Heum, a South Korean AI-driven fintech startup, has successfully raised approximately USD 7.9 million(KRW 10.5 billion) in its Series B funding round. The round saw follow-on investments from existing backers Industrial Bank of Korea and Quad Ventures, with new participation from Kiwoom Investment, among others. With this latest round, Heum’s cumulative funding now stands at approximately USD 15.5 million(KRW 21 billion).

Founded in 2017, Heum began as an AI research company focused on streamlining administrative processes for small business owners, self-employed individuals, and SMEs. The company has since emerged as a leader in automating tax and financial management. Its flagship offerings include “Heum Report 2.0,” a platform that supports business tax processing, and “The Overpaid Tax,” South Korea’s first AI-powered tax refund application service for business owners.

With the new capital, Heum plans to accelerate the development of its financial AI agent tailored for small business operators. The company aims to evolve beyond its current suite of convenience-focused features—such as free consultations and automated invoice issuance—by integrating advanced capabilities for managing receivables and payables. This move is expected to enable Heum’s AI agents to autonomously handle a broader range of tax and financial tasks on behalf of entrepreneurs.

Jung-woo Kim, CEO of Quad Ventures, which also participated in Heum’s Series A, commented: “As the era of AI agents becomes a reality, Heum has consistently delivered stable performance in the tax and finance space since its inception in 2019, backed by proprietary AI agent technology. With recognition from multiple specialized institutions, we believe Heum is well-positioned to emerge as a frontrunner in next-generation AI technologies.”

Heum CEO Hyung-seok Ok added, “As AI technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the need for AI agents that can act on behalf of business operators is becoming more critical. With the Series B funding, we will focus on advancing our agentic AI capabilities—from execution to reasoning—and strengthen our leadership in AI through aggressive investment.”Heum was recently selected by South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups as a recipient of the 2024 “Super-Gap Startup” designation, which recognizes pioneering technology companies. The company also earned an A+ rating in the Technology Business Evaluation by the Korea Technology Finance Corporation(KIBO) and a T3 grade in the Tech Credit Evaluation by Korea Enterprise Data, further validating its technological reliability.