What does QueryPie AI do?

Enterprise agentic AI and access control platform vendor offering MCP gateway, usage-based LLMs and data governance.

Who are QueryPie AI's investors?

QueryPie AI's investors include Atinum Investment Co. Ltd., Sazze, Y Combinator, Z Venture Capital, Primer Sazze Partners, Salesforce Ventures.

Where is QueryPie AI headquartered?

QueryPie AI is headquartered in Seoul, KR.

QueryPie AI

YC W20

Seoul, KR · Founded 2017 · 70 employees · 9 known investors

QueryPie provides database access management with real-time auditing and automated data masking capabilities for enterprises managing complex database permissions and security compliance.

Also known as CHEQUER · HynData · QueryPie · QueryPie2 · CHEQUER Inc. · QueryPie AI G.K.

AI & Machine Learning Cybersecurity Data & Infrastructure Enterprise Software Artificial Intelligence AISouth KoreaEast AsiaPartly Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W20)

Benjamin Yang, Director of product development inFounderBenjamin Yang has 15 years of experience developing integrated development environments and 21 years in software development, with a bachelor's degree in computer science from Hanshin University. He currently directs product development at QueryPie AI, a platform offering SQL editing, querying, and collaboration tools.

Investors · 9

Atinum Investment Co. Ltd.Seoul · $100K – $2M

SazzeBurlingame

Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

Z Venture CapitalTokyo · $150K – $101M

Primer Sazze PartnersreportedSeoul · $500K – $3M

Salesforce VenturesreportedSan Francisco · $5M – $50M

Also in the syndicate · 3

Atinum InvestmentleadKakao InvestmentMurex Partners

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

QueryPie AI (operating company CHEQUER Inc.) builds enterprise software spanning AI enablement and access governance. Its flagship offering, the QueryPie AI Platform (AIP), is described as an MCP (Model Context Protocol)-based platform that connects internal data and business systems to AI agents while enforcing access control and centralized management. AIP components include usage-based deployment of third-party and customer-owned large language models (Claude, GPT, Gemini), a unified MCP gateway that centrally manages, monitors and integrates more than 45 pre-built MCP tools plus custom MCP servers with policy controls and audit logs, RAG-based knowledge bundles, prompt auto-generation, custom and pre-built agent creation, scheduled agents, artifact/chart visualization, and OAuth-based integrations with work tools.

The company's second product line is the Access Control Platform (ACP), which centralizes access control, authorization, monitoring and audit-ready governance for databases, servers/systems, Kubernetes and web applications; a free ACP Community Edition is offered. In June 2026 QueryPie added an "AI Pack" extension enabling natural-language management of infrastructure and exposed ACP itself as an MCP so AI agents can act within existing access policies. Additional products include Lingo, an AI real-time interpretation service providing live captions and translation for in-person meetings and Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom with meeting summaries feeding into AIP, and NotePie, an AI work assistant that answers questions from user-specified documents and web links with source attribution and generates reports, slides, mind maps and podcasts.

Founding story

The company describes itself as starting in Silicon Valley in 2017 as a data protection specialist, with its own timeline listing a 1016 founding date of 2016; Y Combinator lists a 2017 founding and a Winter 2020 batch. Founder and CEO Brant Hwang began programming at age nine and was reported in Korean press as the youngest-ever developer at Kakao before founding the company; co-founder Benjamin Yang brings roughly two decades of software and database IDE development experience.

Business model

QueryPie sells enterprise software subscriptions across two main product lines (AI Platform and Access Control Platform), complemented by a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) service that provides strategy consulting and custom AI agent development. Free entry points — a free start on the AI platform and an ACP Community Edition — are used alongside paid enterprise deployments, and the company also distributes through partners and OEM-style adoption, as with TerraSky embedding QueryPie AIP inside its "mitoco Buddy" service.

Revenue is generated primarily on a usage-based (pay-per-use) pricing model for the AI Platform rather than fixed per-seat subscriptions, billed through a subscription framework charged on actual consumption; the company markets an illustrative cost of roughly $7,200 per year for a 200-user organization versus $48,000-$96,000 for competing per-seat AI assistants, claiming savings of 80-90%. Services revenue comes from the Forward Deployed Engineer engagements.

