SBJ Bank, Kiraboshi Bank co-host event

Local financial network tapped to aid Japan entry

22 Korean startups take part

Officials from SBJ Bank, Kiraboshi Bank and participating startups pose for a group photo at the Shinhan Futures Lab Japan Demo Day, held in Tokyo on Wednesday. [Shinhan Financial Group]
Officials from SBJ Bank, Kiraboshi Bank and participating startups pose for a group photo at the Shinhan Futures Lab Japan Demo Day, held in Tokyo on Wednesday. [Shinhan Financial Group]

Shinhan Financial Group has leveraged its financial network in Japan to help domestic startups attract investment and build business partnerships there.

The group announced Thursday that SBJ Bank, the local subsidiary of Shinhan Bank, co-hosted the Shinhan Futures Lab Japan Demo Day with Kiraboshi Bank in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Twenty-two Korean startups took part in the event, including companies nurtured through the Shinhan Futures Lab program. About 500 people attended, among them representatives from Japanese companies, venture capital firms, local startups and accelerators.

Participating startups showcased their technology and services at investor relations presentations and exhibition booths. The event also featured a panel discussion on cooperation between the Korean and Japanese startup ecosystems, followed by a networking session.

The startups shared their business models and explored potential investment and partnership opportunities with local companies and investors. Kiraboshi Bank's involvement — built on its established ties with small and medium-sized enterprises in the Greater Tokyo area — also expanded opportunities for the startups to identify local clients and business partners.

Shinhan Financial launched Shinhan Futures Lab Japan in late 2022 to step up support for Korean startups entering the Japanese market. The following year, Shinhan Venture Investment co-established the Shinhan-GB FutureFlow Fund with Japanese venture capital firm Global Brain, committing about 5 billion yen ($31.5 million) to build an investment platform.

"We will use our local financial network and investment capabilities to help Korean startups find real business opportunities and grow overseas," a Shinhan Financial official said.


forest@heraldcorp.com