POSCO Technology Investment Backs Framto for Next-Generation Battery Materials
Original Link : https://www.thebell.co.kr/free/content/ArticleView.asp?key=202506101008372760105394
This article was published on thebell at 10:59 AM on June 10, 2025.
Corporate venture capital (CVC) firm POSCO Technology Investment has invested in Framto Inc., which is developing high-performance current collectors for next-generation batteries. The investment highlights Framto’s efforts to create a new material to replace conventional copper foil (Cu foil), which faces swelling issues.
According to the venture capital industry on the 10th, POSCO Technology Investment recently invested 5 billion KRW in Framto. This funding was executed through POSCO Holdings’ CVC 2nd New Technology Investment Association.
This fund, established in 2023, is a joint investment vehicle created by POSCO Holdings and POSCO Technology Investment, with contributions of 8 billion KRW and 1 billion KRW respectively. The fund is strategically focused on channeling capital into tech and material startups aligned with POSCO Group’s long-term roadmap.
POSCO Technology Investment said that through this investment, it plans to proactively address the development of current collectors for next-generation secondary batteries, particularly solid-state batteries, and to strengthen its portfolio of eco-friendly material ventures. A POSCO Technology Investment official commented:
“We decided to invest in Framto because it is developing a new iron-nickel (Fe-Ni) based material that can overcome the limitations of existing copper foil.”
Solid-state batteries are gaining attention as the next-generation power source, but copper foil—used together with sulfur—has been identified as a factor causing dendrite growth and other technical bottlenecks. This has created strong demand for new materials that can replace copper foil.
Founded in 2022, Framto is developing ultra-thin metallic materials with a thickness of 10 micrometers (µm) that allow electrons to move efficiently inside the battery. These materials are intended for use in next-generation lithium-ion and solid-state batteries.
Framto’s Leadership and Expertise
Framto’s CEO Kim Kisoo earned a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology). He previously worked as a senior researcher at POSLAB, where he led projects developing electronic material forming technologies based on Fe-Ni alloys.
Kim later gained further industry experience as a director at FMM Project, APS Holdings, and as Vice President of Production and Development at Chinese electronic material manufacturer Wason Copper-Foil. Currently, he also serves as an adjunct professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at POSTECH.
Leveraging its expertise in ultra-thin metallic materials, Framto is expanding research not only into next-generation battery current collectors but also into advanced materials and components for secondary batteries, semiconductors, and displays.