ACE Inventor was designated a TECH Valley company by the Korea Technology Finance Corporation on 11 January 2024, securing guarantees worth 2 billion won — extended against the assessed value of its technology rather than against collateral.

For a manufacturer with few assets and a factory ahead of it, that route is close to the only one available. The assessment centred on the company's hydrogel solar cell manufacturing technology.

The guarantees went straight into plant. A site in Hwaseong was taken that April, laminators and inspection equipment followed over the next year, and a 50 MW line was standing by March 2025.

The relationship with KIBO widened in steps thereafter: a Value-Up designation in July 2024, direct investment in May 2025 and integrated support that July.

ACE Inventor Inc., founded in November 2022, develops ultra-lightweight building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) modules. Its core technologies are a water-based hydrogel electrolyte membrane, electrophoretic large-area flexible electrode coating, and ultra-lightweight curved module design using FRP and ETFE composites. The company operates a 50 MW annual production line in Paltan-myeon, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, and holds KS C 8577 BIPV module certification together with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. Its patent portfolio includes seven registered Korean patents and one registered US patent, with 23 applications filed in Korea and abroad. Contact info@aceivt.com · www.aceivt.com

Related coverage and sources

· Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy and Innovation — climate tech startups