[2025 SNU Campus Town Startup CEO] ‘SEEKHAN,’ Developer of a Cold Chain Optimization Solution Integrating AI Technology

Ryan Haksu Shin, CEO of SEEKHAN

Efficiently exporting fresh food products from small and mid-sized Korean companies to overseas markets
Bundling multiple shippers’ orders into single buyer orders and efficiently handling purchasing, CBM, and document processing

“We reinforced our business concept, which was perhaps too simple, and based on this, clearly defined the requirements for a competitive service. Initially, TAOL (Take All of Your Own Logistics) was designed as a simple export support service for wholesalers, but we’ve now developed it into DX TAOL. DX TAOL is an advanced, integrated service that transfers traditionally offline consolidation tasks to the web, bundles multiple shippers’ orders into single buyer orders, and efficiently handles purchasing, CBM, and document processing.”

SEEKHAN is developing a cold chain optimization solution integrating AI technology. It was founded in October 2020 by CEO Haksu Shin (39).

“SEEKHAN is efficiently exporting fresh food products from small and mid-sized Korean companies to overseas markets through its cold chain optimization solution integrating AI technology. We are focusing on agricultural products and meal kits in particular, and we strive to deliver safe and fresh food products to our customers. Through our network, which includes KOTRA, KITA, and OKTA, we provide reliable information and resources to support companies in resolving complex issues in the import-export process.”

Its flagship offering is a cold chain deployment optimization solution integrating AI. This solution focuses on using sensitive product data to manage product condition from origin to destination and reduce damage rates.

“Existing maritime trade technologies and services have primarily focused development on equipment. SEEKHAN is the first to develop a solution that utilizes sensitive product data to directly reduce damage rates. Its biggest advantages are reducing logistics costs, lowering loss rates, improving operational flexibility, saving fuel, and reducing carbon emissions, thereby contributing to a sustainable logistics environment. In this way, we help our clients operate more safely and efficiently in international trade.”

The company has consolidated a proprietary data-based quality management process for the cold chain LCL optimization field that goes beyond simple deployment algorithms to take into account the characteristics of sensitive goods. Its system records packaging and weight at the shipper’s origin, tracks changes throughout the logistics process, and finally ensures verification by the buyer at the destination. The aim is to reduce real loss rates by 20%, and the company has secured technical reliability based on technology transfers and demonstration experience with the Rural Development Administration.

“We are deploying our own logistics forward base (AC) in the Busan region to simultaneously pursue cost reductions and secure specialized personnel. These changes are a result of expanding our business model beyond the concept of a simple structure for export services to a global logistics SaaS solution.”

SEEKHAN’s competitive advantage is that it can achieve data-based automation and cold chain optimization at the same time.

“Existing export logistics focus on the FCL structure of large shippers, but this is inefficient for small and medium-sized enterprises that handle diverse products and small quantities. This is especially true for LCL (less than container load) shipments. As each shipper must prepare and verify its own documents, a single export shipment could generate over 20 documents. SEEKHAN’s solution transitions this to ‘consolidated DX’ to consolidate the management of multiple shipper volumes on the basis of buyer orders. As a result, in demonstrations for buyers from New Zealand and Canada, we cut the number of required customs documents from 20 to just 5 and confirmed faster customs clearance and lower costs.”

CEO Shin said, “We haven’t stopped with simply improving logistics efficiency. The optimization feature we provide reduces product loss rates by an average of 20%, based on our in-house cold chain data,” and added, “This offers a real competitive advantage for companies that handle sensitive agricultural and food products, differentiating it as a quality-assured logistics solution rather than a basic transportation service.”

SEEKHAN currently has 20 employees, a big increase from 6 last year. The company has brought on AI developers and data scientists, accelerating its technological advancement, and simultaneously bolstered its operational capabilities in actual export settings by securing export consolidation and trade specialists.

Regarding future plans, CEO Shin said, “Our core tasks are expanding export consolidation sales, securing a global buyer network, and continuously collecting field data,” and added, “We have been operating through a support project worth about 1 billion won through July, but are moving beyond just relying on project funding by pursuing large-scale projects that will lead to actual sales growth.”

Date of Establishment: November 2022
Main Business: Trading (export consolidation), S/W (export consolidation DX service), cold chain LCL (optimization)
Performance: Registered two patents and applied for eight related to AI model-based cold chain LCL cargo deployment methods, Innobiz certification, Venture Company certification, selected for TIPS, graduated from the 12th Youth Startup Academy, graduated from the 4th K-Unicorn Academy, selected as a Small Giant Company, designated as a Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Growth Enterprise, designated as a Star Enterprise, aT Global Kimchi Ambassador, aT Low-Carbon Diet Ambassador, etc.

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com