4 Billion Won in Funds for Unfamiliar 'Sound Diagnosis' Technology... "Prevention of Major Accidents"

[Hot Deal of the Week] LOAS Secures KRW 4 Billion in Pre-Series A Funding

[Editor’s Note] By following investment trends in the venture and startup ecosystem, valuable insights can be gained into future industries and emerging companies. Among the venture and startup investment cases that occurred over the past week, we take an in-depth look at the most notable ones.

[More detailed company information about the startup featured in this article can be found on “DataLab,” the big data platform operated by Unicorn Factory.]

“The technology was already working in real industrial environments. We spent five months reviewing the investment opportunity, and what ultimately drove the decision was not just that the technology was impressive, but that LOAS had a clear structure capable of generating real revenue, strong sales capabilities, and established trust with major corporations.”

This was the assessment from Stick Ventures, which led the Pre-Series A investment round for LOAS, a company developing AI-based acoustic inspection solutions.

LOAS recently secured an additional KRW 1 billion investment from IBK Venture Investment and FuturePlay, bringing its total Pre-Series A funding round to KRW 4 billion. This follows the KRW 3 billion investment raised last year with participation from Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, Stick Ventures, D.CAMP, and MobyDick Ventures. Based on this newly secured funding, LOAS plans to accelerate its expansion into overseas markets.

When situations such as gas leaks occur in industrial environments, sounds outside the normal range are generated. The challenge is that factory machinery noise is so loud that the human ear cannot accurately detect such abnormal sounds. LOAS possesses ICT-based technology capable of identifying abnormal industrial sounds at an early stage. This includes “AI Square,” a visualization-based acoustic diagnostic software engine, and “Tfoi,” an autonomous driving robot equipped with the system.

While existing vibration sensors attached to machinery or pipelines can indicate whether abnormalities exist, LOAS explains that acoustic data provides a far more intuitive solution because it enables precise identification of the exact location of the issue.

Jaehyun Lee, founder and CEO of LOAS, is a former engineer who worked with measurement and inspection systems in Germany. He stated, “I have always paid attention to the fact that invisible dangers in industrial environments continuously send signals through sound,” adding, “Acoustic data may appear ordinary at first glance, but in industrial settings, it is one of the most practical methods for safety diagnostics.”

When asked about the reason behind the investment, Stick Ventures explained, “As industrial safety obligations continue to strengthen under regulations such as the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, solutions capable of preventing accidents are receiving significant attention in the market.” The firm added, “LOAS’s solution aligns perfectly with this demand by detecting subtle leak sounds and abnormal noise that are difficult for humans to recognize in extremely noisy environments such as power plants, industrial facilities, and semiconductor factories, then converting them into three-dimensional spatial images that precisely indicate the source location.”

The company’s rapid conversion of public-sector demonstration projects into full-scale contracts was also cited as a key factor behind the investment decision. LOAS began full-scale demonstration testing after winning second place in a startup and venture support program hosted by Korea Western Power in 2023.

The following year, at the Seoincheon Power Plant Headquarters, “Tfoi” autonomously navigated throughout the power plant collecting data and, within just one week, successfully detected three LNG micro leaks in high-pressure pipelines, helping prevent potential accidents.

An investment manager at Stick Ventures commented, “During our investment review process, the PoC (Proof of Concept) case in which LOAS’s technology successfully detected actual micro leaks at Korea Western Power became decisive evidence for the investment.” The manager added, “Afterward, the technology’s credibility was further strengthened when the case was selected as an outstanding win-win growth example under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ WIN-WIN HONORS program.”

Collaboration with Korea Western Power became a decisive turning point for LOAS in entering traditionally conservative industrial sectors. Since then, the company has continued securing major domestic corporations, including LG Electronics, as key clients, further increasing its investment appeal.

A representative from Stick Ventures stated, “Rather than simply viewing the technology as impressive, we closely examined whether it could actually translate into real sales by evaluating market potential and customer response.” The representative added, “During that process, we confirmed that LOAS’s technology had already been partially applied at LG Electronics’ Changwon plant, and that requests for adoption were also coming from overseas subsidiaries.”

The representative further commented, “We also determined that there was sufficient potential for exit opportunities, including a technology-special listing.” They added, “No investment opportunity is perfect in every aspect, but LOAS is a company that possesses the strong combination of technology, credibility, and early market validation, making its future growth highly promising.”

[Unicorn Factory, the startup media platform of Money Today]

<Copyright © “Real-time News Where Money is Visible,” Money Today. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and AI training use prohibited.>

Source: Money Today > Reporter Ryu Jun-young

View Full Article>>https://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2025043005373827781

─

LOAS Inc.

(주)로아스

Contact

Tel. 02-6486-6411

Email. info@loas.ai