[SeoulTech x IT Donga Joint Planning] The Early Startup Package Support Project (hereinafter referred to as Early Startup Package) is a major startup support initiative by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, aimed at fostering the growth of promising startups in their first to third years. The Startup Support Group at Seoul National University of Science and Technology is aiding the growth and development of early-stage companies as the main institution for the 2025 Early Startup Package. IT Donga, in collaboration with the Startup Support Group at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, examines the promising startups that are currently growing.

Embedded systems are making new strides by integrating with technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). They have established themselves as a key driver leading the intelligence and high value-added transformation of the nation's core industries. However, the situation is different in South Korea. Most of the core components and technical support are dependent on overseas sources, hindering innovation. The shortage of development personnel needed for embedded system development is also a challenge to be addressed.

Given this situation, small and medium-sized enterprises with constraints on time and cost investment find it difficult to develop even a single innovative hardware product. To solve these industry-wide issues, a startup has proposed an embedded module and no-code hardware development environment under the direction of Physical AI. Established in 2024, Nucode is a materials, parts, and equipment (SoBuJang) company that develops wireless communication embedded system modules and software.



Nucode is a company that designs and manufactures modules necessary for the Internet of Things (IoT). It proposes a platform that makes it easy to develop embedded systems, which have high entry barriers. The goal is to provide a development environment where even non-developers can implement prototypes with just ideas. It also directly designs and manufactures low-power and on-device AI modules. How is Nucode preparing for innovation in the embedded system development environment? A conversation was held with Lee Kwan-hyung, CEO of Nucode.

Determination to Innovate the Domestic Embedded System Industry

“I have experienced various projects in Korea and Germany as a mechanical design engineer and product manager (PM). With that background, I challenged myself to start a hardware manufacturing platform, and after many twists and turns, I won the grand prize at a public institution startup competition with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). However, I failed in mass production. Mass production should be prepared from the MVP design stage, but the costs were not insignificant. Therefore, the Nucode team began to find a ‘way to communicate with prototypes’ and decided to create a module and mass production development tool environment.”

CEO Lee Kwan-hyung founded Nucode to propose an embedded module ecosystem that allows anyone to easily utilize the latest technology amidst a talent shortage, reducing the product development failure process caused by communication errors between planners and developers. Mechanical design engineers often do not know the limitations of circuit design, and electronic engineers often overlook the physical constraints of industrial design. Nucode provides standardized embedded modules to support simultaneous collaboration between experts in both fields.

The Nucode team determined that a modular development environment is suitable for developers to communicate at the embedded system design stage. It is about creating a module and tool ecosystem that considers everything from prototype production to mass production.

CEO Lee Kwan-hyung mentioned the structural problems faced by South Korea's manufacturing industry. While South Korea is at a world-class level in the memory semiconductor field, most of the core components needed for embedded systems, such as microcontroller units (MCUs) and wireless communication chips, are imported from overseas. This is because the domestic manufacturing industry has concentrated on semiconductor production, weakening the embedded system manufacturing environment.



The manpower shortage is also an issue. According to CEO Lee Kwan-hyung, it is difficult to find developers in their 30s and 40s in the domestic embedded system development field, which is the current state of a non-mainstream industry. Therefore, domestic electronic product manufacturing companies have no choice but to endure high costs due to small-scale production or rely on overseas suppliers with high technical dependence and communication barriers.

Nucode focuses on bridging the gap between existing tools and the use of the latest technology. CEO Lee Kwan-hyung stated, “There are so many development options now that even senior developers find it difficult to keep up with the latest development trends. However, it is also unrealistic to change tools that have been familiar for a long time overnight. I believe that providing a link between existing tools and the latest technology is the value of a module company like Nucode.”

Building Differentiation with Modular Embedded Systems and Korean-Style Technical Support

Nucode focuses on minimizing the complex and time-consuming tasks of complex technical design, prototype production, and certification for electronic product manufacturing companies by developing pre-manufactured and certified IoT modules. A notable example is the domestic release of the Bluetooth 6.0 module in close cooperation with Nordic Semiconductor. Since the modules have already obtained major wireless communication-related certifications such as Korea KC, US FCC, and Europe CE, only final product certification is required. Additionally, electronic product manufacturing companies can choose modules according to the purpose and function of the product, reducing the process from development to launch.

