RealWorld launches after securing 21 billion KRW in seed investment
Leading Korean and Japanese manufacturers and global VCs participate
Global robotics foundation model (RFM) technology startup RealWorld (RLWRLD) officially launched on the 15th after securing 21 billion KRW in seed (early-stage) investment. This investment was made through the joint participation of major manufacturers from Korea and Japan as well as global venture capital (VC) firms.
Earlier, CEO Ryu Jung-hee stepped down from his position after 13 years since founding FuturePlay. FuturePlay is a VC and accelerator (AC) specializing in startup investment and nurturing, investing in innovative startups across various fields including deep tech, lifestyle, and content. RealWorld is developing an RFM that can be directly applied to industrial sites based on the strengths of Korean and Japanese manufacturing.
This investment includes prominent VCs such as Hashed, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Global Brain (GB), and PKSHA Technology Capital, as well as numerous strategic investors from Japanese corporate venture capital (CVC) funds of major companies including LG Electronics, SK Telecom, DRB Dongil from Korea, and KDDI, ANA Holdings, Mitsui Chemicals, Shimadzu Corporation from Japan.
RealWorld plans to utilize real-world data accumulated at manufacturing sites directly for AI training through collaboration with these partners. The goal is to achieve practical labor productivity innovation centered on the field. While existing large language models (LLMs) have played a role in supplementing human knowledge work in the digital world, RealWorld plans to expand AI application scope by applying its self-developed RFM to embodied robots.
CEO Ryu Jung-hee stated, "AI, which rapidly grew based on internet data such as language, is now evolving into physical AI that understands real-world data and converts it into physical actions. Unlike LLMs dominated by global big tech, the RFM market is just opening. The data and field experience possessed by Korean and Japanese companies, manufacturing powerhouses, will be the decisive battleground in this competition."
RealWorld collaborates with AI faculty and researchers from Korea’s top research institutions including KAIST, Seoul National University, and POSTECH. Additionally, industry veterans such as Ryu Hyung-kyu, Chief Product Officer (CPO) and former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Kurly, Bae Jae-kyung, CTO and former AI product lead at Upstage, and Lee Kang-wook, Chief Business Officer (CBO) and former Managing Director and Partner at BCG, have joined the team.
Kim Seo-jun, CEO of Hashed and participant in RealWorld’s seed investment, said, "RealWorld will lead innovation in the manufacturing industry by combining real-use-centered data and technology. Collaboration with global manufacturers is the strongest driving force to accelerate the commercialization of RFM technology." Kim Eung-seok, Vice Chairman of Mirae Asset, stated, "The deep tech experience of FuturePlay, RealWorld’s vision, and integration with the industry will create significant impact in the global market."
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