MakinaRocks, an industrial AI company specializing in vertical solutions, announced on March 3 that it has received preliminary approval for a KOSDAQ listing review from the Korea Exchange.
MakinaRocks, together with its lead underwriter Mirae Asset Securities, aims to complete the remaining listing procedures and go public within the first half of this year.
With this preliminary approval, MakinaRocks has received official recognition for its unrivaled technology and business scalability. In the technology evaluation conducted in November last year, it earned an "A" rating from both NICE D&B and eCredible, achieving an overall "A-A" grade and raising market expectations.
MakinaRocks is a leading AI company in Korea, supplying high-performance vertical AI solutions specialized for key industrial fields such as manufacturing and defense. Since its founding, the company has attracted attention for securing Series A investments from global manufacturing giants including Applied Ventures, LG, SK, and Naver-an unprecedented collective participation. Subsequently, it attracted a cumulative investment of 53 billion won, led by strategic investors such as GS, Samsung, POSCO, and Hanwha.
The core driver for MakinaRocks is its proprietary AI operating system (AI OS), "Runway." Runway supports the entire lifecycle from AI model development to deployment and operation (MLOps), ensuring rapid and stable performance even in closed network environments that require the highest level of security. Building on Runway, MakinaRocks is expanding its AX (AI Transformation) footprint from manufacturing to other intelligence-critical sectors such as defense and finance.
Currently, MakinaRocks is serving as a key partner in Korea's national AI strategy, participating as a core team member in the Ministry of Science and ICT's "Proprietary Foundation Model" project (Upstage Consortium) and as a leading company in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's "Manufacturing AX Alliance." The resources secured through this IPO will be invested intensively in advancing Runway’s technology and entering global markets.
Sungho Yoon, CEO of MakinaRocks, stated, "Passing this preliminary review is a recognition of MakinaRocks’ technological capabilities and achievements proven in both factories and on the battlefield. By passing the rigorous scrutiny of the capital market, we aim to further enhance Korea’s competitiveness in manufacturing and defense and grow into a leading company in the global vertical AI market."
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