Soomgo
AcquiredYC W17Seoul, KR · Founded 2017 · Delaware corporation · 125 employees · 6 known investors
A marketplace connecting consumers with freelance service professionals for tasks like moving, interior design, repairs, and home maintenance.
Also known as (주)브레이브모바일 · Brave Mobile · Soomgo, Inc. · 숨고
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W17)
Soomgo was founded in 2017 by Robin Kim and Hwan Kim.
Board
Investors · 6
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$5M disclosed across 2 rounds · 2018–2019
▶$629.3KraisedJul 2019 · 1 investors · OtherRule 506(b)
- Sung Hyun ParkDirector
- Robin KimExecutive Officer, Director
- Ji Hye LeeExecutive Officer, Director
- Hongchan KimDirector
- Offering amount
- $10.5M
- Amount sold
- $629.3K
- First sale
- Jul 2019
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$4.4MraisedMar 2018 · 21 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Sung Hyun ParkDirector
- Robin KimExecutive Officer, Director
- Hwan KimExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $4.4M
- Amount sold
- $4.4M
- First sale
- Mar 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Soomgo, operated by Seoul-based Brave Mobile, is a local services marketplace in South Korea that connects consumers with service professionals (referred to on the platform as "gosu," or masters). The platform spans more than 1,000 lifestyle and household service categories, including moving, move-in and residential cleaning, air-conditioner installation, cleaning and repair, insect-screen installation, pest control, waste disposal, freight/delivery, partial and full interior remodeling, and lessons such as personal training, swimming, English, Japanese and mathematics tutoring, as well as piano lessons and wedding planning.
Users submit a request (including via an AI-assisted quote request flow) or browse professionals by service and location, then receive customized quotes and compare providers using star ratings, customer reviews and portfolios of past work uploaded by the professionals. Communication and scheduling take place through in-app chat and phone. Soomgo Pay holds the customer's payment in escrow and releases it to the professional after the service is completed, and the company publishes a "safe transaction guide" covering disputes such as unreachable providers, results that differ from what was agreed, and same-day schedule or price changes.
On the supply side, professionals register for free, receive customer request forms at no cost, and send quotes to customers whose requirements match their offering, consulting and closing deals through chat or phone. Soomgo also runs a content operation (blog-style guides on interior work, seasonal home preparation, move-in inspections and business relocations) and a community and portfolio section, and markets under the tagline "When calling people to your home, use Soomgo."
Business model
Two-sided marketplace: consumers post service requests or browse listings for free, and registered professionals receive those requests at no charge and send quotes to matched customers. Transactions are handled in-platform, including via the Soomgo Pay escrow mechanism, which holds customer funds until the job is completed [0][3].
Traction
The platform cites 2.5 million active professionals across over 1,000 lifestyle categories and 16 million customers contributing reviews and ratings, with its Android app passing 5 million downloads. The Y Combinator profile lists a team size of 125 [1][3].
Latest developments
Soomgo launched a new brand advertising campaign built around the theme "When calling people to your home, use Soomgo," published a "safe transaction guide" covering dispute scenarios between customers and professionals, and has been publishing seasonal service content on topics such as partial interior remodeling, summer home preparation, move-in inspections and business relocations. The Android app's most recent listed update was August 2026 [0][3].
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Described on its Y Combinator company page as South Korea's leading local services marketplace, spanning more than 1,000 service categories; the platform reports 2.5 million professionals and 16 million customers [1][3].
Breadth of coverage across more than 1,000 service categories in a single marketplace, side-by-side comparison of multiple quotes for comparison-heavy services such as moving and cleaning, provider portfolios and review histories, and escrow-based payment with platform mediation if problems arise [0][1][3].
Technology
Web and mobile applications (Android app published by Brave Mobile) with an AI-assisted quote request flow, location-based matching between customers and professionals, in-app chat, review and rating systems, provider portfolios, and the Soomgo Pay escrow payment service. Infrastructure is hosted on Amazon (AWS) [0][2][3].
Go-to-market
Consumer acquisition through the soomgo.com website and iOS/Android apps (over 5 million Android downloads), location-based matching by district and region, SEO-oriented editorial content and seasonal service guides, and brand advertising campaigns such as the "When calling people to your home, use Soomgo" campaign. Supply is acquired through self-service professional sign-up with free lead delivery [0][3].
Korean households needing on-demand home and lifestyle services — cleaning, moving, repairs, installations, pest control, interior remodeling — and consumers seeking lessons and tutoring; on the supply side, independent service professionals and small service businesses seeking new customers [0][1][3].
Geography
South Korea, with service coverage listed across the country's provinces and metropolitan areas including Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Sejong, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, Daejeon, Daegu, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gwangju, Ulsan, Busan and Jeju. Offices are in Gangnam-gu, Seoul [0][1][2][3].
History
Soomgo participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2017 batch. The soomgo.com domain was registered in 2015 under Soomgo, Inc. with Robin Kim as registrant and Hwan Kim as technical contact. The company's Android app is published by Brave Mobile from offices at 133 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and continues to receive updates, with the most recent listed update in August 2026. Y Combinator lists the company's status as acquired [1][2][3].
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Soomgosoomgo.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Soomgo do?
- Korean local services marketplace matching consumers with vetted professionals across 1,000+ home and lifestyle categories.
- Who founded Soomgo?
- Soomgo was founded by Robin Kim, Hwan Kim in 2017.
- Who are Soomgo's investors?
- Soomgo's investors include Atinum Investment Co. Ltd., IMM Investment Japan, TBT, We Ventures, Y Combinator, Script Capital.
- How much funding has Soomgo raised?
- Soomgo has disclosed $5M raised across 2 rounds.
- Where is Soomgo headquartered?
- Soomgo is headquartered in Seoul, KR.