SmartRide
Category: AI in Supply Chain / Logistics
South Korean mobility platform company providing AI-powered fleet management and digital transformation solutions for commercial taxi and bus operators SmartRide was founded in 2021. The company is led by 이우영 (Wooyoung Lee). Based in Seoul, South Korea. Team size: 1-10. Latest round: Seed. Key investors include Korea University Technology Holdings (고려대학교기술지주회사).
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Team size
- 1-10
Value proposition
SmartRide replaces manual spreadsheet-based fleet management with an integrated digital platform combining IoT data (DTG), card payment data, and LLM-based AI analytics for taxi and bus operators, enabling automated reporting and conversational data queries
Products and solutions
IMMS (integrated fleet management solution for corporate taxis and buses); PICK (premium taxi hailing platform); 기사수첩 (driver digital notebook app); D NOTE (taxi task management tool); LLM-based AI Management Analysis Report Service (launched April 2026); Breathalyzer integration solution; DTG-based operation management system; Taxi driver KPI quantification system
Unique value
Only Korean startup offering an end-to-end digital transformation platform specifically for corporate taxi/bus fleet operators, combining IoT hardware integration (DTG, breathalyzers), operational management software, and LLM-powered conversational AI analytics — all without requiring operators to change existing management programs
Target customer
Corporate taxi fleet operators, bus transportation companies, commercial passenger transport businesses in South Korea
Industries served
Transportation & Logistics; Mobility; Fleet Management; Commercial Passenger Transport
Technology advantage
Proprietary DTG (digital tachograph) data integration; IoT-based fleet monitoring; LLM-based AI agent for natural language querying of operational data; real-time risk detection (excessive idling, abnormal driving patterns, fuel efficiency); self-developed big data analytics; 3 registered patents; TIPS (government R&D) program linkage; National R&D in AI, mobility, and IoT
How they differentiate
Unlike competitors focused on ride-hailing or shuttle matching, SmartRide targets the back-office operational management of corporate fleet operators with an integrated IoT + AI analytics platform. Its newly launched LLM-based conversational AI report service is unique in the Korean taxi fleet management market, enabling non-expert managers to query data in natural language
Main competitors
모두의셔틀 (Modoo Shuttle); 코액터스 (Coactus); 씨엘모빌리티 (Ciel Mobility); 케이에스티모빌리티 (KST Mobility / Macaron Taxi)
Key partnerships
SWM (autonomous driving & ADAS technology co-development, Feb 2026); iParking (smart parking infrastructure MOU, Aug 2025); Korea University Technology Holdings (seed investor & TIPS linkage, Sep 2025); Hansung University (Seoul RISE project for autonomous taxis for mobility-impaired, Jan 2026); National Taxi Association Seoul branch & SK Speedmate (emergency dispatch standardization pilot, Mar 2026); MediGround (MOU)
Notable customers
Corporate taxi fleet operators in Seoul (specific names not publicly disclosed)
Major milestones
2021-09: Company founded; 2023-10: Won '2023 4IR Awards' Startup Grand Prize; 2025-09: Seed investment from Korea University Technology Holdings (TIPS-linked); 2025-12: Received Samsung Electronics patent technology transfer; 2025-12: Won Ministry of SMEs and Startups Minister's Award; 2026-02: Autonomous driving tech partnership with SWM; 2026-03: Emergency dispatch standardization pilot with National Taxi Association & SK Speedmate; 2026-04: Launched LLM-based AI Management Analysis Report Service
Growth metrics
7 employees (as of March 2026); 3 patents registered; National R&D project in AI/mobility/IoT
Market positioning
Early-stage Korean startup positioning as the digital transformation partner for traditional taxi/bus fleet operators, bridging the gap between legacy manual management and AI-powered data-driven operations. Targeting the underserved corporate fleet management software market rather than the consumer ride-hailing space
Geographic focus
South Korea (Seoul metropolitan area primary, expanding nationally)
Patents and IP
3 registered patents (as of 2025); received patent technology transfer from Samsung Electronics (2025)
About 이우영 (Wooyoung Lee)
CEO of HC Taxi; Korea University alumni
Official website: https://www.smartride.co.kr