“What should I do this weekend?” As the weekend approaches, many people find themselves endlessly scrolling through their smartphones asking this question. TikTok floods users with trending spots, and Instagram overflows with “photo-worthy” locations, but actually getting out of bed to experience them is harder than it seems. Enter Joomalstory, a startup transforming “boring weekends” into “exciting weekends.”

Founded by former Naver employee Hwang Eom-ji, Joomalstory accurately pinpointed MZ generation’s “choice fatigue syndrome.” “When I was working, colleagues and I would discuss weekend plans every week, but there was never much to report. I felt a thirst for meaningful weekends, which led me to start this business,” Hwang explains. Her survey of 1,345 office workers aged 25-35 validated this: one in two responded that they “want new experiences but end up staying home doing nothing.”

Joomalstory’s approach is distinctive. While existing platforms say “browse and choose for yourself,” Joomalstory says “we’ll help you have fun. Listen up.” Content comes first, followed by booking—like a friend enthusiastically recommending “I went there yesterday and it was amazing!”

This strategy is working. Without spending on advertising, Joomalstory has secured 130,000 loyal fans, including 80,000 newsletter subscribers with over 40% open rates—remarkable considering 10% is considered successful. The “Experience Shop” has achieved 2,500+ bookings, 20% repurchase rate, and 4.9-star average rating.

The business model is sophisticated. Beyond booking commissions, content itself generates revenue. With 130,000 targeted users, lifestyle brands continuously propose collaborations through native advertising, experiential campaigns, and co-created content.

According to CEO Hwang, “Joomalstory’s biggest competitive advantage is our team composition and execution capability.” The team includes veterans from Naver, Kakao, and Market Kurly. Notably, many team members joined after being early newsletter fans, ensuring genuine commitment to the company’s vision.

Joomalstory received the Korea Tourism Organization President’s Award in 2024. Currently web-based, the service plans to launch a mobile app in September for enhanced mobile experiences.

Future plans are ambitious. While currently targeting female office workers aged 25-35, they plan to expand to couples, families, and eventually global markets riding the K-content wave. When overseas fans wonder “what should I do in Korea?” Joomalstory aims to provide the answer.

Since joining Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub in October 2023, Joomalstory has grown steadily with support in marketing, PR, and funding. For investors interested in how Joomalstory is transforming people’s weekends, a visit to Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub would be worthwhile.

What problem is Joomalstory trying to solve?

We solve people’s “boredom.” As technology advances and work hours decrease, modern people have more leisure time than before. Weekends constitute about 30% of our lives—the most personal time—yet spending them meaningfully is surprisingly difficult.

During my office worker days, I wanted refreshment and new experiences but kept falling into the same routines. Our survey of 1,345 people confirmed this was universal: one in two office workers aged 25-35 said they “want new experiences but end up staying home doing nothing.”

The reason is clear: information overflows but actionable suggestions are scarce, while choice fatigue and opportunity cost stress continue growing.

Joomalstory solves this through content-based curation—proposing suitable options and helping people follow through. Not simple information delivery, but a structure converting boredom into healthy dopamine. Transforming people’s boring time into meaningful, enjoyable time—that’s the essential problem we solve.

How does Joomalstory solve this problem?

We solve this through content-based curation. The core reason people don’t enjoy leisure isn’t information shortage but decision difficulty.

Joomalstory combines trusted editor curation + content-based discovery + instant booking. We curate only directly verified experiences into content, refine them through recommendation algorithms and personalization, and design seamless booking connections.

In the existing leisure market where discovery and consumption were disconnected, we organically connect the entire process—discovery → persuasion → consumption—centered on content.

What specifically is Joomalstory’s product/service, and what’s its current status?

We’ve implemented three core structures:

First, a content-based leisure curation web/app platform introducing verified places and experiences, enabling both discovery and booking.

Second, a booking-type commerce system. Editor-verified products only, with users naturally progressing from content exploration to booking. Over 2,500 people have used this service, with 20% repurchase rate and 4.9 average rating.

Third, a 130,000-user organic inflow channel built without advertising—80,000 newsletter subscribers and 50,000 across other channels.

We’ve claimed the #1 position in Korea’s leisure content sector with verified Product-Market Fit in our content → discovery → booking → repurchase structure.

What’s Joomalstory’s competitive advantage compared to competitors?

Competitors like Airbnb and local experience services share a search-based structure—users must specify destinations to begin discovery, primarily listing products.

