The University of Seoul has been leading youth entrepreneurship and regional innovation since 2022 with the launch of the 'Seoul Impact' project, under the vision of 'The Most Seoul-like Influence, The Most Global Value.' The university focuses on supporting startups in AI-based urban innovation and social impact sectors, creating a sustainable startup ecosystem where technology and social value harmonize. It was selected as an excellent case in the regional revitalization field of the Seoul Campus Town project and received an A+ grade in the 2024 Seoul Campus Town performance evaluation. IT Donga introduces the growth stories and innovative achievements of AI startups fostered by the University of Seoul.


Website creation still acts as a high entry barrier for many. This is due to the hassle of hiring professional developers or mastering complex web builder services. For small and medium-sized enterprises or startups, the time and cost involved in creating and maintaining a website are significant burdens.

Data Sketchers (CEO Choi Shin-beom) is a startup established in June this year to solve these problems. It has developed a Notion-based website creation platform called 'D-SKET' to help anyone easily create and manage websites. Since the beta service launch in August, over 100 testers have been using it, recording about 70,000 traffic last month. The press met CEO Choi Shin-beom at the University of Seoul's Campus Town office to hear about their challenge to change the paradigm of website creation.

- It is heard that you are from a developer background. What led you to start a business?

: I worked as a data engineer on big data projects at large companies, including Samsung SDS. Although it was a stable job, I was always interested in entrepreneurship. I felt there were limits as an employee, and above all, I wanted to create my own brand story.

While money is important, doing something that feels rewarding to someone else has more significance for me. I actually made money working as a developer, but that wasn't everything. I prepared for entrepreneurship from the end of 2023, and after obtaining a master's degree in computer science from the University of Seoul this year, I started the business in earnest with the help of the Campus Town entrepreneurship support program. The corporation was established in June this year.


- A Notion-based website creation service is quite unique. Why Notion?

: Notion currently has over 100 million users worldwide. It has established itself in the global market, and especially in Korea, it ranks second in global usage. It is fully established as a collaboration tool among people in their 20s and 30s and is widely used in large companies.

The issue is that Notion is thorough in internal management, so secondary processing is necessary to express the data externally. For example, if you have a homepage like WordPress or I'm Web, you need to write the content from Notion again there. To eliminate this hassle and maximize Notion's potential, we conceived a one-click homepage creation service. The service name 'D-SKET' is derived from the name of the old floppy disk.


- How does D-SKET specifically work? How is it used?

: The usage is really simple. First, connect Notion with D-SKET. Then, select the desired template, and the basic framework of the homepage is automatically completed. Users can then comfortably write in Notion. By simply pasting the data already in Notion, the homepage content is filled.

The biggest advantage is real-time synchronization. When content is modified in Notion, it is immediately reflected on the website. Existing creation tools required users to specify various variables manually, but D-SKET eliminates such hassle.

- Is it just transferring Notion content to a website? What role does AI play?

: It is not just simple copy-pasting. Our service analyzes the writing patterns or styles of users with AI. It recognizes different styles for each user and reprocesses the content to fill it in an optimized form for the homepage.

For instance, consider a company that frequently holds events. Previously, a web designer or programmer was needed every time an event page was created. The monthly labor cost for two developers was about KRW 5 million. However, with D-SKET, after selecting a template, you only need to organize the event date, schedule, theme, venue, and meeting contents among team members in Notion. Even a transcript is sufficient.

In the past, a separate report summarizing the meeting was needed, but not anymore. In the same way, various web contents such as planning pages, promotional pages, and product introductions can be automatically generated in addition to event pages.

- Can people who know nothing about programming or web design use it?

: You are exactly right. Users do not need to know programming, nor is a separate web designer required. As long as they can use Notion.

One of our customers is in the event agency business, and new event content comes out every week. Originally, two developers were needed to apply this to their website, costing about KRW 5 million. However, with D-SKET, they can write in the desired form without developers. The content is also reflected in real-time.


- How are the templates structured?

: The templates are divided by design and industry. Currently, eight templates are provided, and we plan to increase this to 100 by next year. The Robot template is for laboratories or startups, the Company template is for corporate introductions, the Gallery template is for portfolios, and the Docs & Portfolio template is for documents or collections.

The important thing is that these templates are made by professional designers. Starting from zero base can be overwhelming for beginners. However, we provide templates optimized for each situation, reducing such concerns.

- What are the differences from existing web builder services or generative AI-based services?

: In the existing method, even if it is generative AI-based, users had to create a significant portion of the content themselves. Moreover, in the case of web builder services, it was not easy to implement services like bulletin boards or announcements that were not properly database-ized. We can generate unlimited pages through Notion. Besides creating content to fill, features like bulletin boards or announcements can be easily implemented. It means content with design included.

Another important distinction is that while other similar services use external AI models, we use our own developed model. If you want the convenience of AI and the expertise of professionals simultaneously, you can use D-SKET.

- What is the current status of the service? Who are the main customers?

: Since launching the beta service in August, over 100 testers have been using it. Last month, we achieved about 70,000 traffic. It is currently provided as a SaaS (Software as a Service) web service, and a built-in solution is possible upon customer request.

Interestingly, it is not only new website creators but also those who have struggled with maintaining existing websites who are highly responsive. Many have been worried about managing websites after creating them. It is especially well-received by representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises or startups who lack manpower. Although it is still early in the service, and there are no significant sales results yet, the positive response from customers gives hope.

- There must be various difficulties in running a startup. How are you overcoming them?

: I am from a developer background, not a marketer. Creating something is easy, but I lacked the skills to sell it after making it. I have painfully realized that creating a product that actually sells, not just technology for technology's sake, is important.

To overcome this, we actively utilize communication among team members and networks with external partners. We are navigating through by focusing on thinking from the customer's perspective.

We are receiving help with manpower or funding issues through various support programs. We have been selected for the second stage of the preliminary startup package, and we are provided with office space at the University of Seoul's Campus Town.


- How has the support from the University of Seoul's Campus Town been helpful?

: The provision of office space was good, but the quality of seminars was really high. I have attended many seminars elsewhere, but I felt that the level of expert-invited seminars provided by the University of Seoul's Campus Town was definitely different.

Thanks to the efforts of the Campus Town managers, I gained a lot of information necessary for company management, such as AI-related education, marketing, tax, and government policies. Learning user data analysis techniques was particularly helpful.

There are also expectations for opportunities to participate in exhibitions and other events. We plan to utilize opportunities to explore overseas markets through KOTRA. I understand that networking events related to overseas markets are also actively supported.

- What are your future plans? What features are expected to be added?

: Currently, we are focusing on strengthening internal functions based on customer feedback. An upcoming feature is the payment function. We are building a financial payment system. Currently, only text is automatically generated, but an image generation function will be added in the future.

We also plan to gradually advance the model. We will continue to develop our own AI model. The official opening is scheduled for the end of this year.

We are also preparing for overseas expansion. After completing some verification of the Korean market early next year, we will begin full-scale entry into overseas markets such as the United States and Japan.

- Lastly, is there a message you would like to convey to your customers?

: As the AI era unfolds, complex tasks that only experts could handle in the past can now be processed by the general public. Web design and web management are no exceptions. D-SKET is a service that reflects this era.

Even without knowing technical terms or having technical skills, if you have a novel idea, we can provide great assistance. We recommend our service to those who find website management difficult. Especially if you are using it for non-profit purposes, please feel free to contact us. We will help you use the service for free if possible.

IT Donga Reporter Kim Young-woo (pengo@itdonga.com)

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