Korean vision AI startup MAZE has secured a seed bridge investment from the startup accelerator WOW Partners. MAZE developed ‘Live Review’, a solution that transforms personal data recorded through video devices into actionable analytics without storing any video footage. Founded in 2022 by CEO Song Ki-sun, the company is led by an accomplished leader with a strong background—he graduated from Seoul National University, earned a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and held research roles at Siemens, Toyota, and Hyundai Motor Company.

In offline environments, personal information is often stored by CCTV and other recording devices, requiring strict compliance with privacy laws to process. This typically involves anonymizing personal data, extracting the necessary information, and disposing of the footage, a process that is both time-consuming and costly. Additionally, processing video data at scale requires high-performance, expensive hardware and software, further adding to the challenges.

MAZE’s solution eliminates the need to store video footage while enabling the collection of customer information and movement data at a dramatically lower cost than traditional video analytics solutions. Operators of exhibitions, department stores, pop-up stores, and convenience stores can use insights from ‘Live Review’ to better understand customer experiences and develop more effective offline marketing strategies.

Kim Tae-hyun, CEO of WOW Partners, stated, “The current CRM market is primarily focused on online platforms, but MAZE stands out with its innovative technology in the offline CRM market. The ‘Live Review’ solution has immense growth potential, not only in private markets but also in public sectors, such as tracking missing persons, identifying wanted suspects, or managing large-scale events with high foot traffic.”

Song Ki-sun, CEO of MAZE, expressed his excitement about the investment, saying, “We’re delighted to have secured this investment from WOW Partners. Unlike the highly competitive online CRM market dominated by major platforms, the offline CRM market holds tremendous potential. We’re committed to growing MAZE into a market leader, both domestically and globally.”

WOW Partners, the startup accelerator behind this investment, launched the ‘WOW Deeptech Investment Fund No. 1’ in November last year. The firm continues to invest in startups specializing in deep tech fields, including artificial intelligence, advanced materials-parts-equipments, and bio-health.