TheHyusik Wins Final Selection for SME Ministry’s ‘Unicorn Bridge’ Project… ‘A Leap in Global K

Its AI-based technology for midsize and small hotels was recognized… up to 1.6 billion won in support over two years and a faster push into global markets

Comprehensive lodging solution company TheHyusik said on the 25th that it was selected as the final winner for the ‘Unicorn Bridge’ project run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The ‘Unicorn Bridge’ is the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ flagship support program that discovers and nurtures startups with the potential to grow into unicorn companies with a corporate value of 1 trillion won or more. This year, 50 companies were selected nationwide, and TheHyusik will receive up to 1.6 billion won in government funding over the next two years, along with up to 200 billion won in special guarantees from the Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC). In addition, it is expected to be offered programs to attract overseas investment, including global IR.

TheHyusik is a comprehensive lodging solution company built on AI tech specialized for midsize and small hotels, innovating the K-tourism infrastructure as the country enters the 30 million foreign visitor era. During this Unicorn Bridge selection process, its standout AI and IT control capabilities and its IT automation solution skills that integrate cloud-based software and hardware were evaluated highly.

In the field of artificial intelligence, TheHyusik independently developed an AI analysis solution that trains on data from about 11,000 hotels across the country. It supports sophisticated, data-based decision-making, from business viability reviews to brand strategy proposals optimized for each market and minimizing risks. In particular, it maximized decision speed and operational efficiency for launching the business through a purchase process implemented with its own technology within 24 hours.

In the IT sector, TheHyusik adopted a cloud-based property management system (PMS) to remotely and in real time monitor hotel operations. It linked the hardware needed for room control and unmanned kiosks to build a complete unmanned operating system, including self check-in and check-out. It also set up a system to respond quickly to matters such as underage filtering and customer service through remote control monitoring solutions. This cloud-based PMS integrated with hardware has been supplied to more than 1,300 hotels nationwide, and the company has demonstrated on-site that introducing the unmanned operating system cuts front-desk staffing costs by about 30%.

Such strong technical capabilities have also translated into overwhelming financial performance. Having maintained profitable operations for five consecutive years since its founding, TheHyusik reached 181.7 billion won in revenue and 20.3 billion won in operating profit based on its 2025 consolidated results, and its cumulative number of operational hotels across the country surpassed 250.

Currently, TheHyusik is closing partnerships with global hotel groups such as Marriott International and Hilton based on its AI-based full-stack value chain, and connecting those networks to its global reservation network. Through this, it is maximizing room sales and operational efficiency for 3-star and 4-star hotels, while also expanding the inflow of overseas customers to secure demand stability and continuing to expand its business.

TheHyusik CEO Shin Hyun-wook said, “We will further advance our AI-based full-stack value chain technology expertise as a stepping stone from this Unicorn Bridge selection,” adding, “We will lead innovation in the midsize and small hotel market, which is the core of K-tourism infrastructure, and also accelerate our entry into the global market.”