South Korean AI Startup Upstage to Integrate Models, Agents, and Portal

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean artificial intelligence (AI) startup Upstage said Tuesday it plans to integrate its AI models, agentic services and portal platform to enhance its offerings and reach a broader audience.

Upstage Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kim Sung-hoon unveiled the plan to launch Upstage Company after acquiring AXZ, the operator of portal service Daum and AI agent platform Timely AI, earlier this year as part of efforts to expand the company's portfolio.

"The launch of the Upstage Company marks a meaningful first step in bringing together powerful AI models, AI agents and a widely used platform," Kim said during a media event in Seoul. "We aim to go beyond AI for enterprises and usher in an era of AI for everyone."

Kim said more than 200 companies around the world, including those in the United States and Japan, have adopted Upstage's AI models. He added that the value of new contracts signed in the first half of this year has already exceeded the company's total sales for all of last year.

Upstage recently secured 730 billion won (US$482.2 million) in funding, including 100 billion won from the government-backed National Growth Fund.

Under the new strategy, Timely AI will integrate work-focused AI agents powered by various language models, including Solar, into a single user experience, while portal Daum will be transformed into an AI-powered platform by combining Upstage's AI technologies.