On the 4th, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups announced that it will hold the '2025 Climate Tech Startup Summit' in partnership with Kakao Impact and SoPOong Ventures as an official affiliated event of the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises at International Convention Center Jeju, Samda Hall.
The Climate Tech Startup Summit, which started in 2022, has been held annually in Jeju since 2023 with co-hosting by Kakao Impact and SoPOong Ventures, marking its fourth year this year. Over the past three years, more than 284 participants from 166 organizations have made it the largest climate AI specialized summit in the country.
This summit will bring together about 150 participants, including innovative startups in the climate tech sector, global investors, major corporations, government officials, and policy experts, to discuss system transitions to effectively address the climate crisis through the integration of AI and climate tech.
Beginning with the keynote speech by Park Seong-hyun, CEO of the AI semiconductor unicorn Rebellions, on the topic 'Reconstructing climate AI technology for a sustainable future', discussions will delve into ▲ trends related to the climate crisis ▲ the flow of climate-related capital ▲ support policies for climate tech startups ▲ the composition of a technological ecosystem for climate in the era of generative AI.
Additionally, promising climate tech startups and investment institutions from both domestic and international arenas will participate en masse to introduce global investment trends and examples of policy cooperation, as well as engage in in-depth discussions on the commercialization possibilities of technologies linked to each country's climate response strategies. This will lay the groundwork for Korean startups to enter overseas markets and strengthen connections with the global climate tech ecosystem alongside APEC.
Ryu Seok-young, director of Kakao Impact, noted, 'In order for developing AI technology to contribute to solving the climate crisis as a 'Tech for Good', a multilateral consolidation among experts is necessary,' and expressed hope that the summit would become a venue for exchange among diverse stakeholders, concretizing the potential for change.
Han Sang-yeob, CEO of SoPOong Ventures, said, 'The integration of AI and climate tech opens up new possibilities that can lead to changes in regulations, markets, and investments beyond technological innovation,' and expressed hope that this summit would serve as a stepping stone for climate tech startups to grow in the global market and seek concrete cooperation models.
Minister Han Seong-suk stated, 'I hope this Climate Tech Startup Summit will serve as an opportunity to promote joint research, investment, and talent exchange among APEC member countries, resulting in tangible outcomes,' and added, 'The Ministry will continue to support the creation of the climate tech startup ecosystem so that climate tech startups can gain global competitiveness.'