[Dongguk University Campus Town x Scale-Up] Dongguk University Campus Town is conducting the '2025 Scale-Up Program' in collaboration with the Scale-Up Team. Dongguk University Campus Town and the Scale-Up Team will introduce the overall business operations of the startups participating in this program and analyze their business models. They aim to assist in solving challenges encountered in advancing to the next stage by connecting them with experts from various fields.

Dongguk University Campus Town and IT Donga have been running the '2025 Scale-Up Program' since May. The Scale-Up Program selects promising startups, diagnoses their current status, and supports them with expert mentoring necessary for growth, media promotion strategy education, and corporate promotion. This program includes 10 startups: ▲Necton ▲Domino Effect ▲Littoon ▲Atlo ▲Ansimhi ▲Woot Skincare ▲Kira & Company ▲Parsley ▲Poplar Planet ▲Frontworks (in alphabetical order).

IT Donga, in collaboration with PathfinderNet, a startup consulting firm, meticulously reviewed each startup's business field, key solutions, and business progress, identifying current issues and concerns. Subsequently, they arranged mentoring with necessary experts for growth and supported various forms of articles to promote the startups and their main solutions. They also provided education on media response and press release writing, offering opportunities to draft press releases.


After completing the Scale-Up Program, Dongguk University Campus Town and IT Donga held the '2025 Scale-Up D. Korea Performance Sharing Meeting' and asked the representatives of Necton, Domino Effect, Littoon, Atlo, and Ansimhi about their impressions of participating in the program, their achievements, and future growth plans.

Necton “It was a partnership platform that helped the growth of startups”

Necton provides the data construction and management solution 'Yuring Power' for AI transformation (AX). Yuring Power is an intelligent document organization service that converts online and offline documents into AI-trainable structured data. IT Donga arranged mentoring with Oh Kang-rok, CEO of Prometheus, who served as the CRO of Ascent Korea, a DaaS company, to provide practical advice on the overall business to Park Hyun-ji, CEO of Necton. They also supported in-depth introduction articles about the company and its solutions.

IT Donga: Please share your impressions of participating in the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Park Hyun-ji: As an early-stage startup, we needed to focus on technology validation and business model enhancement, and the mentoring and networking with companies through the Scale-Up Program were very helpful. It was particularly beneficial that the program could be directly applied to practical work. The mentoring allowed us to approach our business from an objective perspective and re-evaluate overlooked areas, and high-quality articles helped increase our company's recognition. I believe the Scale-Up Program is a partnership platform that aids the growth of startups, rather than just a support project.


IT Donga: Please share the achievements gained during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Park Hyun-ji: During the program, we enhanced our service and conducted technology verification (PoC) with several companies. We completed the core architecture of the service and prepared for commercialization based on it. Additionally, we secured customers and achieved business expansion through seed investment attraction, selection for the Innovative Small Business Investment Linkage Support (LIPS) project, and participation in the VivaTech booth in Paris, France.

IT Donga: Are there any programs you wish to be added to the Scale-Up Program?

CEO Park Hyun-ji: It's unfortunate that the duration of the Scale-Up Program is short. Especially for articles, multiple articles were published in a short period, so it seemed insufficient to fully reflect the business update status. It would be better if they were published at certain intervals.

IT Donga: Please share Necton's future plans.

CEO Park Hyun-ji: We are preparing to launch a commercial service based on the technology verification conducted this year. We aim to support smooth AX for companies wishing to adopt AI through full-scale market entry.

Domino Effect “Enhanced external communication capabilities”

In October, Domino Effect launched the app 'HAMO,' which assists foreign caregivers in obtaining qualifications. HAMO provides foreign nationals who wish to acquire caregiver qualifications with certification exam materials, error notes, and practical mock exams in their native language. CEO Kim Ah-hyun of Domino Effect contemplated solutions for the stable settlement of more foreigners in Korean society and addressing the shortage of care workers. IT Donga recommended Choi Jin-hee, CEO of Asian Hub, a multicultural content company, as a mentor. Subsequently, they introduced the founding motive of Domino Effect and the main features of HAMO through an interview with CEO Kim Ah-hyun.

