[Dongguk University Campus Town x Scale-Up] Dongguk University Campus Town, in collaboration with the Scale-Up team, is conducting the '2025 Scale-Up Program.' Dongguk University Campus Town and the Scale-Up team will introduce the overall business operations of the participating startups and analyze their business models. They aim to connect these startups with experts from various fields to help solve challenges as they move to the next stage.

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 situation, and provides expert mentoring, media promotion strategy education, and corporate promotion support. This program includes ten startups: ▲Necton ▲Domino Effect ▲Littoon ▲Atlo ▲Ansimhi ▲Ute Skincare ▲Kira & Company ▲Parsley ▲Poplar Planet ▲Frontworks (in alphabetical order).

IT Donga, in collaboration with the startup consulting firm PathfinderNet, closely examined each startup's business field, key solutions, and current business status, identifying the problems and concerns they face. 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 conducted promotional strategy education, including media response and press release writing, providing opportunities for press release creation.


After completing the Scale-Up Program, Dongguk University Campus Town and IT Donga held the '2025 Scale-Up D. Korea Performance Sharing' event, asking representatives from Ute Skincare, Kira & Company, Parsley, Poplar Planet, and Frontworks about their impressions of participating in the program, their achievements, and future growth plans.

Ute Skincare “It provided practical help for company growth”

Ute Skincare developed a functional whitening ampoule, 'Ute Fullro Whitening Ampoule,' using ingredients extracted from the invasive plant, ragweed. Kim Na-rae, CEO of Ute Skincare, contemplated brand identity, direction, and sales strategy. IT Donga arranged mentoring with Choi Soo-jung, CEO of Mad Hatter, a brand and marketing expert. They also supported an article highlighting the significance of Ute Skincare's upcycling of invasive plants.

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

CEO Kim Na-rae: The Scale-Up Program was not just an educational program but one that provided practical help for company growth. Through diagnostics and mentoring that reflected our growth stage and industry characteristics, we clarified the direction we should take. By publicizing our core message, we were able to enhance both external credibility and recognition. For a beauty brand like ours that combines sustainability and bio-materials, establishing a brand foundation is necessary before market expansion, and this program helped refine that foundation. Additionally, through professional mentoring and media interview processes, we were able to clearly define the reason for Ute Skincare's existence and gained confidence to move to the next stage.


IT Donga: Please tell us about the achievements during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Kim Na-rae: During the Scale-Up Program, we focused on rebranding, enhancing our marketing system, and establishing a sustainable business model. From a branding perspective, we redefined our brand story centered on upcycling ingredients from invasive plants and strengthened our brand message with the philosophy of 'restoring the skin's natural power.' From a business perspective, we established a product development system and public procurement model in connection with support programs such as the Youth Startup Academy and Advanced Bio-Material Productization Support Project. We are also continuously conducting A/B testing across various marketing channels to gradually increase our advertising return on ad spend (ROAS).

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

CEO Kim Na-rae: I hope there are programs related to market development. If IR pitching practice, 1:1 checks with investors, and connections to global exhibitions and export consultations are added, the program's completeness will be further enhanced. Additionally, if there is a follow-up management session to track actual achievements such as brand awareness, sales, and collaboration cases after mentoring, it will be possible to clearly confirm company growth.

IT Donga: Please share Ute Skincare's future plans.

CEO Kim Na-rae: Ute Skincare aims to be a sustainable wellness company that circulates discarded resources, not just an eco-friendly cosmetics brand. In the first quarter of 2026, we plan to launch a rebranded product with a new concept and simultaneously operate a beauty content platform to showcase wellness and longevity-focused content. In the mid to long term, we aim to spread Korea's sustainable health values to the global market. We will continuously experiment with strategies for global expansion through natural bio-material-based R&D, ESG brand partnerships, and content, growing into a brand that realizes the balanced coexistence of the environment and humans.

Kira & Company “We clearly set our business direction”

Kira & Company operates a reward-based financial learning and product recommendation platform, Catsbee, for financial beginners. Catsbee provides Gems that can be exchanged for coffee, snacks, gift certificates, etc., when quizzes are solved or missions are accomplished. IT Donga arranged mentoring with Park Won-kyu, CEO of Collider, a financial expert, for Park Hyuk, CEO of Kira & Company, who was contemplating the company's sustainable growth. They also supported an article introducing global financial education trends and the main features of Catsbee.

