Me2day and Band creator Park Soo-man raises Series A for AI social app truloop
What's the deal? ButBeautiful, the operator of AI-native social app truloop, has raised a Series A round led by Laguna InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Krit Ventures, Kiwoom InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, ZVC, and GrandeclipDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → chairman Kim Bong-jin also participated.
The startup is led by Park Soo-man, who founded the microblogging service Me2dayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and led the planning and launch of NaverDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Band. Based in Los Angeles and incorporated in Delaware in 2025, ButBeautiful has targeted global markets from the outset.
What's the endgame? truloop pulls the scattered steps of meeting people — scheduling, picking a venue, booking, and sharing photos — into one platform. Its AI recommends meeting times, supports venue selection and restaurant reservations, then gathers attendees' photos into personal stories and highlights.
The focus is on IRL, or "In Real Life." Unlike traditional social media built around consuming content and maintaining online ties, truloop uses AI to drive actual in-person meetings.
Why now? The company is already running community use cases, including a USC college club, music community Studio Jam, fitness group 1000 Calorie Club, and Yonsei University's alumni association in the Americas. Its strategy is to convert users who first try truloop through a community into using it for personal gatherings, linking both into a single social graph.
Alongside the round, ButBeautiful was selected for the TIPS R&D Global Track through Laguna Investment. It will receive an additional 1.2 billion won in research and development funding through October 2028.
The new capital will go toward advancing its AI and community features. The company also plans to acquire early users through universities, clubs, and communities in the US and Japan.
"Gatherings are the most basic activity for building relationships, but coordinating schedules, booking venues, managing attendance, and sharing photos still means moving between multiple services," Park said. "truloop's goal is to be a service that helps people meet more easily." (translated from Korean)
The signal: Park Yeong-ho, chief executive officer of Laguna Investment, said ButBeautiful combines experience building large-scale social services with the ability to turn AI into real user experience. The bet reflects a broader push to apply AI to physical, offline connection rather than online engagement alone.
Read more: venturesquare.net
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
