MADUP is stepping onto the global stage with bold ambitions in AI marketing, armed with $23M in cumulative funding and a roadmap that links Seoul to New York, North America, and beyond. At the center of this strategy is LEVER Xpert, the company’s in-house-developed digital marketing AI agent, which is already powering campaigns for leading Korean and global consumer brands.
MADUP’s AI-first marketing model
Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, MADUP positions itself as an AI-driven marketing company focused on measurable business impact. The company blends performance-centered strategies, creative execution, and AI capabilities across performance, technology, branding, content, and CRM, all under the mission “For Your Innovative Growth.”
Building on its roots in app marketing, MADUP has expanded into full integrated marketing communication (IMC) and branding, supporting sectors such as beauty, fashion, finance, and O2O services. This evolution has helped the company drive growth for top-tier clients in Korea and in global markets, including Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
LEVER Xpert at the core of global expansion
LEVER Xpert is a digital marketing AI agent that covers the full funnel, from data collection and analysis to day-to-day operations. The platform is actively used in global marketing for Korean consumer goods and K-beauty brands, helping them scale in key regions.
Using advertising operations data and AI analytics, LEVER Xpert analyzes creatives, offers recommendations, automates campaign operations and proposes strategies to optimize client performance and support brand growth. On the ground, this translates into differentiated growth support for businesses in markets like the U.S., Europe and Southeast Asia.
Partnering with top Korean and global brands
Backed by reference cases across K-beauty and broader consumer goods, MADUP has led global marketing for major Korean names including Samsung Electronics, Olive Young, MUSINSA, and MEDIHEAL. At the same time, the company has started to secure local clients in the U.S., reinforcing its cross-border positioning.
These partnerships are fueling rapid market expansion, showing how MADUP can translate its Korea-built expertise into international campaigns while tailoring strategies to local audiences.
Funding, valuation and KOSDAQ ambitions
By 2022, MADUP had raised a cumulative $23M at a $175M valuation from backers including Stonebridge Ventures, Praxis Capital Partners, IMM Investment, Krossroad Partners, and Shinhan Securities. In November 2025, the company submitted a preliminary application for KOSDAQ listing review, with the listing process expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.
As part of this push, MADUP is also working to establish a local corporation in New York by December 2025, signaling the start of a full-scale global expansion phase.
New York, NYU Stern and go-to-market fit
To sharpen its North American strategy, MADUP joined the AI Innovation Accelerator (AIIA) program run in collaboration with NYU Stern School of Business. Through the program, the company received tailored local strategy support, preliminary assessments from NYU faculty and experts, webinars with local specialists, and on-the-ground networking and partner meetings in New York.
MADUP also participated in industry events, including Beauty Live conferences and KOOM 2025, to build awareness and strengthen its global pipeline. These efforts aim to refine its go-to-market fit while laying the foundations for long-term local growth.
Co-CEOs’ vision for a global AI standard
Co-CEOs Ju-min Lee and Erick Lee said, “We will further speed up our global business expansion by leveraging LEVER Xpert’s proven market competitiveness and our global network. We will also strengthen partnerships with local clients and global companies.”
If MADUP delivers on that vision, the company could become one of Asia’s key AI marketing players, shaping how brands run data-driven campaigns across continents.
