Kim Jun-yong, the CEO of Care4U, a startup operating the smart feature pet house brand “Tailody,” explained the reason for starting the business.
After two years of development, Care4U created a product called “Tailody Mute,” a soundproof house for pets equipped with several features, which has been on sale since the second half of 2022. The Tailody Mute is made with a four-layer soundproof panel, providing high soundproofing ability along with air purification technology, Kim explained. It can block noise up to 45 decibels (dB). The noise of a vacuum cleaner is around 40 dB. Kim noted, “We designed the structure to maintain the best soundproofing while ensuring smooth air circulation by creating airflow pathways inside the product,” and added, “We applied a HEPA filter to allow outside air to flow in through the filter.
After launching the Tailody Mute product, Care4U secured about 300 million won in sales and 500 customers over the course of one year in 2023. Kim said, “I once heard from a customer that their dog, who had been taking medication due to noise, got better after using our product,” adding, “I was even prouder since I had raised a dog.”
In January of this year, Care4U successfully attracted seed investment from Bluepoint Partners. In August, it was selected for the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups’ TIPS program, receiving 500 million won in research and development funds for two years. In November, it was selected for the Little Penguin program of the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, which supports startup growth, and will receive a maximum of 1 billion won in financial support over the next three years.
Kim explained that Care4U's strength lies in its research and development capability. He said, “We spent 1.05 billion won just on preliminary R&D expenses to create the Tailody Mute,” and noted, “It’s difficult to achieve soundproofing and ventilation simultaneously, but this investment made it possible.”
Kim emphasized that Care4U is still striving to advance its products. He mentioned, “We are developing a model that can automatically eliminate noise through deep learning by converting the data from vacuum cleaner noise,” and stated that they are also creating an application that can remotely control the ventilation system and lighting inside the house using Internet of Things (IoT) technology.
Kim explained that he plans to expand from the business-to-consumer (B2C) market into the business-to-business (B2B) market. Care4U is already supplying pet houses to hotels and resorts. Kim stated, “Our company’s products are already installed in the pet care zone of Lotte Resort in Gimhae,” adding, “It allows pets left behind by customers who go golfing or swimming to feel secure and rest.” He noted that the goal is to supply to pet kindergartens and animal hospitals in the future.
Meanwhile, Care4U is a resident company affiliated with Dongguk University's Campus Town program and is receiving support from the Seoul city government and Dongguk University Campus Town. The Dongguk University Campus Town project team selects promising startups as resident companies and provides entrepreneurship support spaces as well as various entrepreneurship and incubation programs, including practical training and continuous consulting from experts.