Sales Networks Remain Analog in the Electric Vehicle Era” A Startup Steps In as the Fixer

In recent years, many industries have begun adopting digital technologies. When equipped with digital tools, consumer convenience increases while corporate operational efficiency improves. From a business perspective, the introduction of AI-based digital transformation (DX) services has become essential.

However, there are still numerous industries where digital transformation has not taken place or has progressed extremely slowly. Startups have emerged to address this gap, playing a crucial role in helping traditional industries transition from analog to digital systems.

According to industry sources on the 3rd, approximately 10% of global automobile sales are now electric vehicles. EVs are often described as computers on wheels, signaling a broader digital shift across the automotive industry. Yet the automotive distribution market alone continues to operate within a traditional structure connecting manufacturers, dealers, and showrooms.

EPIKAR aims to change this landscape. The company has applied AI based digital solutions to the very first stage of distribution test drives and the final stage aftersales service (A/S) to significantly improve operational efficiency. Since July of last year, EPIKAR has fully digitized BMW Korea’s vehicle test-drive process through its BTS (BMW Test-Drive Solution) system.

In addition, EPIKAR provides IWS (Intelligent Workshop System) software to BMW Korea service centers, enabling digital management of the entire process from vehicle check-in to delivery and reducing repair lead times. Having recently secured Series A funding, EPIKAR is now pursuing expansion into the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

There are approximately 800,000 restaurants nationwide, served by more than 33,000 wholesale and retail food distributors. An enormous volume of food ingredients worth about KRW 55 trillion annually is traded each year, yet most transactions are still conducted manually. Credit based transactions are common, and payment defaults occur frequently. From the restaurant owner’s perspective, dealing only with familiar suppliers makes it difficult to identify better or more affordable products.

Foodtech company Marketboro has digitized the entire food-ingredient trading process. Its services include “Marketbom,” a SaaS solution for distributors, and “Sikbom,” an open marketplace for restaurant owners. By analyzing fragmented data such as product information, supplier data, complex transaction conditions by region and business type, and payment records Marketboro supports optimized online transactions for small business owners in the food service industry.

At first glance, the apparel market appears to be well digitized. However, aside from B2C (business-to-consumer) retail, most areas including planning, production, logistics, and wholesale distribution remain rooted in traditional practices.

Sije offers a solution that digitizes this entire process. Based on AI technology, the company provides “Monolith,” a service that improves productivity and enables end-to-end automated management from buyers placing orders to vendors responsible for development and sales.

By using terminals placed next to sewing machines to detect vibration patterns, the system predicts task completion times. Production status is then delivered in real time via mobile dashboards to both client companies and customers. Such systems significantly enhance operational efficiency across multiple positions within the supply chain.