Bhutan is a small country with a population of just 780,000. However, like every other nation, it is home to intelligent and ambitious young minds. Among them is Jaggle.AI, a promising startup based in Bhutan that is now expanding its reach into Asia, with a particular focus on Korea.

IT projects, especially software development, often face persistent challenges in communication and collaboration. These projects begin with abstract ideas and involve the creation of intangible products, which makes them highly prone to failure without effective project management tools. Addressing this issue is the mission of Jaggle.AI.

Although globally renowned tools like Notion and Slack already exist as project management solutions, the founders of Jaggle.AI saw a gap in the market that inspired them to create something new.

Jigme Tashi Namgyal, the CEO of Jaggle.AI, explains, “When I worked as a tech lead at a Japanese company, a development project I led ended in failure. Later, while managing development in various startups, I experienced repeated issues—failures in communication and wasted administrative time. These experiences taught me valuable lessons that eventually led me to start Jaggle.AI.” Remarkably, Jigme is only 22 years old, yet he has amassed an impressive amount of experience. His development background spans companies in Japan, the U.S., and Switzerland, where he came to deeply understand the importance of project management—a realization that became the foundation of Jaggle.AI.

Jaggle.AI describes itself as a tool that acts like “a virtual assistant ready to help at any moment, as if it has been part of your company since its inception—reading every document and participating in every conversation.” By serving as the central hub for all organizational data, Jaggle.AI eliminates the reliance on fragmented memories or individual expertise among team members. With this innovative approach, Jigme claims the platform delivers faster and more accurate project management than existing tools.

The company participated in the “K-Startup Grand Challenge,” a program designed to support foreign companies entering the Korean market, where it was recognized as a top-performing company. Building on the partnerships formed through the program, Jaggle.AI is now in discussions with investors in Korea and Singapore.

When asked why they chose Korea, Jigme highlighted, “Korea is a global IT powerhouse where digital transformation is advancing rapidly.” He emphasized the increasing need for efficient IT project management in such an environment and expressed his ambition to meet demands that cannot be fulfilled by Bhutan’s market alone through Korea’s advanced IT ecosystem.

Despite his youth, Jigme has achieved significant recognition. He was a finalist in the top 8 of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) and was named “National Student Entrepreneur of the Year” in Bhutan in 2023. His career includes roles as a regional lead for a U.S.-based blockchain company, a tech lead at a Japanese firm, and a backend engineer for a Swiss company. In addition, he has won more than ten hackathons and startup competitions in Bhutan, Azerbaijan, and on international stages. The rest of the Jaggle.AI team also boasts impressive credentials.

In the 1980s, Bhutan’s primary school enrollment rate was only 25%. Thanks to significant government efforts, that number rose to 98% by 2014. It is within this environment of strong investment in education that Jigme and his colleagues at Jaggle.AI have flourished. As some of Bhutan’s brightest minds, they have created a company with the ambition to succeed not only in Korea but globally. If they succeed, Bhutan could witness its own version of the “Miracle on the Han River.” These brilliant young Bhutanese entrepreneurs are now eagerly awaiting their chance to make an impact and capture the attention of investors in Korea and beyond.

What problem is Jaggle.AI trying to solve?  

Project management software within the IT enterprise domain faces several critical challenges. Your company knowledge is everywhere, that means finding answers to your questions can seem impossible even when you know the information is out there.

Planning is hard. Existing tools throw a big backlog at you and grooming/planning is incredibly frustrating. Once a sprint gets going, there are no guardrails, and no easy way to assess the “health of a sprint”. It is also really hard to plan and estimate a sprint when you’re just staring at a long list of tasks that are prioritized low/medium/high. They don’t give a good look into, team, their availability, or their capacity.

Moreover, user adoption hurdles, customization limitations, high costs, and potential vendor lock-in also pose significant challenges.

Addressing these issues demands a concerted effort and focusing on these aspects could significantly enhance the efficiency of project management software in IT enterprise settings. 

How does Jaggle.AI solve these problems?  

At Jaggle.AI, we streamline project management efficiency by building a knowledge hub for your companies, cutting down on repetitive tasks and free up time for what really matters in your team.

