Korea's Neardoc maker Studio Kiko lands pre-Series A for AI that writes medical charts
What's the deal? Studio Kiko, the operator of AI medical-scribe service Neardoc, has raised a pre-Series A round from Smilegate InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Korea Investment AcceleratorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Strong VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The company announced the round on July 6; the amount was not disclosed.
What does it do? Neardoc listens to doctor-patient conversations in real time and automatically generates completed SOAP charts, feeding them straight into electronic medical record (EMR) systems. That removes manual note-taking so doctors can focus on patients.
The traction: Neardoc was adopted at more than 300 hospitals and clinics within two months of launch, spread by word of mouth without advertising. Adopting hospitals reported charting time cut by 70% and 1.5 times more patients seen.
Why the investors matter: The backing of established names — Smilegate InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Korea Investment AcceleratorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Strong VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — signals confidence in an early-stage clinical AI category that has drawn heavy capital abroad. "Studio Kiko has a proven founding team, a proprietary AI engine, and early results of 300 hospitals without advertising," said Smilegate Investment team lead Jo Yu-jin.
The team: Studio Kiko is led by chief executive officer Kim Se-hoon, a Wanted Lab co-founder; chief technology officer Ryu Kyung-mook, a former Wanted Lab development head; and chief medical officer Lee Chang-min, a practising orthopaedic surgeon from Severance Hospital.
What's the endgame? The company will spend the money on hiring and product development, building toward a clinical decision support system (CDSS) and a "medical operating system." It plans to enter non-English-speaking Asian markets in 2027.
The market: Ambient AI scribing is one of the fastest-growing medical AI categories. In the US, 70% of doctors already use AI charting tools, and category leader Abridge carries a valuation of roughly ₩7.4 trillion. The global market is projected to grow fivefold, from $6 billion in 2025 to $30 billion by 2033.
The signal: The round reflects continued funding for practical, workflow-focused medical AI, where efficiency gains are clear. Studio Kiko says its proprietary engine, Xynar, addresses the accuracy risks of general-purpose AI — a gap it claims left Korea without a complete service until now.
Read more: wowtale.net
Image credit: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
