AP Systems, Gravity Ventures launch deep tech fund for materials and equipment startups
What's the deal? AP SystemsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has formed an open-innovation investment fund with venture capital firm Gravity VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the South Korean equipment maker said on September 8. The vehicle, named the "Gravity-AP Systems Open Innovation Investment Fund No. 1," targets deep tech and materials, parts, and equipment startups.
How it works: Gravity Ventures will handle sourcing, investment screening, execution, and post-investment management. AP Systems will provide technical review and business cooperation.
The fund focuses on startups it can link to AP Systems' existing and new businesses. Cooperation extends beyond capital to proof-of-concept testing, joint development, and supply-chain integration.
What's the endgame? Priority areas include advanced laser and optics, advanced semiconductor packaging and back-end solutions, AI-based smart manufacturing, AI-based optical inspection, physical AI and robot-driven factory automation, and new materials for defence and medical uses. Portfolio companies get access to AP Systems' manufacturing infrastructure and industrial network for validation, field application, and mass production.
Why now? AP Systems is expanding into semiconductor equipment, targeting a 30% revenue share from that business by 2030. Securing early access to industry-ready technology supports that shift.
The signal: Corporate-VC tie-ups are becoming a favoured route for Korean manufacturers to lock in supply-chain innovation early. Gravity Ventures, which invests in deep tech, semiconductor materials, and physical AI, ran a startup incubation programme called "Gravity Pools" in the first half of this year — a sign of the pipeline feeding funds like this one.
Read more: thelec.kr
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