Jaggle AI is like having an expert who’s been at your company from the very beginning, who has read every document, been a part of every conversation and is ready to assist you 24/7.

with powerful deep learning deployed across all your content, people and interactions. Jaggle understands your company and enterprise knowledge graphs to bring you the exact information you need in seconds.

Planning sprints, creating user stories and managing a team, what would usually take a month for a small sized project will now take a click of a button and spending only a few hours of time, cutting down more than 2 weeks of time for you and your team.

What sets Jaggle.AI apart from competitors? What are its technical advantages?  

Unlike many other tools that simply organize tasks or documents, Jaggle.AI offers a true knowledge hub that integrates with all content, conversations, and documentation within a company. This capability transforms Jaggle.AI into a 24/7 expert with access to the entire history of your company’s knowledge. 

Jaggle.AI automates sprint planning, task creation, and user story generation, which reduces the time spent on these activities from weeks to mere hours. This is especially valuable for IT enterprise teams, who can now skip the repetitive backlog grooming and estimation processes and instead focus on high-value tasks.

Our focus is also on unique customization that we provide to large IT enterprises and government sectors that gives us a unique positioning. 

Jaggle.AI is aware of the specific needs and regulatory challenges especially government sectors face, giving it an edge over more secure tools. This understanding, combined with expertise in compliance, allows Jaggle.AI to serve high-stakes, high-compliance projects more effectively.

What products and services do we offer, and what is their current status?  

Jaggle.AI launched on August 20, 2024, and provides the following features and services:  

First, AI-powered automation. Jaggle.AI streamlines time-consuming tasks such as sprint planning, backlog management, user story creation, and BPMN diagram generation using advanced AI algorithms. These automation tools transform user stories and project requirements into actionable, prioritized tasks, significantly reducing planning time and ensuring strong team alignment.  

Second, intelligent task allocation. Jaggle.AI doesn’t just generate and automate tasks—it also analyzes historical user data and team performance metrics to determine the best person for each task. It predicts task completion times, enabling efficient resource allocation.  

Finally, Jaggle Brain serves as a comprehensive knowledge repository that consolidates a company’s documents, tasks, project updates, and historical data. Its AI-powered search and natural language processing capabilities enable instant retrieval of relevant information, reducing search time and empowering teams to make faster, data-driven decisions. Jaggle Brain is set to launch as an AI assistant.  

We are constantly improving Jaggle AI and for the next release our main focus is to bring chat right into the system. Despite advancements in work management, chat apps remain isolated, disconnected from the tools we use to collaborate. We’re constantly overwhelmed with noise—switching between windows, dodging distractions, and trying to stay organized amid endless pings. It’s impossible to focus and unrealistic to keep everything in order when we’re forced to toggle between apps, chatting in one place and managing work in another. We are redefining the traditional working of tools to bring your conversations and work to life on the same platform.

What is the size of our target market, and who are our key customers?  

The global ICT market is almost at $6 Trillion in 2023. The Global market for IT service providers and outsourcing companies is projected to reach $541.10 billion by the end of 2024 and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 8.48%, reaching $812.70 billion by 2029. The team inefficiencies impact is increasing the demand for effective project management practices and tools. This shift is reflected in the global project management software market, which is projected to reach $9.81 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 10.7% from 2021 to 2026.

South Korea startup is home to 44,870 startups as of 2023. In 2022, South Korea’s ICT market was estimated to be worth around 218 trillion won (approximately $165 billion USD) South Korea’s IT management market is valued at $33.67 billion, with IT outsourcing claiming $12.77 billion The South Korea IT services market generated a revenue of USD 28,268.0 million in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 61,846.3 million by 2030.

Seoul city is already home to 8,708 startups, and the country has a total of 10 tech unicorns out of which 8 are based in seoul. Among which 41% of the startups are IT development service providers and outsourcing companies. These companies have an average of 35 employees working.

We are targeting the IT companies in Seoul to start with and our main goal is to at least capture 15% of the total market in South Korea alone.

Why did we decide to enter the Korean market, and what do we aim to achieve here?  

Recognizing the immense potential of the Korean market, our mission to enter the Korean market is driven by the need to leverage the capabilities of our tools beyond our current markets, where local demand alone cannot fully realize our potential. The Korean and broader Asian markets are witnessing rapid digital transformation. The adoption of AI-driven solutions is also accelerating as organizations seek to enhance productivity and gain a competitive edge. 

