SnapScale
Category: AI in Manufacturing
Ontology-driven AI agent for plant and EPC design automation SnapScale was founded in 2025. The company is led by Kim Sang-yoon (김상윤). Based in Pohang, South Korea. Team size: 1-10. Latest round: Seed. Key investors include KAIST Youth Startup Investment Holding Company, POSTECH Technology Holding Company, Base Ventures.
- Founded
- 2025
- Headquarters
- Pohang, South Korea
- Team size
- 1-10
Value proposition
AutoFlow is an AI design automation tool that integrates with existing CAD software to automate plant engineering design, revision, and review workflows — reducing weeks of manual work to hours while keeping all data on-premise.
Products and solutions
AutoFlow (formerly Simula.ai) — ontology-driven autonomous AI agent for plant design automation covering P&ID, MTO, 3D model, hydraulic calculations, consistency checks, markup-to-CAD, RFP-to-HYSYS
Unique value
On-premise, ontology-driven AI that runs inside the client's existing CAD environment without requiring cloud data transfer, LLM training, or system replacement — delivering autonomous design execution (not just recommendations) with full explainability
Target customer
EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) companies, plant engineering firms, equipment/material vendors, and public institutions in the plant/industrial facility sector
Industries served
Plant engineering, EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction), Chemical/Petrochemical, Power generation, CCUS, Hydrogen, Next-generation battery facility design
Technology advantage
Proprietary plant-specific ontology engine that structures domain knowledge (rules, relationships, validation logic) without requiring LLM fine-tuning; fully on-premise deployment on client GPU servers (2-4 units); agentic AI that directly modifies deliverables in CAD, not just recommends; built from 75+ field engineer interviews
How they differentiate
Unlike PlantStream (focuses on 3D CAD auto-routing) and Cadmatic (adds AI features to existing 3D design platform), SnapScale's AutoFlow is an ontology-driven agentic AI layer that sits on top of any existing CAD environment, automating the full design lifecycle from P&ID to MTO with on-premise deployment and no LLM training required.
Main competitors
PlantStream (Japan/Korea, 3D plant CAD automation), Cadmatic (Finland, AI agents in plant design), iSolve Engineering (US, EPC AI tools)
Key partnerships
POSCO IMP (technology validation), Hyundai Zero-One (Hyundai Motor Group startup program), POSTECH Startup Ground (incubation), KAIST Youth Startup Investment Holding, POSTECH Technology Holding
Notable customers
4 customer companies (names not publicly disclosed) including global engineering firm Korea branch and domestic large EPC firm (per testimonials on website)
Major milestones
2025-10: Won Grand Prize (대상) at Jeongju-young Entrepreneurship Competition (largest private startup competition in Korea), 2025: Incorporated as corporation (㈜스냅스케일), 2026-07: Secured Seed investment from KAIST Youth Startup Investment, POSTECH Technology Holding, and Base Ventures
Growth metrics
4 customer companies secured; multiple PoC projects running with EPC companies, vendors, and public institutions
Market positioning
Early-stage Korean startup targeting the global plant design automation market, with a unique ontology-based approach that avoids the data security and infrastructure barriers of LLM-based solutions
Geographic focus
South Korea (initial market), with mid-term vision for global EPC markets
About Kim Sang-yoon (김상윤)
POSTECH Computer Science (19학번 / entered 2019; student-founder through 2025, not BS graduated 2019); Republic of Korea Army Technical Sergeant; SOOZ Entertainment CEO (solo game development)
Latest news about SnapScale
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Official website: https://www.snapscale.io
