Joint Venture Croatia: How Impulsima Helped a South Korean Investor Find a JV Partner in Croatia

Introduction: Finding a Joint Venture Partner in Croatia

Foreign companies entering the Croatian market face several challenges, such as access to information, finding qualified partners, and limited access to decision-makers.
This case study explains how Impulsima supported MECEN IPC in identifying and evaluating joint venture partners in Croatia.

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A Foreign Investor Needed a JV Partner in Croatia

MECEN IPC is a South Korean industrial company with 35 years of expertise in PET bottle waste recycling, PET-to-PSF production, and advanced polymer processing technologies.

MECEN IPC required:

• A Croatian partner with specific production capabilities
  
  
• A business and financial feasibility assessment for a joint venture
  
  
• Local insight into regulations, permits, and market players
  
  
• Screening of potential joint venture partner profiles
  
  
• Access to decision-makers in Croatia

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The Challenge

Foreign companies face three main barriers when entering Croatia:

1. No public database of JV-ready companies

No centralised marketplace exists for Croatian JV interest. Data is fragmented and impartial.

2. Highly localised business culture

Finding real decision-makers requires trust, relationships, and understanding the local industrial ecosystem.

3. Complex regulatory and operational environment

Waste permits, land availability, environmental compliance, and sourcing of specific raw materials needed for production require deep local knowledge and access to information.

MECEN found a partner that could map the entire landscape, pre-qualify companies, and facilitate high-level dialogues — all discreetly and professionally.

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Our Approach

Impulsima designed a four-pillar engagement model specifically for foreign investors entering Croatia.

1. Market Intelligence Blueprint (Built from Zero)

We developed a proprietary research framework including:

• Screening of PET, PE, textile, and geotextile manufacturers
  
  
• Mapping of waste handlers, recyclers, and permitted facilities
  
  
• Analysis of SudReg, financials, NKD codes, and Digitalna Komora
  
  
• Identifying companies with land, permits, or expansion potential
  
  
• On-the-ground verification (site visits, local interviews)
  
  

This produced the first JV-oriented PET ecosystem map of Croatia.

2. Partner Screening & Suitability Evaluation

We evaluated dozens of companies using a JV suitability matrix:

Fit criteria:

• PET waste sourcing capability
  
  
• Existing recycling / sorting operations
  
  
• Textile/Padding/PSF applications
  
  
• Available industrial land & facility capacity
  
  
• Financial health & governance
  
  
• Reputation and operational credibility
  
  
• Strategic openness to JV or equity restructuring
  
  

This led to a high-quality shortlist of realistic partners.

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3. Executive Outreach & Relationship Building

Impulsima secured conversations with:

• CEOs
  
  
• Managing Directors
  
  
• Production Directors
  
  
• Waste management leaders
  
  
• Owners and founders
  
  

Including site visits, plant tours, and private executive meetings.

We produced:

• Meeting reports
  
  
• Fit/Risk evaluation
  
  
• Decision-making insights
  
  
• Red-flag assessment
  
  

This gave MECEN the kind of practical clarity no report alone can deliver.

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4. Strategic Advisory & JV Pathway Design

Throughout the engagement, we advised MECEN on:

• Local business culture
  
  
• Negotiation strategy
  
  
• JV structuring considerations
  
  
• Incentives and regulatory pathways
  
  
• Risk mitigation
  
  
• Expected timelines and bottlenecks
  
  

We acted not only as researchers, but as their trusted strategic partner.

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Solution: Impulsima’s JV Partner Search & Market Entry Framework

We delivered the full spectrum of JV facilitation services:

Market intelligence and industry mapping

We researched PET, recycling, manufacturing, and waste sectors in Croatia to find companies suited for a joint venture investment.

Screening of Croatian companies

Using our JV assessment matrix, we evaluated companies.

Executive outreach and meeting facilitation

We engaged CEOs and decision-makers, arranged calls, site visits, and meetings.

Strategic advisory for JV decision-making

We provided MECEN with:

• Fit analysis
• Risk assessment
• Investment feasibility considerations
• Next steps for JV formation in Croatia
  

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Impact: A Clear Path to a Joint Venture in Croatia

Impulsima delivered:

1. A vetted list of JV-ready companies

Companies with:

• Waste management permits
  
  
• PET handling capabilities
  
  
• Industrial land
  
  
• Existing infrastructure ready for expansion
  
  
• Documented interest in JV or equity sale
  
  

This dramatically accelerated MECEN’s market entry.

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2. Eliminated months of risk and uncertainty

By filtering out unsuitable or unreliable companies, Impulsima protected MECEN from:

• Misaligned partners
  
  
• Companies exaggerating capabilities
  
  
• Bureaucratic dead-ends
  
  
• Hidden financial or legal issues

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3. Built trust, access, and relationships where none existed

MECEN gained direct access to the real decision-makers.

• Access to owners and executives
  
  
• Site-level intelligence (infrastructure, land, permits)
  
  

4. Delivered a clear market-entry roadmap

MECEN now has:

• Defined partner candidates
  
  
• Strategic insight on alignment
  
  
• Infrastructure and site-scale understanding
  
  
• Realistic investment and operational assumptions
  
  
• A trusted advisory partner in Croatia
  

• Reduced risk and faster progress
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Why Impulsima is the Best Partner for Joint Ventures in Croatia

Local depth that international investors cannot access alone

We know the companies, their history, their leaders, and what they’re realistically capable of.

We deliver intelligence that is not public anywhere

No database holds this information — but our network does.

We open doors

Directly to CEOs, owners, and decision-makers.

We reduce risk

You won’t lose time or money pursuing the wrong partner.

We guide you through the full JV lifecycle

From scouting → screening → negotiation → advisory.

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If your company is considering expanding into Croatia, exploring manufacturing partnerships, or seeking a joint venture, Impulsima provides the expertise, network, and strategic guidance to make it successful.

We apply a similar methodology in lower-capex, but execution-critical contexts, such as helping growing technology companies select software development partners aligned with their industry, customers, and growth stage.