Traction

Team size is reported at 70. Disclosed customers and deployments include Yanolja, KakaoPay and Dunamu (from 2020), a data security supply contract with VESSL AI, adoption of AIP inside TerraSky's commercially launched "mitoco Buddy" platform, and testimonials from an LG U+ engineer and the CEO of AIR Company. The platform integrates 45+ pre-built MCP tools. Recognition includes the LG Startup Competition 2019 win, Real Madrid Next Accelerator selection in 2024, and ISO/IEC 42001 certification in 2026.

Latest developments

In 2026 QueryPie achieved ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification for the AI management system behind AIP (June 2026), launched Lingo real-time AI interpretation (June 2026) and NotePie document/web-grounded AI assistant (June 2026), extended its Access Control Platform with an AI Pack and MCP interface for agents (June 2026), and announced a strategic partnership with Japanese AI consulting firm Ashisuto AI Terasu to support delivery, sales and implementation of AIP in Japan (August 2026). Late 2025 saw the collaboration with TerraSky, whose MCP-compatible "mitoco Buddy" platform built on AIP was officially launched in December 2025.

▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies

Market position

QueryPie positions itself as a security- and governance-first alternative to per-seat enterprise AI assistants and as a centralized access control layer for databases and cloud infrastructure. Third-party recognition includes selection as the only cybersecurity company in Real Madrid Next Accelerator for Asia, inclusion of its CEO in The Software Report's Top 50 Software CEOs of 2024, and Korean press describing it as a homegrown cloud data security solution that has drawn global attention through Y Combinator and investment from Salesforce Ventures and Z Venture Capital.

Differentiation claims center on combining enterprise AI agent capabilities with built-in access control and governance: an MCP gateway with centralized policy and audit logging, support for multiple commercial and customer-owned LLMs, usage-based pricing instead of fixed per-seat fees, deployment that does not require replacing existing IT infrastructure, ISO/IEC 42001 certification for its AI management system, and Forward Deployed Engineers delivering customized agents.

Technology

The AI platform is built on an MCP-based architecture that brokers connections between AI agents and enterprise data and systems, with a gateway layer providing centralized management, visibility, policy enforcement and audit logging over 45+ pre-built MCP tools and customer-supplied MCP servers. It supports multiple commercial LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) as well as customer-owned models, SSO with existing identity providers, retrieval-augmented generation over uploaded documents, an "Edge Tunnel" connectivity component, and agent scheduling and artifact visualization. The access control side implements centralized authorization, real-time auditing and automated data masking across databases, systems, Kubernetes and web applications. QueryPie holds ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification for the AI management system applied to QueryPie AIP.

Go-to-market

The company combines direct enterprise sales with a self-serve free tier and community edition, product-led entry points such as the free ACP Community Edition, and a partner/channel motion that is especially visible in Japan — including a strategic partnership with AI consulting firm Ashisuto AI Terasu for delivery, sales and implementation of AIP, a technology partnership with Payroll Co., Ltd., and an OEM-style adoption by TerraSky. Earlier go-to-market activity included integration partnerships (Okta Integration Network partner in Korea, Typed), a joint appearance with Orca Security at the ISEC 2023 security event, accelerator participation (Y Combinator Winter 2020; Real Madrid Next Accelerator for Asia), and conference presence such as TechCrunch SF 2019.

Enterprises and fast-growing IT companies that need to adopt AI or control privileged access to data infrastructure, including engineering, security and compliance teams. Named or cited users and customers include Yanolja, KakaoPay, Dunamu, LG U+, VESSL AI, TerraSky and Payroll Co., Ltd., spanning organizations in North America, Europe and Asia.

Geography

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea (Magok office), with additional locations in Los Angeles, California; Tokyo, Japan (Toranomon Hills Business Tower); and Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. QueryPie Japan was launched in Tokyo in 2024 and operates as QueryPie Japan G.K./QueryPie AI G.K. with a Japan country manager; the company has also described expansion toward Japan and Europe and serves clients in North America, Europe and Asia.

History

Per the company's own journey timeline: founded 2016; 2018 funding from Kakao Investment and start of development on the QueryPie SQL Client; 2019 launch of the SQL Client, participation in TechCrunch SF 2019 and a win at LG Startup Competition 2019; 2020 funding from Y Combinator (Winter 2020 batch), a pivot to a data protection platform, and deployments at Yanolja, KakaoPay and Dunamu; 2021 a $17.75M preferred series seed round; 2023 $5.81M in funding backed by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund; and 2024 the launch of QueryPie Japan in Tokyo alongside strategic investment from Salesforce Ventures, Z Venture Capital, Murex Partners and Shinhan Venture Investment. From 2025-2026 the company expanded from data governance and access control into agentic AI, releasing the AI Platform (AIP), Lingo, NotePie and an ACP AI Pack.

