Playtag, a startup specializing in vision-based AI behavior analysis, has secured 4 billion won in pre-Series A investment. The funding round was led by CJ Investment, with participation from BNK Venture Investment, DSC Investment, and KB Investment. Playtag intends to utilize the investment to enhance its flagship service, Storyline, as well as invest in research and development and expand its workforce.

Founded in March 2022 by Professor Park Hyun-soo, a computer science professor at the University of Minnesota, Playtag focuses on developing a range of AI-powered services utilizing computer vision, behavior analysis, and automation algorithms. In 2022, Playtag developed an automatic notification service and conducted a pilot test at daycare centers and kindergartens in Korea.

Building on the success of its automatic notification service, Playtag launched Storyline in March 2023. Storyline utilizes AI to analyze images captured by cameras installed in daycare centers and generates notifications in the form of bulletins for parents. Parents can also receive personalized behavior data, such as their child’s play preferences and physical activity levels.

More recently, Playtag has entered the senior care industry, which is valued at approximately 10 trillion won in Korea. Storyline can be utilized to send notifications to caregivers, including photos and descriptions of seniors’ main activities, including those at day care centers. Caregivers can use information on physical health and behavioral changes, such as step count, speed, and distance traveled, to detect and respond to age-related diseases at an early stage.

Kim Kyung-sik, a senior investment director at CJ Investment, who led the investment, stated, “Playtag possesses unique technology in the field of AI behavior recognition and analysis. We highly appreciate its potential for various future applications, starting from behavior analysis of infants and seniors.”

Park Hyun-soo, CEO of Playtag, expressed, “This investment serves as a significant milestone in expanding the market for AI behavior analysis technology that we have developed thus far. We will strive to further enhance the Storyline service, which applies behavior analysis technology to real-life scenarios, enabling it to provide practical assistance to infants and seniors.”