Aeol, First 'Campus Town Startup' to Operate Own Large-Scale Production Factory

Sales Surge of 'Complex Air Solution' Capable of Dehumidification, Cooling, Air Purification, and Ventilation Amid COVID-19
Expected Cumulative Sales of 25 Billion KRW by End of Next Year... 3% Operating Profit Donated to Junior Companies for Virtuous Cycle

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Aol Korea Co., Ltd., a startup company in the Seoul Campus Town, has completed its own production factory with an area of 3,753㎡ (approximately 1,100 pyeong) in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, and is beginning mass production of complex air solution products.

Seoul City announced that on the 6th at 10 a.m., it will hold an opening ceremony for Aol’s Hwaseong factory with officials from the city, Korea University, Seongbuk-gu, and SH Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation in attendance.

Aol is the first domestic company to develop and produce complex air solution products that combine dehumidification, cooling, air purification, and ventilation functions. After winning an award at the 2017 Anam-dong Campus Town Startup Competition, it moved into Seoul Campus Town the following year and has since received comprehensive support from Seoul City, including free space rental, startup mentoring, technical advice, and sales channel support.

In particular, the UV filter developed independently last year was recognized by KTL (Korea Testing Laboratory) for reducing airborne viruses by 97% and airborne bacteria by over 99%, gaining significant attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, with the company’s sales soaring, it has expanded its scale dramatically within just three years of its founding.

Aol is the first among Campus Town startups to complete a production base. Until now, it had outsourced product manufacturing to other factories, but with its own factory, it will be able to produce over 160,000 units annually. Cumulative sales are expected to surge to 7.2 billion KRW by the end of this year and reach around 25 billion KRW by the end of next year.

As a representative company of Seoul Campus Town, the company is also leading the creation of a virtuous startup ecosystem by pledging to donate 3% of its operating profit to support junior entrepreneurs.

Currently, about 300 startup teams from 34 universities are active in Seoul Campus Town. Recently, the 'G-local Anam Startup Valley' project was finally selected as a government urban regeneration New Deal project, marking a turning point for a new leap forward. Over five years, the city plans to invest a total of 48.6 billion KRW, including 10 billion KRW in national funds, to create growth startup spaces focused on discovering and nurturing excellent companies.

Kim Ui-seung, Director of Seoul City’s Economic Policy Office, said, "The opening of Aol’s own production factory is a representative case of an excellent startup item born through the Campus Town project advancing from initial startup to growth stage with public support," and promised, "We will actively support young startup companies nurturing their dreams in Seoul’s 34 Campus Towns to grow and leap forward like Aol."