Freelance platform operator Aroundus raises W880m seed funding

Aroundus, a South Korean startup operating a platform that matches freelancers with employers, said on July 1 it has raised 882 million won ($761,700) in seed funding from venture capital investors.

The funds have come from Shinhan Capital, Shinhan Investment and Korean startup accelerator D.Camp. 

Since launching in July 2018, the number of subscribers for Aroundus’ Korean web service surpassed 14,000 last month.

“We recognized Aroundus’ capacity to think out of the box to improve existing features while adding new ones. We also highly regard the global scalability of its services,” said D.Camp President Kim Hong-il.

Aroundus was founded in August 2016 by Daniel Kim, formerly Google’s strategic business development and partnerships manager.

With a platform optimized for freelancers and temporary workers in the entertainment industry, the startup has been mainly targeting entertainment agencies to help cut the time and costs for recruitment. Its clients include JYP Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Korea, Curo Holdings, MLD Entertainment, Tajoy Entertainment and Upvote Entertainment, as well as production companies that recruit talent dedicated to commercial films, independent films, TV series and entertainment shows, among others.

Aroundus said it is currently recruiting software engineers, business development and marketing talents to accelerate its growth.

By Son Ji-hyoung 
(consnow@heraldcorp.com)