[2025 University of Seoul Campus Town Startup CEO] ‘InvaLab,’ a Nature-Tech Company that’s Using Technology to Restore Ecosystems and Conserve Biodiversity

Wonhyeop Shin, CEO of InvaLab

Using remote detection to grasp biodiversity crises and opportunities, and providing a seed-based solution for restoration
Developing two solutions, NatureBlitz and NatureX, with competitiveness in technological convergence, efficiency, and sustainability

InvaLab is a nature-tech company that’s using technology to restore ecosystems and conserve biodiversity. It is using remote detection to grasp biodiversity crises and opportunities, and providing a seed-based solution for restoration. It was founded in September 2023 by CEO Wonhyeop Shin (35).

Its representative offerings are the solutions NatureBlitz and NatureX. NatureBlitz is an ecological restoration solution designed for use in the field. Combining drones, AI, and spatial information technology, it provides a one-stop service for detecting invasive foreign plants, removing them, planting indigenous species (seed balls), and monitoring the results.

It can reduce both time and costs compared to existing labor-intensive methods, while also improving the effectiveness of restoration, and is being employed in ecological restoration projects linked to ESG initiatives of the government, public institutions, and companies.

NatureX is a SaaS-based digital twin platform service that combines drone, satellite, and LiDAR data with AI ecological models to datafy and index biodiversity and environmental monitoring. It supports carbon, biodiversity, and natural capital risk management customized for the TNFD/ESG reporting systems of governments and companies.

InvaLab has three competitive advantages. The first is technological convergence. It integrates the entire process from restoration to data-based performance management with a combination of drone, AI, LiDAR, and digital twin technologies. The second is efficiency. It’s faster and cheaper than existing labor-intensive methods, which enables large-scale ecological restoration with superior precision and objectivity. The third is sustainability. NatureBlitz and NatureX are linked, creating a structure where the effects of on-site restoration are connected with ESG/TNFD reporting, which provides practical value to both governments and companies.

InvaLab is currently expanding sales channels in the B2G market. The company is securing initial references by participating in public projects of the national and local governments, such as restoration from forest fire damage, and removing and managing plant species that are disruptive to ecosystems. At the same time, in the B2B market, it is conducting restoration projects linked to the ESG and carbon neutrality activities of companies, and providing ESG reporting indicators based on the activities and analysis.

How did CEO Shin come to found the company? “While working on my PhD in plant ecology and remote detection, I did a lot of deep research in the field of ecological restoration. Through my research and field experience, I could see for myself how field-oriented restoration activities were and how much they relied on manual labor. I recognized that ‘without a technological solution, it would be impossible to overcome the limitations of ecological restoration.’ To solve this problem, I decided to start a company. I prepared the initial funding through government research and development projects, startup support programs, and early investments. This allowed me to focus on developing the technology and producing a prototype.”

InvaLab completed its seed investment round in November 2024, and is currently improving its technology and pursuing market expansion. The company plans to attract pre-A investment in the second half of 2026. In particular, the company aims to perfect NatureX and fully launch it in the global ecological restoration analysis market. The plan is to expand this solution to meet domestic and international ESG and TNFD demands.

Following the launch of the startup, said CEO Shin, “I feel a sense of accomplishment when I see the innovations I dreamed of turn into actual projects and technology, and when I realize that I didn’t set this in motion alone, but with a team of people who share the same vision. There have been a lot of difficult moments, but it feels good to know that the company and I are both growing through the process.”

Regarding future plans, CEO Shin said, “Our goal is to build a system that utilizes data backed by scientific evidence to streamline support for ecological restoration on the global stage,” and added, “The key is to ensure that the results of restoration create more than just environmental value by converting natural capital such as carbon credits and biodiversity credits into investable assets.”

Date of Establishment: September 2023
Main Business: Natural ecological management solution using drones, AI, and digital twins; ESG/TNF impact reporting solution
Performance: 2023 Pre-Startup Package support project (Ministry of SMEs and Startups), 2023 11th H-OnDream Startup Ground (Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation), 2024 Startup-Centered University Early-Stage Startup (Ministry of SMEs and Startups), 2024 TIPS Program (Ministry of SMEs and Startups), 2024 LG Social Fellow at the 14th LG Social Campus (LG Electronics, LG Chem), 2024 ESG Korea 2024 (SKT), Grand Prize in the 2024 GovTech Startup Competition (Ministry of Science and ICT), 2025 Grand Prize in the 2025 Forestry Big Data, AI Utilization Startup Competition (Korea Forest Service)

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com