[Other] Dreaming of a Climate Tech Unicorn, Shin Ye-jin (Carbonsynths)
- Date2025.04.03
- 6338
Today’s Ewha DNA interview features Yejin Shin, leader of “Carbonsynths” a climate tech startup team at Ewha Womans University. We sat down with her to learn about her studies in Climate & Energy Systems Engineering, the Ewha-Asan University Program, and her pioneering work in climate tech. Carbonsynths attracted attention for their innovative ideas and technical prowess, earning the Encouragement Award at the Asan University Demo Day with their greenhouse gas reduction solution for ships. Let’s begin our interview with Yejin Shin (Class of 2027, Department of Climate & Energy Systems Engineering).
Q. Hello! Please introduce yourself briefly.
Hello, I’m Yejin Shin, the leader of Carbonsynths. I am majoring in Climate & Energy Systems Engineering and also pursuing a double major in Chemistry & Nanoscience at Ewha Womans University. From my very first semester at Ewha, I’ve been deeply interested in entrepreneurship and started engaging in startup activities early on. I enjoy stepping beyond the campus and working directly in the market and field, which has led me to gain experience across IT, manufacturing, and social ventures. Building on these experiences, I chose to focus on climate tech entrepreneurship, founding and leading the Carbonsynths.
At Carbonsynths, we are developing a CO₂ capture and conversion solution using artificial photosynthesis technology, with the aim of contributing to carbon neutrality in the shipping industry. Going forward, we hope to leverage the intersection of technology and business to help address the climate crisis.
Q. Could you introduce the climate tech program and the Carbonsynths?
Asan University Program we participated in was launched by the Asan Nanum Foundation to promote climate tech entrepreneurship and foster a startup ecosystem within universities. As its name "UniverCT" suggests—a combination of University and Climate Tech—the program seeks to cultivate young entrepreneurs developing solutions to the climate crisis. In particular, it actively provides mentoring and support to help university students turn their creative ideas into reality.
Carbonsynths was formed through Ewha’s climate tech startup program, and we are developing a carbon capture and conversion device tailored for ships. Although the shipping industry accounts for about 3% of global CO₂ emissions, there is still a lack of effective carbon reduction solutions. We are working to solve this issue by developting innovative carbon reduction technologies based on artificial photosynthesis, aiming to contribute to decarbonizing the maritime sector. Through this program, we benefited from expert mentoring and gained deeper insights into the industrial potential of climate tech. We were also honored to present our technology and vision at the Asan University Demo Day, where we received the Encouragement Award.
Q. What are your future goals?
Recently, we were selected as one of the Asan University alumni teams and will receive continued support, which we plan to leverage to further develop our business. Since we are pursuing a technology-driven climate business, our primary focus through 2025 will be on R&D and strengthening our technical capabilities to build a solid foundation.
Although Carbonsynths is still at an early stage, we’ve come this far thanks to the unwavering trust and generous support of our mentors and startup program managers. Moving forward, we aim to pay back by enhancing the technical quality of our solutions and establishing a stable business, ultimately achieving meaningful outcomes in the climate tech field. The road ahead will not be easy, but just as we have done so far, we will continue to embrace challenges and pursue growth, striving to develop into a company that contributes, even in a small way, to solving the climate crisis.