing core areas such as battery, bio, and eco-friendly industries, it is accelerating investments in future mobility in partnership with Hyundai Motor.
According to the industry on the 17th, the assets under management (AUM) operated by Ecopro Partners have doubled to approximately 223.2 billion won within a year. Ecopro Partners has consistently increased its operating scale since its establishment in July 2020, with the AUM exceeding 100 billion won for the first time in the first quarter of last year.
Earlier this year, a 50 billion won 'KDB Mobility-Lithium Battery Open Innovation Fund' was formed. This is the largest fund established by Ecopro Partners, and it is working with Hyundai Motor Securities to raise capital.
This fund focuses not only on batteries but also on investments in future mobility. Ecopro plans to discover promising corporations in the powertrain sector (including engines and transmissions), where Hyundai Motor Group has strengths, in addition to its expertise in batteries. In particular, it seems likely to concentrate on technologies related to electric vehicle powertrains and battery applications.
So far, it has continued investments in corporations in the fields of battery, bio, eco-friendly, and software. Most of these are local corporations, with notable investments including SungEel HiTech (waste battery recycling), MinTech (battery inspection and diagnosis), Soul Material (electric vehicle thermal management materials), and Hanjung C&S (water-cooled ESS cooling systems).
Ecopro Partners has gained attention as Lee Yeon-soo, the daughter of Lee Dong-chae, founder and CEO of Ecopro, joined as an initial investment officer. Born in 1991, Lee was promoted to executive director at the end of 2023 from her position on the board and is leading major fund investments as the Deputy Minister.
The eldest son, Lee Seung-hwan, executive director born in 1989, was promoted to executive director two years after becoming an executive director at the end of last year. He is serving as the head of the future strategy division, leading Ecopro's new businesses. Though the equity stakes of Lee Yeon-soo and Lee Seung-hwan in Ecopro are 0.14% and 0.11%, respectively, they are the largest shareholders, each holding a 30% stake in the family company Daisy Partners, which is the second-largest shareholder with a 4.81% share.