Domestic Startups Enter the AI Agent Market Amid Rapid Growth

Global and Domestic IT Giants Compete in AI Agent Development
Startups Such as Wadiz, Wrtn, and Hyeum Also Launch New Services

As the global artificial intelligence (AI) agent market is rapidly expanding, domestic startups are also accelerating their entry into the market by launching related services one after another. AI agents are AI services capable of autonomously performing complex tasks according to user instructions. With startups emphasizing expertise and innovation in specific fields, competition in the domestic and international AI agent markets is expected to intensify.

According to industry sources on July 11, domestic startups are entering the market one after another with specialized AI agents. Funding platform Wadiz launched a crowdfunding-specific AI agent called "WAi" earlier this month. WAi provides real-time feedback through conversational AI on questions arising during the operation process, such as funding feasibility and settlement. Wadiz expects that even small business owners or new brands without previous funding experience will be able to easily raise funds through this service.

Wrtn Technologies, which developed the personal AI assistant "wrtn," became the first domestic AI agent platform to surpass a cumulative investment of 100 billion KRW in March. Unlike global general-purpose AIs, wrtn is optimized for the Korean language and culture. It is also used as a tool for school assignments such as book reports, with more than 40% of all users reportedly in their teens and twenties. Wrtn has set a goal of reaching 10 million monthly active users (MAU) and has chosen G-Dragon as its advertising model to drive mainstream adoption.

Financial AI technology company Hyeum introduced "Alfred," an AI agent for corporate clients such as small businesses and startups, in May. Alfred can handle everything from 24-hour consultations on finance, tax, and labor issues to refund recommendations through chat alone. A representative from Hyeum stated, "Even small or general businesses that have difficulty securing financial personnel can improve work efficiency through Alfred," and added, "We plan to further advance Alfred into a Large Action Model (LAM) capable of inference and decision-making, evolving it into an AI assistant specialized in finance and tax."

The reason why startups with technological capabilities are successively launching AI agents is the growth potential of this service. Global market research firm Gartner projects that the AI agent market will grow more than ninefold from $5.1 billion (7 trillion KRW) last year to $47.1 billion (67 trillion KRW) in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44.8%. According to CB Insights’ "AI 100" report, 21 out of the 100 promising startups selected this year are related to AI agents, and investors have also cited this field as a top priority.

An industry insider stated, "AI agents are expected to become 'intelligent work partners' for both individuals and companies, supporting not only schedule management and document creation but also everyday tasks such as travel bookings and online shopping. As a result, competition to secure a leading position in the market is expected to become increasingly fierce."