Nucode's wireless modules apply proprietary circuit designs to TE Connectivity's high-performance antennas, enhancing the overall system power efficiency. It also provides firmware for low-power functions, such as deep sleep mode, which are difficult for developers without specialized knowledge to access. Even without development experience, developers can verify products and acquire functions using existing development tools by linking with software development tools (SDK), Arduino IDE, etc. CEO Lee Kwan-hyung stated, “Modules are not just simple components. Low-power modules utilizing on-device AI make products smarter, and we aim to realize a new paradigm of physical AI based on this.”



CEO Lee Kwan-hyung describes Nucode as a ‘B2C2B (Business to Consumer to Business)’ company. This is because it solves difficult engineering problems such as power management, RF design, and firmware development after first integrating complex technologies, providing them as packages that companies can use immediately. Additionally, it provides technical documents, open-source code, and actively supports integration with popular programming platforms like Arduino.

Technical support from overseas companies is slow to respond and unfriendly to small-scale customers. Language barriers act as obstacles to problem-solving. An easy-to-use tool, active technical support, and a rich open-source example ecosystem are expected to be Nucode's competitive edge. Nucode is working to lower the threshold for embedded development, creating an environment where even non-experts can implement ideas into prototypes. It is building a no-code development environment, where no coding is required, rather than low-code, which simplifies the coding process.

However, Nucode's concern lies elsewhere, not in business. It is about restoring the nearly extinct domestic embedded system development talent pool. Even if Nucode's goal is to build a platform where developers can design the desired hardware without writing a single line of code, embedded system developers who create the framework of the product are still necessary.

Nucode is actively working to solve the talent shortage problem. It is preparing various projects and foundation establishments in collaboration with Geekble and the Science People’s Association. It provides industrial-grade modules as educational kits to institutions such as the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) affiliated science high school, aiming to replace Arduino-based education.

Aiming to Become a High Value-Added Specialized SoBuJang Company Like Japan's Murata Manufacturing

Founded in June 2024, Nucode is rapidly growing, recognized for its technological prowess in the market. In September 2024, it secured seed investment from Korea Investment Accelerator (AC), acknowledging its business potential. In December 2024, it was also selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startups) program.

Nucode, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Radio Promotion Association (RAPA), has started developing and mass-producing modules for domestic AIoT network cameras using unlicensed frequencies. It operates with on-device AI, where AI computation occurs on the device itself. It is characterized by being composed of reliable domestic development equipment. It plans to support the establishment of optimal security solutions in various environments where security is crucial, such as public surveillance and smart cities. In 2025, it plans to enter the UAE market and has established collaborative relationships with the Arduino Foundation and developer community Hackster.



The growth of Nucode is also supported by the Early Startup Package of Seoul National University of Science and Technology. In addition to tangible and intangible support necessary for technology development, Seoul National University of Science and Technology provided opportunities to promote Nucode through various programs. It also facilitated industry networking and investor meetings, helping to open the company's long-term growth prospects. CEO Lee Kwan-hyung stated, “I believe that the support program of Seoul National University of Science and Technology acts as a bridge toward corporate growth. I am confident that the opportunities created through various programs will be the foundation for Nucode to advance as a global company.”

Nucode is embarking on building a chatbot system that learns internal technical data to enable South Korean innovative SMEs to easily develop embedded systems. For example, when a developer inputs a question like “How do I start making a smartwatch?” the chatbot provides a step-by-step production guide using Nucode modules. It is currently focusing on upgrading the AI model and optimizing data structures to improve the accuracy of information provided by the chatbot and its conversational abilities. It also plans to accelerate the development of various modules for embedded systems.

CEO Lee Kwan-hyung stated, “Nucode dreams of becoming a high value-added physical AI SoBuJang company that South Korea aspires to be. We will strive to become an irreplaceable company like Japan's Murata Manufacturing.”

IT Donga Reporter Kang Hyung-seok (redbk@itdonga.com)

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