Hyeum Wins MSS AI Challenge to Develop Tailored AI Consulting for Small Businesses

Hyeum, a leader in innovation with 'Alfred', a financial AI agent for small business owners, has achieved a remarkable feat by being finally selected as a key task performing company in the 'OpenData X AI Challenge' organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Hyeum, which made it to the finals as one of the 15 companies after overcoming fierce competition of 8.2 to 1, will undertake the 'customized consulting' task with the goal of solving practical problems for small business owners. Through its participation in this challenge, Hyeum will receive the full public dataset and 10 million won in PoC (Proof of Concept) funding from the organizing institution, and plans to accelerate the advancement of its AI model using this as a stepping stone. In particular, Hyeum plans to create synergy by combining the extensive policy and support data from public institutions with the private tax and financial data it has accumulated over a long period. This advanced AI model will provide customized consulting optimized for the industry and growth stage of individual businesses. From sales and cost analysis to labor cost optimization strategies, and even tax risk diagnosis, it is expected to provide practical management guidelines for small business owners and drive their growth. In collaboration with Hyeum Tax Corporation, Hyeum already has ample real-world financial data from small business owners through operating tax, accounting, and payroll automation services, as well as the AI agent 'Alfred'. Ok Hyeong-seok, CEO of Hyeum, stated, "For small business owners who find it difficult to build an ERP system, tax and financial data are the most powerful management tools," and expressed his ambition to "open new horizons in the management environment for small business owners by building a unique financial and tax AI agent that understands both policy data and on-site data simultaneously." Hyeum plans to showcase its highly refined AI model after user experience evaluations on January 21, 2026, and in-person presentation judging on January 28.