Bunkerkids Raises $1.3M to Advance AI Character Chat Platform ‘WHIF’ And Accelerate Its Global Push

Bunkerkids, the Korean startup operating AI character chat platform WHIF, has raised $1.33 million(KRW 2 billion) in funding from CRIT Ventures.

Founded in 2020, Bunkerkids has built its track record in AI on the strength of two earlier products it successfully sold off: an AI education service called Data Diving and an AI-based meal recommendation and delivery service called My Ship Dan. Last July, the company took WHIF international, launching in South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, and the platform now draws 28% of its revenue from overseas markets.

WHIF is an AI-driven interactive content platform where users build storylines and shape plot developments through conversation, chatting with officially licensed characters from webtoons and web novels as well as characters created in-house. Unlike conventional chatbot services centered on simple back-and-forth exchanges, WHIF’s stories evolve organically based on user choices, delivering a more immersive experience.

The platform runs on a proprietary triple-memory system modeled on human brain structure that retains only the information most relevant to relationships and storylines. That design keeps a character’s emotional arc and relationships consistent while automatically generating storylines that match the flow of conversation — features built to keep users engaged over long sessions without losing interest.

Paying users currently spend an average of 217 minutes a day on WHIF, among the highest engagement levels of any AI character chat app. Built on that engagement and retention, the platform has grown monthly payment volume by an average of 110% over its first nine months and has turned operating profitable.

With the new funding, Bunkerkids plans to accelerate its global push, with Japan and the United States as priority markets. The company also intends to expand its roster of officially licensed IP and move beyond female-oriented content into AI interactive content spanning a wider range of genres, with the aim of establishing WHIF as a global AI content platform.

“The spread of generative AI is rapidly shifting how people consume content, from watching and reading to directly participating,” said Yongmuk Im, an investment manager at CRIT Ventures. “We expect Bunkerkids’ capabilities in AI service development and commercialization to be highly competitive in the global content market as well.”

“As AI technology advances, what matters most isn’t the model itself but content and IP competitiveness that keeps users engaged over the long term,” said Seungwan Jung, CEO of Bunkerkids. “WHIF isn’t a simple question-and-answer chatbot — we’re building an innovative content ecosystem as an interactive platform.”