SUWON — Gyeonggi Province said on the 20th that investment consultations worth 50.2 billion won ($35 million) took place at the 2026 Gyeonggi Climate Tech Conference.
The event ran from the 15th to the 16th at the Gyeonggi Convergence Town in Suwon under the theme "Carbon Neutrality Through Climate Tech, the Future of the Energy Transition." It drew about 1,647 participants, including climate tech companies, investment firms and industry experts.
The province organized the conference to showcase innovative technologies developed by climate tech firms and to broaden their access to investment and overseas markets.
On the first day, the province held a climate tech competition and a pitch contest for its carbon-neutral fund. Ipps, which holds artificial intelligence optical sensor technology for sorting and collecting recyclable materials, won the top prize in the competition.
Pilerneer and C&C Instrument received excellence awards, while Recum, Omni System and Crocus won encouragement awards. Firms taking the top and excellence prizes will receive follow-up support linked to the province's 2027 climate tech demonstration program.
In the carbon-neutral fund pitch contest, Enerich took the top prize in the early-stage category and Nanu won in the growth-stage category. Enerich develops multilayer porous structures for producing green hydrogen through water electrolysis. Nanu holds technology for eco-friendly coated pulp containers and packaging that replace single-use plastics.
A meeting of the Climate Tech Alliance Council was held the same day. Twenty officials from partner organizations and companies attended, including the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, Kiwoom Investment and the Gyeonggi Environment & Energy Promotion Agency. Participants discussed ways to help climate tech firms attract investment and expand abroad.
The opening ceremony on the 16th was attended by National Assembly member Park Jeong, Gyeonggi provincial council member Lee Hong-geun, the heads of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and the head of Apple Korea. Ambassadors and officials from nine countries, including Spain, Belgium and Malaysia, also took part.
In a keynote speech, Lee Chang-hoon, civilian chair of the National Committee on Climate Crisis Response, stressed the need for cooperation between the central government and Gyeonggi Province on the energy transition. Darren Tan, chief financial and risk officer at the Green Climate Fund, outlined the role public funding should play in the energy transition in the age of artificial intelligence.
The governor's commendation went to companies that contributed to the growth of the climate tech industry. Recipients were Poen, which remanufactures batteries, Oape, which develops biodegradable plastics, and MarinaChain, which has developed technology for monitoring carbon emissions from ships.
The province also held the Gyeonggi Climate Tech 100 Summit, sharing the results of 100 climate tech companies it has nurtured since 2024. A launch ceremony for the Climate Tech 100 Network was held at the event, creating a basis for continued exchange among the companies.
At seminars and showcases, leading firms presented growth strategies and cases of technology adoption. A briefing on overseas expansion covered industrial and investment conditions in North America, Asia and Africa, along with strategies for entering those markets.
"This event was a place to share what climate tech companies nurtured over the past three years have achieved, and to connect investors with businesses," said Byun Sang-gi, director of the province's climate and environment policy division. "We will continue our support so that companies with strong technologies can establish themselves in the market and move onto the global stage."