Busan startup Newraizon becomes first city firm to earn Korea Credit Guarantee Fund's 'Innovation Icon' designation

The Busan city government announced Monday that Newraizon, a deep tech startup it has been nurturing under the city's flagship "Bunicon" program, has been named to the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund's 16th cohort of Innovation Icon companies — the first Busan-based firm to receive the designation since the program launched in 2019. Newraizon was one of only four companies selected nationwide, a recognition of its technological competitiveness and growth potential.

The city and its investment arm, the Busan Technology Startup Investment Institute, selected Newraizon and nine other companies as Bunicon firms this year, providing follow-on support tailored to each company's growth stage — including commercialization funding, investor matchmaking and a dedicated Bunicon pavilion at FLY ASIA 2026. The Innovation Icon program, run by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, identifies companies with proprietary technology and innovative business models — evaluated on technological innovation, growth potential and revenue-generating capacity — and supports their development into global unicorn companies.

Selected companies receive financial support over three years, including credit guarantees of up to 20 billion won ($14.7 million) at a minimum guarantee fee rate of 0.5 percent and guarantee-linked investment of up to 3 billion won, as well as non-financial support covering overseas expansion and technology and patent advisory services. Of the 79 companies selected through the 15th cohort, four have grown into unicorns valued at 1 trillion won or more, and 13 have achieved Kosdaq listings.

Founded in Busan in 2020, Newraizon is a deep tech company that develops and manufactures air-filtration materials used in semiconductor cleanrooms and AI data centers. Built on its proprietary nanomaterial platform Durafiltex, the company has developed 50-nanometer ultrafine fiber technology that reduces average pressure loss by about 30 percent and increases dust-holding capacity by 1.5 times compared with conventional glass-fiber air-filtration filters, while enabling the fibers to be produced in large-area filter sheets.

On the strength of that technology, Newraizon won the Prime Minister's Award at Nano Korea 2026 this year, and related research was published in an international academic journal. Revenue surged from 1 billion won in 2023 to 10.2 billion won in 2025, and the company has secured cumulative investment of 33.4 billion won, sustaining a steep growth trajectory. It currently supplies products to LX Semicon and Posco Future M, and plans to expand into AI data center and overseas advanced-industry markets.