IT Donga: Please share your impressions of participating in the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Kim Ah-hyun: The Scale-Up Program was a very useful opportunity for early-stage startups like us to grow to the next level. Experiencing the entire process from article planning to writing allowed us to deeply understand the flow of the media and startup industry. Through the article process, we organized the core message of the company and re-examined our business from the perspective required by society. For me, the Scale-Up Program was a program that helped strengthen the external communication capabilities of startups. Additionally, exchanging with entrepreneurs from various industries and sharing each other's challenges and growth processes was a great stimulus.


IT Donga: Please share the achievements gained during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Kim Ah-hyun: Through the Scale-Up Program, we increased the recognition of HAMO and were able to concretize the business direction. We clearly organized the integrated structure connecting educational institutions, care facilities, and foreign talents, and based on this, we are actively discussing cooperation with partner institutions. Most importantly, the process of directly explaining HAMO's social value and growth potential to external experts and receiving feedback is expected to be of great help in future investments and business expansion.

IT Donga: Are there any programs you wish to be added to the Scale-Up Program?

CEO Kim Ah-hyun: I wish there were more mentoring sessions. It would be good to conduct long-term mentoring with one mentor rather than just one session. Also, if media promotion strategy education is conducted at the beginning of the program, it would help in establishing a promotion strategy. It would be better if the program duration was longer. If such programs are conducted regularly or long-term, it will greatly benefit more startups.

IT Donga: Please share Domino Effect's future plans.

CEO Kim Ah-hyun: HAMO will develop into an integrated platform that connects foreign caregiver education, employment, and visa linkage. In the short term, we plan to expand educational content focusing on Vietnamese learners, and in the long term, we aim to build a 'global care ecosystem' where multinational talents can settle stably in Korea. Based on the insights gained from this Scale-Up Program, we will grow into a company that simultaneously realizes social value and business growth.

Littoon “Practical, hands-on mentoring was beneficial”

Littoon is developing a platform that aggregates short webtoons (short-length webtoons). It is designed to allow users to enjoy short webtoons, illustrations, and cuttoons on a work-by-work basis and facilitate communication between creators and readers. CEO Park Haet-nim of Littoon was concerned about service promotion and securing a stable revenue structure. IT Donga arranged mentoring with Do Young-min, CEO of Oneuldang, who served as the head of marketing at Millie's Library. They also conducted a joint interview with short webtoon creators active on Littoon.

IT Donga: Please share your impressions of participating in the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Park Haet-nim: It was a valuable time to review the internal concerns with external experts. Through this, we were able to gain a perspective that simultaneously looks at business direction and technical challenges. Additionally, startups often do not have many opportunities to communicate directly with journalists, but this program provided such opportunities, which was useful. The mentoring was not just lectures or coaching, but selected appropriate mentors for the company's stage and situation, and conducted practical, hands-on mentoring that could concretize business strategies. Thanks to this, we were able to bring about practical changes.


IT Donga: Please share the achievements gained during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Park Haet-nim: We were able to concretize the business model as a content platform and systematically proceed with the market verification stage. Additionally, through mentoring, we refined IR materials and organized internal operational processes.

IT Donga: Are there any programs you wish to be added to the Scale-Up Program?

CEO Park Haet-nim: It would be good to provide opportunities for networking or follow-up connections even after the program ends. Additionally, if an in-depth track is added where long-term mentoring with expert mentors is conducted, it will be more useful for achieving follow-up results.

IT Donga: Please share Littoon's future plans.

CEO Park Haet-nim: We are preparing for the official launch of the short webtoon platform 'Littoon' in November. After the launch of Littoon, we aim to establish a new content category of short webtoons in the market and build an ecosystem where creators and readers grow together. We will work hard to become a company that immediately comes to mind when thinking of short webtoons.

Atlo “It was a meaningful time to reflect on the essence of the business”

Atlo develops the AI chatbot app 'Dito' and the robot 'Ato,' which understand and empathize with human emotions. Dito was officially launched in April, and Ato is conducting PoC after developing an initial model in cafes and speech academies. IT Donga arranged mentoring with CEO Choi Soo-jung of Mad Hatter to alleviate CEO Park Sung-hyun of Atlo's concerns about branding and marketing. They also introduced Dito's main features through a detailed review article.