Especially in South Korea, there is an increased adoption of Work Management in the industry due to factors such as the increasing adoption of remote work, digital transformation, and the need for efficient project management tools.

The Korean government also actively supports Ai innovation and recently  established the National Strategy for AI on December 17th, 2019. With the vision of ‘Toward AI World Leader beyond IT’, Korea aims to achieve digital competitiveness, create a huge economic effect of AI. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in April 2024 to his country that they will invest 9.4 trillion won ($6.94 billion) in artificial intelligence by 2027

South Korean companies are also projected to spend $27 billion on IT and software in 2024. South Korea ranks first among OECD member countries in the adoption of digital technologies, including IoT, big data analytics, AI technology, and cloud computing adoption.

What is our business model?  

We offer several plans tailored to different needs:  

First, the Free Plan provides up to 3 users per workspace, 50MB of storage, and access to a single workspace with limited AI features.  

The Unlimited Plan includes unlimited users per workspace, unlimited storage, chat functionality, and full access to all AI features. Pricing is $16.99 per user per month when billed annually or $19.99 per user per month when billed monthly.  

For more advanced needs, the Business Plan offers custom roles and permissions (ACL), enhanced security controls, admin training, 24/7 support, priority assistance, and global search functionality. Pricing is $26.99 per user per month when billed annually or $22.49 per user per month when billed monthly.  

We also provide perpetual licensing options for enterprises that require customized solutions tailored to their specific requirements.  

Lastly, the Jaggle Brain Assistant is available as an optional AI add-on for $5 per user per month. 

What achievements has our team accomplished so far, particularly in entering the Korean market?  

The Jaggle.AI team has actively participated in Korea’s KSGC program, leveraging the opportunity to enhance our product and deepen our understanding of the Korean market. The resources and mentorship provided by KSGC were instrumental in building key relationships with partners and collaborators.  

In terms of partnerships, we are in the final stages of securing three agreements and MOUs—one with a Seoul-based company and two with companies in Singapore. These partnerships were facilitated by the reputation we built as KSGC participants and the networking events we attended.  

In addition to forming strategic partnerships, we have successfully established our presence in the local market as Bhutan’s first and only KSGC representative. We are also in discussions with government agencies to develop custom AI solutions, which will strengthen our credibility and broaden our influence.  

On the investment side, since arriving in Korea, we have connected with investors and are now in the final stages of negotiating equity and funding agreements.  

What are our team’s strengths?  

Our CEO, Jigme Tashi Namgyal, is a 22-year-old entrepreneur who advanced to the top 8 of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) and was named “National Student Entrepreneur of the Year” in Bhutan in 2023. Previously, he developed ‘Stellar Minds’, an AI-powered journaling app that promotes mindfulness and sustainability by planting trees each time users engage with the app.  

Jigme has over six years of experience in the tech industry, holding roles such as regional lead for a U.S.-based blockchain company, tech lead in Japan, and backend engineer for a Swiss firm. He has also won more than ten hackathons and startup competitions in Bhutan, Azerbaijan, and on the international stage. The concept for Jaggle.AI emerged from his firsthand experiences with the challenges of task management, particularly the inefficiencies of time-consuming administrative work. His experiences as a tech lead in Japan, where he dealt with project failures, and his leadership roles in various startups, where he faced the limitations of existing project management tools, inspired the creation of Jaggle.AI.  

Our Head of Sales, Lhatul Wangmo, has a strong background in finance and business management. At just 25 years old, she became the Head of Business at Selise, showcasing her leadership and expertise.  

Our CTO, Sangay Wangchuk, brings over 10 years of experience in software development and is widely recognized as an expert in programming. His extensive technical knowledge plays a critical role in crafting optimal solutions for our users.  

Our COO, Sonam Choeda, has a solid background in IT and operational management. While working at a startup in Korea, he streamlined operations and demonstrated his ability to drive efficiency and operational excellence by simplifying processes and optimizing workflows. 

What do we need most right now to enter the Korean market?

Establishing sustainable partnerships with local IT outsourcing companies is crucial for us at this stage. These will help us navigate and understand market needs and provide a runaway to our Subsidiary here in South Korea.