GTS Advisory Inc. is pleased to announce the signing of a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SYP Co., Ltd., a technology commercialization firm and accelerator designated by the Korean government, and ITWORKS JAPAN Co., Ltd. (ITWJP), which functions as SYP's Japan branch, to promote Japan-Korea cross-border business. In conjunction with this partnership, Masahiro Kimura, CEO of GTS Advisory, has been appointed as [Director, Senior Executive Advisor, and Head of Japan Strategy] at SYP, newly establishing a "Joint Desk" system that enables rapid and meticulous collaboration between the companies.
■ Background and Purpose of the MOU
In recent years, expectations for the cross-border expansion of deep-tech and promising startups, as well as technological cooperation between local governments in Japan and Korea, have grown rapidly. In this context, what is required is not merely business matching, but the "execution capability" to dig deep into on-site issues. By perfectly combining ITWJP's advanced technical verification capabilities and SYP's commercialization support know-how—covering everything from tech transfer to fundraising—GTS Advisory has established the strongest Japan-Korea innovation ecosystem that seamlessly connects technology, strategy, and public-private sectors.
■ Significance of CEO Kimura's Appointment and the "Joint Desk" System
This partnership goes beyond a mere written agreement. With CEO Kimura directly serving as a director of SYP and driving the business from within via the "Joint Desk" system, we achieve the "Mirror Image" effect—where a Japanese executive operates in Korea and a Korean executive operates in Japan, mutually complementing each other.
As a "Maestro" connecting the dots, Kimura's strategic vision and on-site passion, which have directly linked top-level executives in both countries, will now be directly integrated with the specialized resources of SYP and ITWJP, delivering unprecedented speed and certainty to our clients.
■ About Our Partners SYP Co., Ltd.
A "Commercialization Specialized Company" designated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and an "Accelerator" designated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in South Korea. With over 43 professionals including patent attorneys and appraisers, SYP provides full-cycle support from tech transfer to commercialization. As an operator of "Start-up TIPS" and "Scale-up TIPS," they offer robust fundraising support and boast a track record of 350 tech transfers and 500 commercialization consulting cases.
ITWORKS JAPAN Co., Ltd. (ITWJP)
A professional firm leading the Japanese expansion of Korean deep-tech startups and telecom infrastructure technologies, functioning as SYP's Japan branch. As an official partner of KOTRA and GDIN, they possess world-class technical verification and tech-sales capabilities.
■ Future Outlook and Value to Clients
This partnership consolidates cutting-edge technologies from Japan and Korea, a strong private and municipal network, and fundraising capabilities into a single entity. Moving forward, we will maximize this powerful framework to vigorously promote public-led projects connecting Korean R&D hubs like Daedeok Innopolis with Japanese municipalities (Track A), and private-led businesses supporting the cross-border expansion of promising startups (Track B). GTS Advisory will continue to provide elevated "hands-on" value, guiding clients to assured success from strategic planning to practical, on-site support for Japan-Korea business.