IT Donga: Please share your impressions of participating in the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Park Sung-hyun: It is not easy for startups to get opportunities to promote their products or brands, but through the article support of this Scale-Up Program, we were able to introduce our service to more people. Especially for the Dito review article, seeing all the functions being experienced and introduced in detail made us feel that they approached our service with affection. Additionally, the marketing mentoring was useful in organizing practical branding directions and messages. Thanks to the serious consideration and discussions from our perspective, we were able to reflect on the essence of the business. It was a very meaningful time.


IT Donga: Please share the achievements gained during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Park Sung-hyun: During the program, we launched Dito's paid subscription plan and generated the first paid conversion and revenue. Additionally, by improving key features of our service, such as voice conversation capabilities, we enhanced user experience and immersion. We were able to grow not only in terms of product completeness but also in terms of sales structure.

IT Donga: Are there any programs you wish to be added to the Scale-Up Program?

CEO Park Sung-hyun: In the future, I hope there will be more opportunities for networking or collaboration among startups. Sharing each other's experiences and know-how would help build a long-term growth ecosystem for startups and the Scale-Up Program.

IT Donga: Please share Atlo's future plans.

CEO Park Sung-hyun: This year, we are focusing on domestic user paid conversion to establish a sustainable revenue structure, and in the first half of next year, we plan to actively pursue entry into the English-speaking market. We want to convey the value of 'a true AI friend that understands emotions' to global users. Technologically, we plan to further refine the recognition of user emotions and the conversation experience.

Ansimhi “Achieved dense growth”

Ansimhi develops welfare administration automation solutions based on speech-to-text (STT) and AI technology. It provides services that convert and summarize consultation contents with the elderly or civil petitioners into documents and offer them in administrative forms. CEOs Kim Min-soo and Han Min-woo of Ansimhi were concerned about business operations, including performance indicators, investment attraction, and organizational management. IT Donga recommended Oh Kang-rok, CEO of Prometheus, as a mentor. They also highlighted Ansimhi's technology through an interview with developer Kang Byung-min.

IT Donga: Please share your impressions of participating in the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Kim Min-soo: It was an opportunity for Ansimhi to achieve dense growth. By diagnosing our current situation with experts, we derived specific improvement directions and systematically checked practical capabilities such as branding, promotion, and investment attraction strategies, which startups often overlook. The practical, tailored mentoring was particularly useful. Experts from each field provided specific feedback based on actual business experience, which we could immediately reflect in our business plans and IR materials. We also received useful tips, such as financial statements. Additionally, through articles, we were able to inform local government officials and the general public about our services and technology, and through networking with other startup representatives, we shared growth strategies with entrepreneurs facing similar challenges.


IT Donga: Please share the achievements gained during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Kim Min-soo: Currently, Ansimhi is conducting a PoC of the STT-based consultation summary and civil petition form auto-completion system in actual administrative fields through joint research with Yangcheon-gu Office and Dongguk University. In addition, through the preliminary startup package and support from Dongguk University Campus Town, we completed a virtuous cycle structure of technology development, market verification, and commercialization. We also participated in the Ministry of Science and ICT's '2025 GovTech Startup Competition,' passed the preliminary round, and are currently awaiting the final presentation.

IT Donga: Are there any programs you wish to be added to the Scale-Up Program?

CEO Kim Min-soo: It would be good if follow-up connections or investment attraction and sales channel connection programs continue after the program. Additionally, for startups targeting public services and B2G like us, if local government cooperation-type demonstration support and public institution matching programs are prepared, it would be useful for more startups.

IT Donga: Please share Ansimhi's future plans.

CEO Kim Min-soo: Under the vision of 'connecting care and administration with AI,' Ansimhi is developing a welfare administration automation platform that combines on-device STT, AI-based summarization, and anonymization technology. Based on this, we plan to enter the B2G market in 2026 to realize efficiency in administrative fields and care connections, and expand services to private markets such as local campus towns, social welfare foundations, and university research institutes. Starting with the senior market, we plan to implement services that private markets and individual customers can also enjoy.

IT Donga Reporter Han Man-hyuk (mh@itdonga.com)

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