[The Busan Center for Creative Economy and Innovation 2025 Early-Stage Startup Package CEO] Hyun Woo Do CEO of DITAB

DITAB, A Startup Developing Risk Prediction Solutions for High-Hazard Industrial Sites

-‘TAB-T,’ an AI solution for leak prediction, detection, and analysis in chemical facilities

-Early detection of accident risks through data collected via multimodal sensing

DITAB is a startup dedicated to developing risk prediction solutions for high hazard industrial environments. By providing AI-driven energy and carbon management, as well as safety and environmental solutions, the company empowers the manufacturing industry to focus entirely on management and production. CEO Hyun Woo Do(38) founded the company in April 2024.

“My background is somewhat unique; I graduated as a composition major from a music college”, said CEO Do. “After a career in sound design for animations, games, and advertisements, I entered the startup ecosystem in 2015 and served as a director for nine years. During that time, I earned a master’s degree in business administration and specialized in building solutions and performing analysis for numerous manufacturing sites before launching my own venture last year.”

DITAB focuses on two main pillars: safety and energy. Its first flagship product, TAB-T, is an AI solution designed for predicting and detecting leaks in chemical facilities. By utilizing data from multimodal sensing, it identifies accident risks at an early stage and enables rapid response in the event of an incident.

The second product, TAB-E, is an AI-based FEMS(Factory Energy Management System). This product was commercialized even before TAB-T and is already in use at various manufacturing sites. TAB-E won the Grand Prize at the Ulsan Public Data Startup Competition and received the Encouragement Award(Chairman’s Award from the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development) at the national finals, overcoming a competitive ratio of 386:1.

“Our lead item, TAB-T, was developed directly in response to customer needs”, Do explained. “Within six months of founding, DITAB was selected as a lead organization for an R&D project by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, providing us with a foundation to advance the technology and accelerate commercialization. TAB-T is designed based on the specific characteristics of chemical substances using our proprietary multimodal sensing. It analyzes the causes of equipment leaks and anomalies before an accident occurs. If an incident does happen, the system instantly transmits data via a hotline, identifying the cause, location, and type of the accident. Furthermore, it utilizes VLM(Vision-Language Model) technology to generate instant reports when anomalies are detected, rather than requiring continuous manual monitoring. Managers can access these updates anytime, anywhere via system and mobile alerts.”

DITAB’s business strategy is primarily B2B. “I have spent seven years building technology based solutions for the chemical industry in the Ulsan region. Given the insular nature of this sector, I spent those years actively networking within chemical associations and digital clusters. Leveraging this infrastructure, our first goal is to deploy our solutions throughout the Ulsan National Industrial Complex. We plan to expand horizontally into other high-risk sectors beyond chemicals, such as secondary batteries(EV batteries), to provide comprehensive AI safety management.”

Reflecting on his journey, Do remarked, “Since starting my own company, I’ve gained the confidence that I can truly achieve what I’ve always wanted to do. Having spent eight years in management, I was able to envision the kind of company I want to build, and that is how I intend to lead DITAB.”

Regarding future plans, Do stated, “My goal is to reach a stage where the company is on a stable growth trajectory so I can finally rest easy. To achieve this, we are prioritizing rapid productization through R&D and securing revenue through market penetration. Our ultimate roadmap is to establish a secure financial structure, attract investment, and eventually go public (IPO).”

Establishment: April 2024
Core Business: AI safety solutions for manufacturing, AI FEMS for power management, and AI Chatbots for safety regulation compliance consulting.
Key Achievements: 4 technology patent applications filed, 2 ISO certifications obtained, 4 major awards won

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com