On October 7, SYP (Co-CEOs Sungwook Hong and James Kyoungshik Shim), a specialized DeepTech accelerator and technology commercialization firm, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Korea-Québec technology commercialization with Centech, a leading Montreal-based DeepTech incubator, at its Seoul headquarters.

Arranged by the Québec Government Office in Seoul, the agreement was officially signed on-site by Julian Luchessi, Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Centech. Founded in 1996 by the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Centech is ranked among the Top 10 University Business Incubators globally by UBI Global, supporting more than 140 companies annually across sectors such as advanced manufacturing, robotics, MedTech, microelectronics, quantum, and clean tech.

Through this agreement, SYP and Centech aim to move beyond institutional-level exchanges and translate cooperation into concrete business milestones for individual startups:

• For Korean Startups entering Québec/North America: Centech will provide local partner discovery, testbed/Proof of Concept (PoC) infrastructure, and access to local investor and corporate networks.

• For Québec Startups entering Korea/Asia: SYP will provide comprehensive commercialization strategies, intellectual property (IP) protection, fundraising, and connections with major Korean conglomerates and public procurement channels.

The two organizations plan to launch a dedicated matching program between Korean DeepTech startups and Québec partners within the year, expanding into cross-border PoC programs by 2027. They will also pursue joint participation in premier global innovation events such as 'ALL IN' along with technology transfer and co-investment initiatives.

James Kyoungshik Shim, Co-CEO of SYP, noted: "Québec possesses world-class research capabilities centered around AI hubs like Mila, complemented by strong government-backed commercialization support. Through this strategic partnership with Centech, we will establish an actionable two-way bridge that enables outstanding Korean DeepTech startups to validate their technologies in North America, while helping innovative Québec startups successfully scale into Asian markets through Korea."