[SBA x IT Donga Joint Planning] The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) have established startup hubs (centers) in Chang-dong, Seongsu, and Dongjak in Seoul. They support startups by discovering them and providing stage-by-stage programs from initial startup to growth. This article introduces promising startups with high growth potential that have shown remarkable activities by 2025.


The sensory industry, once dominated by sight and hearing, is now expanding into the realm of smell. Fragrance serves as a medium that connects spatial memory and human emotions beyond merely stimulating feelings. Recently, the potential value of olfaction has emerged as a new industrial domain beyond simple enjoyment.

The fragrance industry, which was limited to static products like perfumes and diffusers, has entered a new phase with digital technology. Deepscent, a digital olfactory content solution company, is introducing digital fragrance solutions that combine artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, opening a new market called the 'olfactory content industry' where technology controls fragrance.

Transforming Analog Fragrance into Digital Solutions


Deepscent's flagship solutions are divided into the B2C personalized digital fragrance solution 'FOD (Fragrance On Demand)' and the B2B space-customized 'FaaS (Fragrance as a Service)'. FOD is a digital fragrance care service that provides and transforms the most suitable fragrance in real-time according to the user's time, place, and purpose. FaaS is a concept that applies the SaaS model, which provides software as a service, to the fragrance industry, offering a comprehensive control system that provides suitable fragrances for indoor environments in real-time.

The core of Deepscent's digital fragrance solution is the concept that 'fragrance adapts to people'. Deepscent redefines fragrance as dynamic content that changes according to user needs, rather than a simple product. Kwon Il-bong, CEO of Deepscent, explained, "Unlike static analog fragrance products, Deepscent's solution allows users to adjust the intensity and recipe of fragrances in real-time according to the size of the space, purpose, weather, or atmosphere."

Users select and install four out of twenty capsules on Deepscent's self-developed solution, then adjust the diffusion intensity of each capsule via an app to create thousands of fragrance recipes. Deepscent is expanding its functionality with software and has begun integrating it with AI. CEO Kwon stated, "Initially, the goal was digital transformation (DX) with IoT-based electronic products, but now, with data acquisition and technology advancement, we are entering the 'AI transformation (AX)' phase."

AI Digital Fragrance Platform Wins CES 2026 Innovation Award


This technological prowess led to winning the CES 2026 Innovation Award. Deepscent received the Innovation Award in the Smart Home category at CES 2026, the world's largest technology exhibition, for its 'AI-based Digital Fragrance Platform'. The technology, which applies artificial intelligence, IoT, and software technology to a digital fragrance control and diffusion system, is centered on precisely combining and controlling the optimal fragrance according to the space's purpose and the user's objectives.

Deepscent's AI technology is based on a recommendation system utilizing data. When users find it difficult to combine scents themselves, AI recommends fragrance recipes suitable for the purpose. CEO Kwon stated, "Based on accumulated fragrance data, we can provide customized olfactory environments for various spaces such as homes, offices, hotels, welfare facilities, and public institutions, enhancing the quality of users' daily lives and work environments."

Aiming to Conquer the Global Market as an Olfactory Content Solution Company


Founded in 2018, Deepscent supplies digital fragrance solutions to various public institutions, hotels, resorts, and smart offices domestically and internationally. They are also preparing technology to control fragrances based on multimodal data by linking with tablets, AI hubs, and other devices in smart home environments.

Deepscent plans to expand the application range of digital fragrance technology to immersive content, retail, and the medical wellness industry. They are currently expanding into the medical and healthcare fields, conducting various mental health-related research such as sleep, stress, and cognitive function improvement using olfactory stimulation in collaboration with KAIST, the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, and Chungnam National University Hospital. CEO Kwon stated, "We have won numerous awards, including those from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and have applied for and registered over 20 technology patents in the US, Europe, Japan, and other regions."

Furthermore, leveraging the CES 2026 award, they plan to expand into overseas markets focusing on cultures familiar with fragrances, such as Europe, Japan, and the Middle East, through international partnerships. This global expansion plan was supported by the SBA Seoul Startup Center Dongjak. CEO Kwon stated, "The support from the SBA Seoul Startup Center Dongjak has become a practical stepping stone for global expansion beyond merely providing office space," adding, "Through the crowdfunding support project, we successfully completed a project in the Japanese market, securing local customer touchpoints and brand recognition. This experience will serve as a bridgehead for exports to Japan next year."

Finally, he stated, "Although Deepscent is experiencing many trials and errors in the process of advancing as an olfactory content specialist company without precedents, we aim to become a specialist company in olfactory content solutions that connect human emotions and spaces based on AI," adding, "With the CES 2026 Innovation Award as a catalyst, we will lead the global standardization of digital fragrance technology and present a new paradigm centered on olfaction in the smart home and wellness fields."

IT Donga Reporter Kim Ye-ji (yj@itdonga.com)

Popular News