[Hansung University Campus Town Startups 2025] 'N-space', a startup that provides 'Dig in,' an app that rewards users for submitting evidence of dining out

N-space is a startup that provides 'Dig in,' an app that rewards users for submitting evidence of dining out using AI food photo analysis and metadata. The company was founded in May 2024 by CEO KIM HYUNGSEOK (28).

"N-Space is a startup with a vision to 'help everyone in the world enjoy the dining experience they want.'" In 2024, people from LIKELION, and the 8th Startup Station, which was organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, came together. They then became the co-founders of the current company. We formed a team in May of last year, created a product within six months, and are currently operating while continuously verifying our hypotheses."

Dig in is an app that rewards users for submitting evidence of dining out using AI food photo analysis and metadata. Users can make money by taking photos of their food at cafes, restaurants, or convenience stores. The app automatically records various data and, once verified, rewards users with mobile gift vouchers.

When users upload a photo of their food and enter the name of the location, then menu, and price, the information is automatically recorded, and users receive a reward of up to 40 won.

By taking photos of your food and collecting small amounts of money, you can exchange them for F&B mobile gift vouchers in various price ranges. Going forward, we are focusing on the role of a tracker that allows users to reflect on their dining habits. The app identifies how much you spend on each dining category, analyzes your dining patterns, and finds discount coupons and credit card benefits you may not be aware of. You can also check whether your diet is healthy, harmful for your skin, or unbalanced."

Kim said, "Dig in's competitive advantage is that it combines the value of a restaurant app with the ability to make money, which leads to high user retention and continuous motivation."

"There has always been a need among restaurant-goers to reduce their expenses, eat healthier, or simply keep track of their household budget. However, they do not actively take action to solve these problems because they do not continuously repeat the same actions or pay money, so they easily forget to record their meals or look at their records. On the other hand, Dig in allows users to upload photos of their meals and receive money immediately every time they eat, resulting in a 40% higher retention rate compared to other services in the same domain. Dig in is characterized by increased retention among a wide range of users, including those who want to track their dining expenses, heavy app users who want to make money, and heavy restaurant-goers who want to reduce their dining expenses.

Kim said, "Dig in is more fun and easier than getting a receipt and writing a review; you just take a photo."

Dig in conducted marketing using social media and MBTI tests related to eating out at the same time as its development in 2024. "Although it was only a short two weeks, we had a total of 400 applicants. After launch, 80% of them converted to actual users. The IT product community Disquiet also took notice of it, ranking it first in the Weekly Product list for a period of two weeks."

What made CEO Kim decide to start a new company? "I am the type of person who wants to know quantitatively what value my work creates and how much money I earn in return. I get a dopamine rush from that, so I decided to start my own business. I was attracted to IT products in the app and AI fields because they solve problems that the world has, so I naturally embarked on the path of entrepreneurship."

Kim said, "I feel rewarded when I discover market opportunities while interviewing or observing customers. I also feel exhilarated when my hypotheses are proven correct one by one."

Regarding future plans, Kim said, "X2E (X to Earn) app users and the market are emerging in the overseas Web3 market. We will launch a decentralized application (DApp) on Line, a global messenger company, targeting the Asian region."

Founded: May 2024
Main business: Dig in, an app that rewards users for submitting evidence of dining out
Achievements: Completed the 8th Startup Station as the top team in 2024; Selected as an excellent company for the 2024 Pre-Startup Package; Selected as a tenant company for Hansung University Campus Town in 2025; And Selected for the 2025 Kaia Wave WEB3 Onboarding Program

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com