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

CEO Park Hyuk: It was an opportunity to realize once again that for rapidly growing startups, direction is as important as speed. Through the Scale-Up Program, we fundamentally reviewed Catsbee's business structure and strategy and clearly set the business direction. In this process, we gained confidence and assurance that our vision, though challenging, is valuable. Additionally, through 1:1 feedback-focused mentoring tailored to our growth stage and status, we resolved actual business issues. Conversations with experts with rich practical experience allowed us to deepen our understanding of financial companies and reflect deeply on the essence of our business.


IT Donga: Please tell us about the achievements during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Park Hyuk: Through the Scale-Up Program, we further enhanced Catsbee's core structure. We also completed practical market validation by conducting a Proof of Concept (PoC) with Kyobo Life Insurance and secured seed investment from Infobank and VNTG. The Scale-Up Program greatly contributed to achieving these results.

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

CEO Park Hyuk: Given the program's high completeness, if a bridge program that can lead to subsequent growth is prepared, it will create greater synergy. If additional programs that can connect to actual investments or corporate collaborations are added, participating startups will grow faster and more stably.

IT Donga: Please share Kira & Company's future plans.

CEO Park Hyuk: We launched the Catsbee iOS version last June, and we plan to release the Android version within this year. Next year, we plan to introduce a global version Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for global expansion. In the mid to long term, we will expand our business to allow more users to learn finance and receive customized financial product recommendations suitable for their situation by collaborating with financial companies and public institutions. We also aim to set the standard for innovation in financial literacy in Asia through global market expansion. We will continuously grow to establish Catsbee as a 'profitable financial education platform.'

Parsley “Specific examples and practical advice were useful”

Parsley provides an AI chatbot-based medical information search service. When patients with serious illnesses, such as cancer, ask questions via KakaoTalk or the Parsley app, it answers medical terms or treatment methods in an easy-to-understand manner. Oh Sang-jun, CEO of Parsley, was contemplating user acquisition and marketing strategies. IT Donga recommended Park Jae-byeong, CEO of CareDoc, a senior healthcare platform, as a mentor. They also introduced the main features and usage of Parsley through a review article.

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

CEO Oh Sang-jun: The Scale-Up Program was like a 'mirror' essential for startups like us that have just entered the growth trajectory. Through mentoring with experts from various fields, we could deeply think about operational indicators we were missing, investor perspectives, and global expansion strategies. Mentors provided specific examples and practical advice based on their experiences regarding the direction and expansion strategy of AI medical services, which we had been contemplating. Thanks to this, we realized once again that AI healthcare services like ours need to grow in a balanced manner both business-wise and socially.


IT Donga: Please tell us about the achievements during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Oh Sang-jun: After launching the MVP earlier this year, we achieved 10,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU) and 500,000 accumulated questions within six months. Through the Scale-Up Program, we were able to establish a clear direction of 'AI to use when you're sick.' As a result, our key indicators also improved significantly. Additionally, we laid the foundation for technological advancement by being finally selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' private investment-led technology startup support (TIPS) R&D program, and we established a foundation to expand B2C-focused AI health assistant services to B2B partnerships with insurance companies and local governments.

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

CEO Oh Sang-jun: It seems sufficient as it is. In fact, I didn't expect much, but each program was very helpful for company growth, which was very satisfying.

IT Donga: Please share Parsley's future plans.

CEO Oh Sang-jun: Our short-term goal is to provide all the services needed by cancer patients during their treatment period, such as hospital recommendations and appointment bookings. In the mid to long term, we aim to grow into an AI health assistant that serves as a 'personal weekly doctor' based on five years of individual medical records and daily symptoms. In this process, we plan to create a virtuous cycle structure in the healthcare ecosystem by achieving ▲expansion of insurance for patients with insurance companies ▲establishing a real-world evidence (RWE) ecosystem with pharmaceutical companies ▲building a channel for collecting patient daily symptom data with hospitals.

