Dozens of small and medium-sized biopharma and biotech companies seek Japanese partnerships
The Korean bio startups pavilion at Bio Japan 2025 in Yokohama, Japan (Kan Hyeong-woo/The Korea Herald) YOKOHAMA, Japan — Korea’s small and medium-sized biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies went all out this week looking for business opportunities to expand their global reach at Bio Japan 2025.
Dozens of Korean firms took part as exhibitors and business partners at the 39th Bio Japan, Asia’s largest biotechnology and biopharmaceutical exhibition, held from Wednesday to Friday in Yokohama, Japan.
Held at the Pacifico Yokohama under the theme of regenerative medicine and health technology, this year’s event is estimated to have drawn over 18,000 attendees from more than 30 countries, with about 1,100 exhibitors and 24,000 partnering meetings throughout the week, according to the organizers.
Besides the big players such as Samsung Biologics and Lotte Biologics, both of which are contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, a number of startups and medium-sized companies sought new networks and business opportunities with their Japanese counterparts.
“We already took part in the (BIO International Convention in Boston in June), but Bio Japan is a different scene,” said an executive at a Korean biotechnology company, Wednesday.
“We are more inclined to search for R&D partnerships (at Bio Japan 2025), whereas we were looking more for business deals at the US event.”
The Korea Institute of Toxicology, a government-funded research institute, organized the K-Startup BIO pavilion at the Japan event, hosting about 30 companies in cooperation with the Gyeongbuk Technopark and Chungbuk Technopark — two state-run innovation centers in Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province and North Chungcheong Province, respectively.
Noting that this was his firm’s first time participating, another executive at a Korean bio startup pointed out the need for Korean firms to expand presence in Japan, where biopharmaceutical technology is well established and the sector is bigger than at home.
“Startups like us need more exposure on a global level as we look to grow,” he said. “Bio Japan 2025 is the perfect opportunity for us because we did not have any ties here. We’ve had some inquiries about our solutions, so we plan to review them and reach out once we get back to Korea.”
During an investor relations session on Thursday, six Korean companies presented their technologies to venture capitalists and accelerators from the US, the UK and Japan.
The companies include ProAbtech, a platform provider for developing long-acting biopharmaceuticals; ShiftBio, a next-generation therapeutics developer using natural nanoparticles and an artificial intelligence-based platform; CUePEAK Bio, an atopic dermatitis precision medicine maker; Exollence, a developer of an extracellular vesicle-based drug delivery platform; SML Biopharm, a developer of proprietary messenger ribonucleic acid platforms and lipid nanoparticle delivery technologies; and SeaWith, a developer of seaweed-based technology for producing lab-grown meat.
“Amid the growing global recognition of K-bio technologies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, state-funded research institutes have been taking the lead in promoting and commercializing these innovations,” said Her Jeong-doo, head of the KIT.
“Building on this momentum, we expect the (investor relations) event to create tangible outcomes leading to global business.”
The Korean bio startups pavilion at Bio Japan 2025 in Yokohama, Japan (Kan Hyeong-woo/The Korea Herald) hwkan@heraldcorp.com