Choi Jong-ho, CEO of Kitten Planet, "We Will Grow the AR Dental Care Service Market"

Educational Augmented Reality (AR) Smart Toothbrush 'BrushMonster'... Proper Brushing Guidance Service

Choi Jong-ho, CEO of Kitten Planet, is introducing 'Brush Monster,' an educational augmented reality (AR) smart toothbrush that helps children develop toothbrushing habits.

"We will expand augmented reality dental care services to grow the market share." What Choi Jong-ho, CEO of Kitten Planet, emphasized was 'market expansion.' Founded in April 2017, Kitten Planet pioneered the dental care market based on innovative technology and ideas, and confirmed its potential by achieving sales of 1 billion KRW last year both domestically and internationally. CEO Choi believes that if this market can be expanded, growth will accelerate. Furthermore, Kitten Planet's market expansion strategy is expected to create a case where a domestic startup achieves results in the global market.

On the 11th, CEO Choi said, "Starting this year, we will expand with a dental care service model, launch adult products, and prepare to introduce services needed in dental clinics rather than just in the prevention sector." Kitten Planet, a digital dental care startup, offers its flagship product, the educational augmented reality (AR) smart toothbrush 'Brush Monster,' which helps children develop toothbrushing habits. Having majored in neuroengineering, he developed this business model while planning healthcare-related projects at Samsung Electronics.

He saw that since everyone brushes their teeth daily, starting here could innovate the dental care market through technology. Brush Monster, officially launched in 2018, one year after the startup was founded, provides a service linking a dedicated electric toothbrush with a smartphone application (app). When children brush their teeth using their smartphone as a mirror, the app displays their face on the screen, analyzes the position of their teeth, and guides proper brushing using AR technology. By adding game elements, it makes brushing fun, and the dedicated toothbrush also informs users where they brushed well and where they missed. CEO Choi said, "We applied video processing, augmented reality, and Internet of Things technologies to the dental care field," adding, "Augmented reality is not used as actively as expected, but Brush Monster is an item that can change real life." He explained that although they sell toothbrushes, the core of the service is the AR content, not the toothbrush itself.

He plans to focus on growing the market by releasing this service for adults this year. The recognized proprietary technology and services will be provided to other toothbrush companies in the form of licensing. Many companies have shown interest, and another company's AR smart toothbrush using Kitten Planet's technology is scheduled to be launched this year. CEO Choi emphasized, "We are discussing partnerships with various companies," and added, "Competitors are inevitable in this market, and to grow this market, various products must be released together."

Kitten Planet aims for sales of 3 billion KRW and to break even this year. To achieve this, they plan to actively enter not only the domestic but also the global market. They have already expanded into 12 countries and recorded sales of about 300 million KRW last year. It was a rare case for a domestic startup to export products, not just apps, overseas. He explained, "We are also discussing cooperation with insurance companies in the US, Japan, and other countries," adding, "By linking with dental insurance, when customers subscribe to insurance, they receive a toothbrush; if used well, customers get rewards, and insurance companies obtain health management data."

Kitten Planet has won about ten startup competitions, including the 'I Will Be Back 2020 Pitching Day' hosted by the Korea Startup Forum this year, as well as events held by the Banks Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs' D.CAMP in 2018 and Gyeonggi Province's Next Startup Award. Regarding the know-how to gain competitiveness in the market, CEO Choi advised, "You must show a stage that proves a reliable service."