Risks & controversies

Public sources report inconsistent founding and corporate details — the company's timeline states a 2016 founding while its About page and Y Combinator profile cite 2017 in Silicon Valley, and a third-party data provider lists 2018 in Seoul — and third-party funding figures differ from the amounts the company itself discloses. The business also depends on third-party LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) and on partner-led distribution in Japan, and cost-savings comparisons published by the company are vendor-stated estimates that may vary with usage.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported

Claimed cost savings vs. per-seat AI subscriptionsJan 2026up to 90% (typically 80-90%)

Office locationsJan 20264 offices

Pre-built MCP tools available in MCP gatewayJan 202645 tools

Stated annual platform cost for a 200-user organizationJan 2026$7.2K

Team sizeJan 202670 employees

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Competitors · 10

by search overlap

Palo Alto Networks23 shared keywordsPalo Alto Networks provides cybersecurity platforms and services to protect organizations' digital infrastructure across cloud, network, and security operations. The company serves enterprise organizations, governments, financial institutions, utilities, and healthcare providers globally.

Netezza22 shared keywordsIBM is a global technology company whose business spans enterprise software (including Red Hat, HashiCorp, and Confluent), IT infrastructure such as mainframes, servers, and storage, and IT consulting services. The company is also investing heavily in quantum computing and AI-based enterprise offerings, including its Lightwell open-source software security clearinghouse and the Anderon quantum wafer foundry.

BeyondTrust (Bomgar Corporation)21 shared keywordsBeyondTrust provides privilege-centric identity security through its Pathfinder platform, helping organizations manage privileged access and defend against external attacks and insider threats. Its products cover the identity attack surface for enterprise customers, including AI agent security.

Apono19 shared keywordsApono provides an access management platform that replaces standing privileges by granting scoped, just-in-time access at runtime and automatically revoking it. It covers human users, machines, and AI agents across cloud and hybrid infrastructure.

Keeper Security17 shared keywordsKeeper Security provides a zero-knowledge encrypted password manager, secrets manager, and privileged access management (PAM) platform for organizations, with features covering vault storage, credential sharing, session management, and compliance auditing. It serves enterprises and public-sector customers, offering integrations with identity providers, SIEM tools, and DevOps pipelines.

strongDM17 shared keywordsStrongDM provides privileged access management and identity governance for infrastructure across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. The platform centralizes access control, enforces zero standing privileges, and enables just-in-time provisioning for teams managing critical systems.

Lumos17 shared keywordsLumos builds autonomous security systems that protect companies' access and identity infrastructure in an AI-first world. The platform helps security and IT teams govern access permissions for organizations ranging from fast-scaling brands to enterprises with over 100,000 employees.

Netwrix17 shared keywordsNetwrix offers 1Secure, a platform that unifies data and identity security, giving organizations control over data access and helping with compliance. It serves enterprises and organizations of all sizes with AI-enabled insights, unified visibility, and flexible deployment for hybrid IT environments.

miniOrange17 shared keywordsminiOrange builds identity security and data privacy products, including IAM, PAM, IGA, and ITDR, along with device management, security plugins for platforms like WordPress, Atlassian, Drupal, and Shopify, and consent/cookie management for DPDP and GDPR compliance. It also offers AI agent and non-human identity security plus security services such as penetration testing and code analysis for hybrid environments.

Zluri16 shared keywordsZluri provides an identity security platform built on IRIS, a real-time identity intelligence layer that discovers, analyzes, and governs human and non-human identities and their access across enterprise systems. It offers identity visibility, cross-system access mapping, governance, lifecycle automation, and access orchestration for enterprises.

Companies competing with QueryPie AI for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Timeline · 20

launches, deals, and filings

Aug 2026

Strategic partnership with Ashisuto AI Terasu in Japan

QueryPie AI began a strategic collaboration with Japanese AI consulting firm Ashisuto AI Terasu to strengthen delivery, sales and implementation support for QueryPie AIP in Japan and to jointly build a secure environment for AI agents and MCP use.