"Selling Victory, Not Weapons"... Emerging Power in Defense Industry Draws U.S. Military Attention

[For more diverse corporate information on the startups mentioned in this article, visit the Unicorn Factory big data platform 'Data Lab'.]

"We are a company that exports 'victory,' not weapons."

"New Type Industries," an AI startup in the defense sector (hereinafter "New Type"), defined itself this way. Founded last June, the company differs significantly from typical defense firms. Instead of producing weapons such as guns, artillery shells, tanks, and self-propelled howitzers, it develops a "commander's brain" system that serves as the core of war victory.

"The AI solution developed by the company assists commanders in making decisions on the battlefield. Specifically, its key function is to automate the process from target identification to decision-making for artillery commanders and observers using AI, thereby accelerating the entire 'kill chain'—from detection and identification to strike decision and execution.

"This solution was made possible because all founding members, including founder Jo (CEO), are experts with frontline military experience. Based on their field experience and deep understanding, they clearly identified limitations and issues in the military command system's decision-making process and focused precisely on these points.

"The defense industry should ultimately aim to create technologies that end wars faster and achieve victory with fewer sacrifices," said Jo (CEO). "To do so, individuals who have thoroughly acquired the principles and knowledge of war must enter this industry."

"Jo (CEO) chose software, not hardware, as the company's business model (BM), based on firsthand experiences witnessed and felt during his military service. During his service, he recognized the limitations of command systems and decision-making structures and felt the urgent need to address them through technology.

"Jo (CEO) entered the Korean Military Academy in 2006, graduated in 2010, was commissioned as an artillery officer, served for approximately 12 years, and retired in 2022. During this period, he experienced major military operations including the Cheonan ship sinking incident, the Yeonpyeong Island shelling provocation, landmine attacks, and shelling on the western front, which made him acutely aware of how critical a commander's judgment and leadership skills are in actual combat.

"In particular, he diagnosed that the problem during the Yeonpyeong incident lay not with the weapon systems themselves but with the command and control (C2) system operating them. While military hardware such as reconnaissance assets, strike assets, and communication equipment has rapidly advanced, the software capability to organically connect these elements and enable real-time decision-making has failed to keep pace.

"At that time, equipment like K9 self-propelled howitzers was already sufficiently equipped, and there were no inherent flaws in the weapons themselves," said Jo (CEO). "The issue was the insufficient judgment and response systems regarding where and how to strike." He further explained, "Such structural limitations did not significantly change in subsequent situations."

"In actual combat zones, diverse forms of information—including sensor data, surveillance equipment, voice reports, and intelligence—are simultaneously fed into the system. The current structure requires military personnel to manually collect, organize, and process this information before connecting it to higher command decisions. However, with recent advancements in weapon systems and hardware, the volume of information has surged dramatically, making the limitations of manual processing increasingly apparent.

"New Type addresses this bottleneck using AI. One of the company's core technologies, 'Barbara,' replaces the collection and processing of fragmented voice data reported via radio and various observation information with AI, thereby accelerating commanders' decision-making speed. This also marks the first attempt to digitally transform the tactical voice communication system, which has seen little change for a long time.

"The purpose of AI is ultimately to free humans from menial tasks," he said. "Currently, much of the military's work remains stuck in repetitive and draining tasks such as information collection, reporting, and organization." He emphasized, "New Type's technology automates these processes, serving as a support tool that allows commanders to focus more on judgment and decision-making—the essence of war. Ultimately, final decisions remain in the human domain."

"The company's vision and technology first gained traction in the United States. Last year, New Type conducted technical demonstrations for officials from the U.S. Army Field Artillery School and the U.S. Army Futures Command. Following recognition of its utility, it was selected as a field test target by the U.S. Army. With the establishment of a local U.S. subsidiary, the company is now conducting Proof of Concept (PoC) tests with the U.S. Army to explore commercialization possibilities.

"At the end of last year, the company secured seed funding from Bluepoint Partners, The Next Lab, and Myeongshin Information & Communications. In the conservative defense industry, it is considered exceptional for a startup to secure investment just six months after its founding. Investors cited the founders' frontline military experience and AI technological capabilities as key reasons for their investment.

"Jo (CEO) plans to make this year the foundational year in which the company's vision translates into more visible results. He is currently discussing technology export possibilities with three countries, aiming to finalize contracts with multiple nations within this year.

"Ultimately, I hope New Type will be recognized as a 'strategic asset' in the software sector and contribute to peace," said Jo (CEO). "Just as possessing nuclear weapons globally has historically served as a deterrent preventing war, I hope that countries equipped with New Type's 'brain' will possess sufficient deterrence to prevent enemy nations from daring to strike."

[MoneyToday Startup Media Platform Unicorn Factory]