Naver Invests in 3 Startups... Collaboration in Data, Mobility, and Edutech

Investment in 'MyFranchise', 'Modu's Shuttle', and 'Envizible'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Naver's corporate accelerator 'D2SF' announced on the 11th that it has invested in three startups in the fields of data, mobility, and edutech.

The startups receiving investment this time are ▲'MyFranchise,' which has built comparative analysis data by franchise brand ▲'Moduui Shuttle,' a shared shuttle mobility startup specialized in commuting ▲'Envisible,' a developer of interactive content targeting kids. Naver evaluated these startups as "teams with excellent technological application capabilities in their respective business fields, with broad touchpoints with the Naver platform."

MyFranchise has built its own platform to solve the information asymmetry problem in the franchise industry and provides comparative analysis information by franchise brand to prospective entrepreneurs. It is currently in beta service and plans to implement a one-stop process from optimal brand recommendation and consultation to franchise contract in the future. Collaboration with Naver's platform, which supports the growth of small business owners, is highly anticipated. CEO Jun-yong Kim of MyFranchise is an entrepreneur who founded Kids Note and sold it to Kakao. BonAngels and KimGisa Lab participated as co-investors in this investment.

Moduui Shuttle operates a shared shuttle service that matches charter buses by designing commuting routes according to user demand. It has received positive responses from users who find public transportation or commuting by private car difficult and charter bus operators expecting new revenue streams, showing new possibilities in the shared mobility industry. Naver expects to find many touchpoints from the perspective of data utilization. DSC Investment, Schmidt, and L&S Venture Capital jointly invested.

Envisible developed digital content that helps the physical and emotional development of infants and children by utilizing technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and computer vision. It is recognized as a team with excellent interactive content production capabilities, releasing new content every month. They are also planning joint services with Juniver and plan to expand cooperation opportunities further.

Yang Sang-hwan, leader of Naver D2SF, said, "These startups have applied technology in each business field to implement valuable services, and synergy with the Naver platform is also expected," adding, "We will strive to enable more active exchanges and joint growth between Naver and technology startups."

Meanwhile, since its launch in May 2015, Naver D2SF has invested in a total of 42 technology startups to support their growth and is also conducting various activities to foster the domestic technology startup ecosystem.