PulseAd, a Korean startup operating a global retail media platform, recently received strategic investment from CJ ENM and was selected for the TIPS program. This program, spearheaded by Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is designed to support promising technology startups that are poised to lead the global market. Over the next two years, PulseAd will receive up to KRW 500 million (approximately USD 384,615). in R&D funding and an additional KRW 200 million (approximately USD 153,846) for business linkage and overseas marketing initiatives.

Equipped with proprietary AI, PulseAd provides comprehensive services for retail sellers aimed at optimizing advertising efficiency. In April, the company was named a partner in the advertising technology sector of Amazon, the world’s largest online shopping platform, and has since successfully managed numerous Amazon advertising campaigns.

Recognizing PulseAd’s potential, the CJ ENM Commerce Division, operators of CJ OnStyle, made a strategic investment in the startup in June. This partnership is intended to accelerate the growth of PulseAd’s innovative solutions.

PulseAd leverages its Amazon technology partnership to analyze data that is typically challenging for general sellers to access. By harnessing this data, the company enhances the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Additionally, PulseAd offers customized growth strategy consulting for CJ OnStyle brands and facilitates their successful entry into the North American market through comprehensive solutions that cover campaign operations to real-time analytics.

PulseAd plans to use the recognition from the TIPS program and the strategic investment to further develop its AI and machine learning technologies. This technological advancement aims to help more brands achieve international success. In fact, a hair care brand using PulseAd’s solutions saw a threefold increase in sales within two months, while its machine learning-based RTB bidding engine improved performance fourfold according to A/B testing results.

Lee Jun-ho, head of the CJ ENM Commerce Division Growth Promotion Team, said, “PulseAd holds a strategic blueprint for retail media, which is central to our future strategy. We foresee a long-term partnership with them and will use our resources to significantly boost their growth.”

“PulseAd is positioned to drive the growth of K-beauty, a rapidly expanding category in North America, through our partnership with CJ OnStyle,” said Geo-seong Yoon, CEO of PulseAd. “We are committed to advancing our technology to enable beauty brands to thrive through data-driven marketing.”