The Korean company ‘Unmanned Research Institute’ has secured seed investment from ‘Primer’. With this funding, the company aims to enhance its AIoT-based unmanned technology and accelerate its entry into the global market.  

Unmanned Research Institute specializes in unmanned solutions and operates the ‘Andingstudy Café’ brand. The concept for its unmanned operating system emerged when the founder, while managing a study café, helped set up approximately 30 study cafés for acquaintances and recognized the potential of such systems. To address the limitations of traditional franchise models, the Andingstudy Café was officially launched in November 2022, achieving $1.85 million (KRW 2.5 billion) in sales within two years.  

The company leverages an AI-powered unmanned learning management system to oversee learners’ study sessions at Andingstudy Cafés while providing franchisees with tools for efficient store management. The system tracks learners’ study time in real time and incentivizes them by offering a payback of $0.08 per hour of focused study. A standout feature is its ability to automatically manage learners’ mobile phone usage, while enabling parents to monitor their child’s progress in real time.  

Since its launch, Andingstudy Café has signed contracts for 32 branches. As of October, the cafés have served a cumulative 50,000 customers, with an average of 27,000 monthly visits. Sales have shown significant growth, with $1.28 million (KRW 1.73 billion) recorded in the first year, and projections exceeding $1.85 million (KRW 2.5 billion) for this year.  

Michael Park, CEO of Unmanned Research Institute, shared his vision: “We aim to go beyond simple store expansion. Our ultimate goal is to create a business ecosystem that guarantees time and financial freedom for franchisees through continuous innovation in unmanned systems. We plan to develop diverse solutions tailored to the budgets of aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them start and succeed in a cost-effective unmanned business model that meets their needs.”