• funding Stage : Series A
• Raising Amount : KRW 5B
• Desired Fundraising Timeframe : 2Q 2025

Codepresso, a platform that integrates community and education resources for developers, has expanded into the HR Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) sector, transforming how companies approach recruitment.

Originally launched in 2019 as a developer education platform, Codepresso shifted towards HR SaaS services after recognizing the pressing needs and challenges within the industry. The company has adapted its services to support the verification of developers’ competencies and streamline recruitment processes, addressing a significant market demand for these capabilities.

Codepresso’s HR SaaS provides data-driven evaluations to fairly and transparently assess job seekers’ skills, and it effectively matches the right candidates to companies. This innovative approach not only replaces outdated and subjective hiring methods but also significantly cuts hiring time and costs, boosting recruitment success rates.

Currently, Codepresso serves over 100 clients, ranging from startups to major IT companies, enhancing recruitment efficiency and reducing costs. Its robust client base contributes to a stable monthly revenue exceeding KRW 100 million, fueled by high customer satisfaction and retention.

Lee Donghoon, CEO of Codepresso, highlighted the company’s broader mission, “Codepresso is more than just a coding education provider. We are dedicated to helping developers realize their potential and generate new value. By using data-driven talent verification, we aim to mitigate the global economic impact of the digital talent shortage, which is estimated to cost over $800 billion annually.”

As Codepresso sets sights on global markets, it plans to introduce multilingual content to accommodate both domestic and international developers, positioning itself as a frontrunner in the global recruitment arena.

Seokmin Jang, a director at Codepresso, emphasized the business focus, “Our clients seek effective recruitment solutions, not just education. Our HR SaaS service centralizes on supporting developers’ competency evaluations and the recruitment process.”

Codepresso participated in the Global Top-tier Elevator (GTE) program, an initiative designed by the Gyeonggi CCEI(Creative Economy Innovation Center) to support and discover elite global incubation companies. Through this program, Codepresso has engaged in efforts to attract foreign investment primarily from Europe and enhance partnerships with global corporations through strategic meetups. These efforts have enabled Codepresso to expand its influence in the global recruitment market and accelerate its international growth.

As Codepresso gears up for further investment to lead the developer hiring market, Director Jang added, “Our growth has been fueled by an innovative, customer-centric approach and our ability to tap into untapped markets. We have sustained profitability without external investment and look forward to partnering with investors to expand globally and enhance fair developer evaluations.”

What problem are we trying to solve?

Codepresso provides a data-driven solution for assessing developers’ skills and connecting them with verified job opportunities. With over 70% of companies struggling to hire suitable talent due to inadequate evaluation standards, and a global digital talent shortage causing $800 billion in losses, our approach addresses critical gaps.

We enable companies to evaluate skills quantitatively, streamline talent identification, and analyze organizational technical trends. This helps optimize upskilling and reskilling strategies. 

By applying data-driven insights across recruitment and talent management, we aim to enhance productivity, foster digital talent growth, and support global economic development.

How do we solve this problem?

Codepresso evaluates developers’ skills in realistic environments, overcoming the limitations of traditional hiring methods like resumes and interviews.

First, we provide customized evaluations tailored to specific roles. Detailed reports highlight strengths and areas for improvement.

Second, we offer tailored solutions for company-specific needs, such as evaluating skills for specific projects or tools. This ensures precise and effective hiring for businesses of any size.

Third, we enable data-driven hiring by leveraging quantitative evaluation data. This helps companies quickly identify the right candidates, improve hiring success, and implement effective upskilling strategies.

Our approach streamlines recruitment and skill management, empowering companies to secure top talent and enhance productivity.

What are our competitive advantages and technical strengths compared to competitors?

Codepresso stands out from competitors with several distinctive advantages.

We offer tailored evaluations and competency models, designing custom assessments aligned with specific roles or projects to meet unique corporate needs. Unlike standardized methods, our approach ensures more precise and relevant evaluations.

Our organizational competency dashboard provides real-time insights into technical capabilities. Companies can analyze skill distributions, identify gaps, and create consistent hiring criteria based on internal data, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Leveraging AI technology, our platform enhances the interview process with virtual interviews. AI-generated questions, response analysis, and follow-up inquiries save time and resources while improving accuracy in candidate evaluations.

The platform also supports large-scale global access, handling over 1,000 simultaneous users with stable and reliable performance.

With competitive pricing, Codepresso offers a comprehensive solution that reduces recruitment costs and supports all aspects of talent management.

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

Codepresso offers four products to transform corporate recruitment and talent management.

SkillCertify is an assessment service that quantifies developers’ competencies in real-world conditions, helping companies identify suitable talent quickly and accurately.

SkillMonitor uses SkillCertify data to visualize organizational competency trends, enabling companies to analyze strengths, address weaknesses, and develop upskilling strategies.

SkillAdvance is a training solution that helps employees close skill gaps through tailored curricula and hands-on learning, boosting productivity and competitiveness.

TalentConnect is a recruitment platform that connects companies with a pre-verified global talent pool, streamlining the hiring process. This allows businesses to achieve successful hires while saving both time and recruitment costs.

Currently, SkillCertify and SkillMonitor are available, SkillAdvance is in beta, and TalentConnect is set to launch in Q1 2025. Together, these products provide an integrated solution for recruitment, talent management, and internal skill building.

