Connecting people and places through data & AI

With big data, we find 「HOTPLE」
With AI, we create 「HOTPLE」

*「HOTPLE」 comes from “hot place,” a Korean expression for popular places worth visiting.

By connecting fragmented place data across
social media, maps, reviews, and more,
① we help people discover places worth visiting,
② and provide local businesses with data-backed marketing strategies.

① Explore HOTPLE App② Explore HOTPLE Marketing

ABOUT

We find places worth visiting—and help create places people want to visit.

People discover places on social media, check maps and reviews, and then decide where to go. But the information they need along the way is scattered across different services.

HOTPLE connects fragmented local data—from content and place listings to reviews—around real-world places and structures it so AI can use it. On this foundation, we operate a place discovery service for consumers and a marketing service for local businesses, while extending our technology into travel planning.

SERVICES

Two services connecting
people and local businesses

Powered by big data and AI, our two services tackle different challenges for people and local businesses.

A Real-Time Map of Trending Places Across Korea

We organize local content and place data to make it easier to discover new restaurants, cafés, pop-up stores, and other places worth visiting.

[HOTPLE] Explore the App

Data-Driven Place Marketing

We analyze a business's online visibility across Naver Place, blogs, and social media, along with the level of local competition, to assess its current position and recommend effective marketing strategies.

[HOTPLE Marketing] Learn More

TECHNOLOGY

We build AI that understands places.

HOTPLE's AI understands places from diverse types of information and content, connects them with real-world place data, and then recommends appealing places to users or assesses a business's current online visibility.

  1. 01

    Content Understanding

    We identify which places appear in short-form videos, blogs, and social content, and understand what makes each place distinctive.

    Multimodal AI

  2. 02

    Place Data Linking

    We connect fragmented content and reviews to real-world places and organize information such as business hours, menus, and prices around each location.

    Place Entity Resolution

  3. 03

    Recommendations & Analysis

    Using the place data we analyze, we help people find places that fit their needs while helping local businesses understand their online visibility and where they can improve.

    Vector Search · RAG · LLM
IN DEVELOPMENT

HOTPLE AI Travel Agent

Building on the same place data, we're extending the discovery experience into trip planning—developing a way for groups to plan together by understanding each traveler's goals, budget, mode of transport, and preferences, then drawing on real place content and operating details to help the group decide as one.

6,000+

Total Users

300+

Clients Served

2,000+

AI Analysis Reports Generated

2025

Incorporated

CORE VALUES

How We Work

Data-Driven

We make product and marketing decisions based on user behavior and real-world local data.

Move Fast

We build and ship quickly, then improve based on real user feedback.

Customer-Focused

We start with the real problems faced by users and local businesses.

Trust

We believe lasting relationships are built by consistently keeping even the smallest promises.

FOUNDER

Driven by Data and AI

Sungjin Cho, Founder & CEO of HOTPLE

Sungjin Cho

Founder & CEO

Building technology that connects content with place data—and products that use that technology to solve real problems for users and local businesses.

Career Highlights

  • Founder & CEO, HOTPLE Inc. — Present
  • Former CMO, Livervance Co., Ltd., a blockchain technology company
  • Former Co-CEO & CTO, UNISKY, a port technology company
  • 1st Place Nationwide, K-Startup Innovation Startup League
  • Three-time recipient of the Korean Minister of Science & ICT Award
  • M.S. in AI, GIST

We're looking for partners
to grow with.

We welcome inquiries about service partnerships, tourism and content collaborations, technology partnerships, careers, and investment.

1661-1610contact@hotple.today