Joomalstory differs fundamentally. Starting from vague concerns like “what should I do today?” we create demand through content and naturally connect discovery to booking.

Our three competitive advantages:

First, brand assets based on content fandom. We secured 130,000 targeted users without advertising, with 40%+ newsletter open rates demonstrating high loyalty and clearly validating CAC versus LTV.

Second, content structure designed for conversion. We design complete user journeys connecting discovery → booking → reviews, with revenue pipelines organically linking content, commerce, advertising, and B2B partnerships.

Third, internalized planning capabilities. We possess in-house skills for lifestyle-perspective curation, proven through travel book publications and major corporate content delivery.

We’re not a simple booking platform but a content-based leisure brand connecting discovery and consumption starting from content.

Who are Joomalstory’s core target customers and what’s the market size?

We target female office workers aged 25-35 in metropolitan Korea wanting new leisure experiences but struggling with information discovery. They have strong urban-based content consumption tendencies and are comfortable with SNS and mobile.

Going forward, we’ll expand to couples/married couples and families where these needs naturally extend, plus small-city weekend travel demand, and eventually global leisure markets based on K-content.

What is Joomalstory’s business model?

First, the Experience Shop (booking-type commerce). We introduce curated leisure products alongside content, allowing direct booking and payment during content exploration. Transaction commissions are our main revenue.

Second, brand advertising/content partnerships. Based on 80,000+ newsletter subscribers and 130,000-scale targeted channels, we generate revenue through native advertising, experiential campaigns, and co-created content with lifestyle brands.

Including B2B content production, we operate four total revenue models.

What achievements has the Joomalstory team created so far?

We’ve achieved clear Product-Market Fit, revenue model validation, and external recognition.

First, securing 130,000 organic users through content alone, including 80,000 newsletter subscribers with 40%+ average open rates.

Second, commerce performance. Since launching the Experience Shop MVP in January 2024, we’ve achieved 2,500+ cumulative bookings, 20% repurchase rate, and 4.9 average rating.

Third, B2B revenue diversification through content creation for local governments, travel platforms, and brands, securing early revenue stability.

Fourth, service advancement. We currently operate web-based, with app launch scheduled for September to strengthen retention and personalized curation.

Additionally, we received the 2024 Korea Tourism Organization President’s Award and were selected as an early tourism venture, gaining external recognition for our innovation and market potential.

Our fandom-based content inflow → booking-type commerce → multi-monetization structure is working, with external awards and institutional certification secured.

What are the Joomalstory team’s competitive strengths?

Our team’s greatest strength is high execution capability and commitment.

Core members experienced growth phases at major Korean platforms like Naver, Kakao, and Market Kurly, directly solving problems across content planning, service operations, marketing, and commerce.

Notably, users who deeply resonated with our early content joined as team members—not simply assembled for résumés, but genuinely empathizing with Joomalstory’s philosophy, creating sustainable organizational momentum.

The execution capability that rapidly developed an MVP structure connecting content → commerce → monetization with minimal resources best demonstrates our team’s competence. We’re a strong team in speed and focus for defining problems, rapid experimentation, and structuring based on results.

Three reasons why investors should fund Joomalstory!

First, we’ve verified clear PMF and revenue model in the content-based leisure market. Beyond simple user acquisition, we’ve structurally proven our revenue model generating actual booking conversions and B2B revenue based on 130,000 organic fandom users, with 20% repurchase rate and 4.9 average rating.

Second, we’re the only player solving this market content-centrically. While existing platforms merely list search-based products, we design complete user journeys through our own content. The content fandom securing 130,000 users without advertising, in-house planning capabilities, and revenue diversification show clear differentiation.

Third, we have a high-execution team with clear growth strategy. Our team consists of members who experienced growth services at major platforms, with high vision commitment as many joined from being genuine fans. With app launch ahead, we’ll simultaneously pursue retention strengthening and LTV expansion, expanding revenue models beyond commerce to brand partnerships, advertising, and memberships.

What support did Joomalstory receive from Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub?

We joined Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub in October 2023. Since then, receiving practical support in marketing, PR, and commercialization funding has helped us grow much faster and more stably.

The Hub’s particular strength is its execution-centered support system. Beyond simple space provision, they systematically provide resources directly applicable to business—marketing budgets, branding consulting, investor connections—that early startups actually need. The space itself is comfortable with well-equipped infrastructure, creating an optimal environment for team focus.

For startup teams wanting rapid market validation based on content, commerce, or brands, I strongly recommend Pangyo Hub residency.