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

The global digital talent market, valued at around $10 billion, is growing rapidly but facing a significant talent shortage. Europe is short 8 million, Japan lacks 790,000, and Southeast Asia is missing 5.35 million IT professionals. This shortage is making it difficult for companies to secure talent and manage their internal capabilities.

Our primary customers are businesses that need efficient recruitment and talent management, especially those focused on acquiring digital talent and enhancing internal capabilities. Specifically, we target executives, tech leaders, and HR managers from companies struggling to find specialized talent, seeking developers committed to continuous learning in fields like AI and cloud, in need of advanced developers, and looking to hire both domestically and internationally.

What is our business model?

The cost structure includes two models. The first is subscription-based, with services like SkillCertify and SkillAdvance available for a monthly fee of $22 to $49 per user. SkillCertify can also be accessed with a one-time fee of $22. The second model is performance-based, where TalentConnect charges a commission on the annual salary of the hired candidate, typically 5% to 7% in Korea. Companies only pay upon successful recruitment, minimizing financial risk and increasing hiring success.

In addition to the recruitment service, we also have a model that helps companies grow their digital capabilities. The key feature is a virtuous cycle: employees first assess their skills with SkillCertify, then learn through SkillAdvance. They can reassess their progress with SkillMonitor to track the effectiveness of their learning and growth. The accumulated data also provides valuable insights into the company’s digital strategy.

What achievements has our team made so far?

Our achievements span three regions: Europe, Vietnam, and Korea.

In Europe, we were selected as the second Asian company for Tomorrow Street’s ScaleUpX program, partnering with Vodafone. We’re working on generating revenue in the first half of next year and are in talks with Luxembourg companies for PoC projects.

In Vietnam, we conducted a SkillCertify PoC with CJ Vietnam and are in talks with seven Korean companies about service adoption. We’ve also partnered with five top Vietnamese universities to secure talent.

In Korea, we’ve collaborated with major corporations like Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, and SK Telecom to offer customized upskilling programs. As of 2024, we have contracts to provide training to 30,000 participants online and 2,000 offline, with programs underway.

What is our team’s competitive advantage?

Our team’s strength is in delivering services and products based on market and customer needs, not subjective opinions. The co-founders focus on understanding real customer needs, using market insights to guide our approach. We prioritize solving practical problems over relying solely on technical expertise and adapt quickly to emerging needs.

For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified the urgent shift to online education and responded rapidly by planning content, developing an MVP, and launching the service within five months after a verbal agreement in December 2020.

Our competitive advantage is our ability to continuously incorporate customer feedback and improve our services quickly.

What efforts are we making for international expansion, and what results have we achieved?

We have made collaboration with local companies a key strategy for entering international markets.

In Europe, we partnered with Sky Incubators and signed a contract with Vodafone. We are also conducting a PoC project with the Luxembourg government and several European companies, strengthening our European presence.

In Vietnam, we’re working with Tech Valley and using CJ Vietnam as a reference to engage in PoC discussions with seven companies. We’ve also partnered with universities like Ton Duc Thang and HUTECH to secure top talent.

In Japan, we partnered with YJ Firm and met with telecommunications and recruitment companies, leading to a shift toward long-term engagement and plans for a reference case next year.

In Latin America and North America, we’re negotiating reseller agreements to prepare for rapid market entry through local collaborations.

Additionally, we regularly host hackathons and VIP events to raise awareness of our solutions and showcase our value.

Through these international efforts, we’ve built strong partnerships and networks and are committed to continuous growth.

How does the GTE program facilitate your expansion into international markets?

The Global Top-tier Elevator (GTE) program, organized by the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, is providing substantial opportunities for us to enter the European market. Through the program, we have conducted meetings with three investment firms in Europe. These meetings allowed us to present our business model and growth potential directly to European investors and receive their feedback.

This program helps raise awareness of our market presence. As a small B2B company, gaining recognition is crucial, especially during the early stages of our international expansion. It allows us to introduce our services and solutions effectively, leveraging networks and resources to reach potential customers and partners.

Additionally, it provides an excellent opportunity to share our vision and achievements with investors, helping us convey our growth potential and business model. The opportunity to introduce ourselves to investors alone offers significant advantages. We believe this program will support the execution of our global Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy.

Three reasons why we need investment

First, our customer-centric approach sets us apart. We develop services based on real feedback from executives, HR managers, and tech leaders, addressing their core challenges. This allows us to deliver solutions that truly meet market needs, earning customer trust and loyalty.

Second, our business model operates in a high-growth, blue-ocean market for developer skill verification and recruitment. While competitors have established themselves, we are early movers with a well-planned value ladder that enables effective use of investment and sustainable growth.

Third, we consistently generate ROI. Unlike many startups, we’ve achieved profitability over the past five years without external investment, proving our ability to execute. With demonstrated success, we are now ready to scale further through external funding to accelerate our growth.

Is there anything else you would like to convey?

Finally, the message we want to share is this:
We dream of a world where our services help drive positive change. We envision a world where job seekers are evaluated based on competencies under transparent and fair criteria, and companies receive the exact skills they need. Additionally, we aim to provide education to digitally disadvantaged groups, regardless of their country, to create an environment of fair competition. We believe this approach will foster company growth, economic development, and benefit everyone. By investing in our vision, we can work together to transform the world.