Shinhan Financial Hope Foundation said on Monday it is recruiting startups to participate in the "Shinhan Square Bridge Incheon" program from Jan. 28 to Feb. 23.

Shinhan Square Bridge Incheon is an incubation program in which Shinhan Financial Group, together with Incheon city and Incheon Startup Park, supports the growth of startups with innovative technologies and ideas in deep tech, biotech and ESG value creation.

A total of 361 startups have participated so far, and these companies have raised about 460 billion won in investment.

Companies selected for the final round will receive support to advance their businesses from April through the end of the year, including commercialisation grants, tailored mentoring, links to investments from a dedicated fund, and dedicated office space.

This year, it plans to expand open innovation opportunities such as validating commercialisation potential, linking to fundraising and supporting entry into global markets, in cooperation with Incheon Metropolitan City, the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, Celltrion and others.

An official at Shinhan Financial Hope Foundation said it would identify startups with core industrial technologies and support their growth through a step-by-step incubation program. The official said it would underpin corporate growth and stronger industrial competitiveness based on productive finance.