[2025 Seoul National University Holdings Startup CEO] Data Company ‘SALTMiNE’, Continuously Excavating Valuable Data Like Salt

Chang-Hyun Yoo, CEO of SALTMiNE (Participant in 2025 Eastern Gyeonggi Startup Innovation Space Open Ground)

Flagship Item, ‘SALTi,’ a Small Data AI-Based Enterprise Data Solution

‘CARDEUK’, A Location-Based Mobile App Service Recommending Credit Card Benefits

SALTMiNE is a data company named with the conviction to continuously excavate data as valuable as salt. Founded in May 2020 by CEO Chang-Hyun Yoo (50), the company is driven by a clear mission.

"Under the vision of 'Seeing all people and companies in the world enjoying benefits and satisfaction while using our services,' all members of SALTMiNE share and practice the mission, 'We exist to make data valuable, provide data sovereignty, and create a world where data is traded safely,'" said CEO Yoo.

The company's flagship items are ‘SALTi,’ a small data AI-based B2B solution, and ‘CARDEUK,’ a user location-based credit card benefit recommendation service.

SALTi is a data solution service that collects and analyzes an individual's "small data"—data that reveals personal tendencies or preferences—and provides it to companies. CARDEUK is a mobile app service that recommends which card to use among those the user owns, ranked by the best benefits available.

The competitiveness of SALTi lies in its SMTi (SALTMiNE Type Indicator), a data model specialized in small data collection and personal profiling, which is unique in Korea. Through this, the system collects an individual's tendencies regarding a specific topic via a quick and easy survey method, categorizes the results into 256 types, and matches or recommends the company's products or services accordingly.

"For example, a company making body care products to relieve stress wanted to understand their customers' 'stress' tendencies and recommend suitable products. By adopting SALTi, they allowed customers to take an online survey. Based on the results, they could instantly recommend products tailored to the customer's tendency, naturally leading to purchases," CEO Yoo explained. "SALTi is an enterprise data solution service specialized in identifying customer tendencies on various topics—such as career paths for children, furniture purchasing, dining preferences, and consumption habits—and matching products and services accordingly."

CARDEUK is a B2C mobile app service that automatically solves the user's dilemma, "Which of my cards offers the best benefits here?" when attempting to pay at a specific location.

Recognizing that card benefits are too complex, diverse, and hard to find manually, CARDEUK was created to solve this problem. While there are other card recommendation services in Korea, CARDEUK intuitively informs users "which card to use" based on their location (map) when they search for a store.

"Similar services like OK CASHBAG have existed, but they often feel complex due to an overload of features. CARDEUK focuses on intuitively, quickly, and easily telling users 'Use this card right now,' and this simplicity is gaining a positive response from users," Yoo noted.

SALTMiNE conducts sales for SALTi based on CEO Yoo's human network built through his social and corporate life. For CARDEUK, the company promotes it online through SNS platforms like Instagram and blogs like Naver Blog.

"Recently, we have been actively marketing to institutions, companies, and the general public by participating in booths at leading domestic and international expos. We recently opened booths at the 'Digital Future Show (DFS)' at KINTEX, Ilsan, and the 'Singapore Fintech Festival' at Singapore EXPO. We also plan to participate in 'Korea Fintech Week 2025' at Yangjae aT Center and Eureka Park at 'CES 2026' in Las Vegas," Yoo said. "Furthermore, we plan to open a Marketplace-type website for SALTi at the end of this year to facilitate convenient online purchases and creation. For CARDEUK, we are preparing more diverse and special events and promotions."

SALTMiNE received Seed investments twice, in November 2023 and January 2024, and is currently conducting a Pre-A funding round. The company is looking for investors who resonate with its vision, values, and mission to plan the future together, aiming to close the round within the first quarter of next year.

Regarding his motivation for founding the company, CEO Yoo shared, "SALTMiNE was founded on countless stories and experiences. But above all, it stems from the uncomfortable truth I felt while working in finance, especially insurance, 'Why do companies make money with customer data when the data belongs to the customer?' I decided to start this business to create a 'virtuous cycle economic ecosystem of data sovereignty,' where profits generated from data business are returned to the data owners, allowing companies and individuals to grow and profit together. As a Christian, I established the company with the name SALTMiNE with the determination to become a company that plays a role like the salt of the earth."

Since its founding, CEO Yoo stated, "I feel the greatest reward in two things, first, when the services we only imagined are created one by one and used by users in the market; and second, when I see my colleagues at SALTMiNE finding satisfaction at work and filling their lives with happiness alongside tangible growth."

SALTMiNE consists of 3 divisions, 4 teams, and 1 affiliated research institute, with a total of 13 colleagues working together. "As a software company, the majority of our key personnel are in the IT division. Three C-level executives work together, and uniquely, we have a CGO (Chief Growth Officer), an executive solely dedicated to thinking about the company's growth."

Regarding future plans, CEO Yoo said, "Our primary plan and goal is to close the investment attraction within 1Q 2026."

"We intend to allow more companies and people to try our small data solution through the launch of the SALTi Marketplace. For CARDEUK, we currently recommend card benefits only in four areas, cafes, restaurants, convenience stores, and marts. Our goal is to expand this completely so users can find card benefits in various categories and stores and enjoy benefits they might have missed. Finally, we are planning Korea's first 'Data Dividend Day' in 4Q 2026. Through this event, we aim to let users experience firsthand that 'my data becomes money,' realizing SALTMiNE's values and philosophy in reality."

Establishment Date : May 2020
Main Business : B2B Data Solution, B2C Mobile App Service
Achievements : SALTi Sales, 720 million KRW (as of 2024), CARDEUK Launch, September 1, 2025, Government Programs, Selected for and performed TIPS and linked support projects (Startup Commercialization, Overseas Marketing), Certifications, Family-Friendly Company, Inno-Biz Certification

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com