Actnova
2 known investors
ActNova develops "ActVerse", a web-based software that analyzes videos of animal experiments to automatically and accurately assess animal behavior. It targets pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and university research labs conducting preclinical animal testing, aiming to reduce the number of animals sacrificed in research.
Also known as ActNova · ACTNOVA, Inc. · 액트노바
Investors · 2
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Actnova (액트노바) is a South Korean artificial intelligence company that builds Actverse, a web-based software platform for automated analysis of animal behavior in laboratory experiments. Users upload video of animal experiments and the software applies AI image-processing and machine-learning techniques to quantify and visualize behavior, replacing manual scoring and reducing the need for researchers to write their own analysis code. The company frames its mission as "the best analysis, the least sacrifice," with the stated goal of minimizing the number of animals used in research and, longer term, enabling trusted analysis of virtual rather than live animals.
The platform automates behavioral testing in both non-clinical and clinical settings, allowing clients to observe and evaluate experimental animals and patients while assessing safety and efficacy. Application focus includes behavioral symptoms in animal models used for brain-disorder treatment development such as dementia and Parkinson's disease. Actnova also operates an AVATAR3D system that captures three-dimensional movement data for research use.
Founding story
Reporting attributes the company's origins to Daesoo Kim in Daejeon, South Korea, with a founding date given variously as 2019 or an official launch in 2020. The team set out to automate and improve the accuracy of behavioral testing in animal models across clinical and non-clinical research, developing Actverse as an AI SaaS product for animal behavior testing.
Business model
Actnova sells software as a service: Actverse is delivered as a web-based platform rather than installed desktop software, targeting research organizations that need behavioral analysis of experiment video.
Software-as-a-service platform sold to research and pharmaceutical customers; specific pricing terms are not disclosed.
Traction
Reported milestones include the 2022 CES Innovation Award, institutional agreements in Korea, government collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and pre-Series A financing in February 2024 to support global growth.
Latest developments
The February 2024 pre-Series A round of KRW 3.3 billion (about $3 million) led by Hana Ventures is the most recent reported financing, allocated to global expansion, product launches and partnerships with research institutes and pharmaceutical companies.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Actnova describes the incumbent leader in the animal behavior analysis market as a European vendor selling an older Windows-based installed software product, with many researchers still using decade-old programs or coding their own analyses with open-source tools. Actnova positions Actverse as the industry's first AI SaaS solution for animal behavior testing.
A web-delivered, AI-driven analysis workflow in place of legacy installed Windows software or self-coded open-source pipelines, with machine learning used to quantify behaviors that manual or older methods could not measure.
Technology
AI-based image processing and machine learning applied to experiment video to detect, quantify and visualize animal behavior, including complex behaviors that were previously difficult to quantify. The company also runs AVATAR3D, a system producing three-dimensional movement data for research.
Go-to-market
Direct engagement with research institutions and pharmaceutical partners, supported by business agreements with organizations including the Korea Brain Research Institute and Daegu Medivalley and collaboration with South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on analysis of addictive behaviors; the company is pursuing distribution partnerships to broaden its customer base.
Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, university research laboratories and research institutes that conduct preclinical animal testing, particularly in neuroscience and brain-disorder drug development.
Geography
Headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea, with stated ambitions and funding directed toward international expansion.
History
The company was established in Daejeon, South Korea around 2019-2020 with an AI vision-based behavior test platform. It received a CES Innovation Award in 2022 and subsequently raised seed capital, including reported early rounds in August 2022 and a ₩500 million seed investment from Kakao Ventures. In February 2024 it closed a KRW 3.3 billion (approximately $3 million) pre-Series A round led by Hana Ventures with A Ventures and Fast Ventures participating, intended to fund global expansion, product launches and collaborations with research institutes and pharmaceutical companies.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsActnova established business agreements with the Korea Brain Research Institute and Daegu Medivalley, and collaborated with South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to analyze addictive behaviors.
Actnova secured KRW 3.3 billion (about $3 million) in pre-Series A funding led by Hana Ventures with participation from A Ventures and Fast Ventures. Proceeds were earmarked for global expansion, product launches, and collaborations with research institutes and pharmaceutical companies.
$3M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- Actnovaactnova.io · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Actnova do?
- Korean developer of Actverse, a web-based AI platform that analyzes video of laboratory animal experiments to score behavior.
- Who are Actnova's investors?
- Actnova's investors include Kakao Ventures.