Poplar Planet “We were able to objectively reflect on our business”

Poplar Planet develops an AI-based literacy and language education platform. The services currently offered are 'Sengle Banggle,' an AI writing diagnostic service based on literacy for elementary students, and 'Aigo Korean,' a job-specific Korean language learning service for foreigners. Kim Ye-jin, CEO of Poplar Planet, was contemplating service expansion strategies. IT Donga arranged mentoring with Park Tae-young, CEO of Holix Factory, which operates the online knowledge community service Holix. They also published an article featuring the impressions of using Sengle Banggle in the educational field by meeting Yoo In-geun, a teacher at Incheon Dodam Elementary School.

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

CEO Kim Ye-jin: The Scale-Up Program provided an opportunity to objectively reflect on our business through expert mentoring and media connections. The mentoring provided useful advice on market entry, investment attraction, and brand promotion rather than vague advice, and through media articles, we were able to introduce the educational significance and technology of our services to the public. This allowed us to organize Poplar Planet's vision and direction and objectively confirm the strengths and areas for improvement perceived externally. I think the Scale-Up Program is support tailored to the current growth stage of startups.


IT Donga: Please tell us about the achievements during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Kim Ye-jin: The most valuable achievement through the Scale-Up Program was simultaneously strengthening media collaboration and communication capabilities. We received education on article writing techniques and core message delivery methods, and while writing press releases ourselves, we had many internal discussions. Through this, we organized our brand story around the essential message of 'educational value and human growth' rather than technical strengths. We also realized through industry contacts met at overseas exhibitions that the article contributes to brand awareness improvement in the global field.

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

CEO Kim Ye-jin: It would be better if there were programs that directly connect investors or overseas partners. Especially for companies like us preparing for global expansion, global market report sharing or overseas IR-related mentoring would be of great help.

IT Donga: Please share Poplar Planet's future plans.

CEO Kim Ye-jin: We are pursuing different directions of growth domestically and internationally. Domestically, we are helping elementary students develop thinking and expression skills through writing centered on Sengle Banggle. Internationally, we aim to improve foreigners' everyday Korean usage experience with lifestyle AI Korean learning services centered on Aigo Korean and Koright. To this end, we are conducting joint research with universities and institutions in various countries and building a global data collaboration system. We will continue to develop as a company that broadens the depth of writing education domestically and the breadth of Korean language learning internationally, centered on the three pillars of education, technology, and human growth.

Frontworks “We were able to set clear promotional points”

Frontworks operates 'Filmus,' a comprehensive video production hub that connects video clients and experts and integrates the video production process. Frontworks is currently preparing for investment attraction and the TIPS program. IT Donga recommended Kim Kyung-sook, CEO of Painters & Ventures, a global accelerator, as a mentor to Kim Yong-min, CEO of Frontworks. They also published an article featuring a small business owner who used Filmus to produce a promotional video.

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

CEO Kim Yong-min: Participating in the Scale-Up Program provided a lot of help. Through media connections, article publication, and press release writing, we learned which aspects of our business to select as promotional points. We also realized that the aspects to emphasize differ for media, investors, and customers. It was impressive that they provided mentoring and article direction that matched our business needs. We received articles and mentoring tailored to our business stage.


IT Donga: Please tell us about the achievements during the Scale-Up Program.

CEO Kim Yong-min: The biggest achievement was clearly setting the business direction. Previously, we focused on the matching platform, but by comprehensively considering actual incoming customer analysis and investor perspectives, we expanded the scope to a video production workflow platform. Accordingly, we introduced new features such as the project auto-setting function 'Blueprint' and the project management function 'Video Production Workshop.'

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

CEO Kim Yong-min: If there are pinpoint investment meetings, IR presentations, and investment rounds that can lead to actual investment attraction beyond mentoring, it would greatly help scale up the company and services.

IT Donga: Please share Frontworks' future plans.

CEO Kim Yong-min: Last October, we conducted a large-scale update and service expansion of Filmus. From this point, we aim to leap forward as a true video production workflow platform. Beyond being a platform that connects video clients and producers, we aim to achieve the systematization of the video industry as a tool used throughout the entire video production process and grow into a company that sets the standard for the entire content production industry.

IT Donga Reporter Han Man-hyuk (mh@

Popular News