[CEOs of Companies Selected for the 2025 Daejeon CCEI Pre-Startup Package] PLAYBUNIZ, An AI Convergence Company Creating and Servicing ‘ViVA!’

Daehyun Yang CEO of PLAYBUNIZ

-Developing a 3D avatar-based conversational AI system as its core engine

-The AI interview engine of ViVA! is easily integrated into other services via a modular API

PLAYBUNIZ is the developer of the AI interview and matching platform ‘ViVA!’. The company was founded in June 2025 by CEO Daehyun Yang.

Through a year of technological advancement and market validation, ViVA! is now actively pursuing regional pilot projects. Currently, ViVA! focuses on resolving the biggest bottleneck in small business recruitment by providing an AI-driven pre-evaluation of candidates that matches the standard of an actual in-person interview.

“ViVA! is evolving with a 3D avatar-based conversational AI system as its central engine. We have structured various functions—such as LLM-based conversation summarization, in-depth question generation, and improved non-verbal evaluation accuracy—to be provided in the form of APIs”, explained CEO Yang.

CEO Yang stated, “ViVA!’s AI interview engine can be easily integrated with other services through a modular API. Our next step is to expand into B2B and B2G SaaS models.” PLAYBUNIZ is also in the process of integrating the Employment24 (Goyong24) job information Open API. This provides the foundation to expand into a job-matching AI that embraces not only foreigners but also various minority groups and employment-vulnerable sectors, including seniors, women, persons with disabilities, and artists.

“I felt that ViVA! could contribute to solving job problems for the employment-vulnerable as well as foreign recruitment. We place great importance on creating social value through technology and are considering our potential growth as a social venture”, Yang emphasized.

The core competitiveness of ViVA! lies in its real-time AI interview automation technology. While most existing services remain at the level of text-based 'mock interviews,' ViVA! implements natural conversational interviews using Speech-to-Text (STT), sentiment and facial expression analysis (Vision AI), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for real-time job information synchronization, and live 3D avatars.

“By 2026, the number of international students residing in Korea is expected to reach approximately 300,000”, Yang noted. “In Japan, foreign workers already fill most positions in convenience stores in metropolitan areas, as well as in rural factories and farms. Furthermore, while the AI interview market for job seekers at large corporations in Korea is already a red ocean, the recruitment market for small businesses and foreign part-time workers is a blue ocean with an annual scale of 80,000 cases.”

CEO Yang also highlighted a recent strategic partnership, “We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Raon Metademy Co., Ltd., a subsidiary specializing in integrated real-virtual convergence education under the major domestic security solution group, Raon IT Group. We plan to introduce ViVA!’s AI interview solution into job training within VR/AR virtual environments—such as for care workers and nursing skills practice at regional universities—and provide it as an API-integrated product.”

Regarding future plans, Yang stated, “The goal of ViVA! is not to be a mere recruitment tool, but to build an HR infrastructure for foreigners and small businesses. Specifically, we plan to leverage our AI interview technology to expand into customer service training, vocational education, and gamification-based learning content that encourages voluntary engagement from job seekers.”

Established: June 2025
Core Business: ViVA!, an AI interview and quick matching service designed to solve labor shortages for small businesses
Key Achievements: Selected for the Preliminary Startup Package by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (Daejeon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation) in 2025, selected for the Sungkyunkwan University Campus Town Support Project for two consecutive years (2024, 2025), selected as an XR Partner for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's NewImages Festival in France (2025)

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com