Planby Team Blog

Planby will be visiting Silicon Valley once again, this time to participate in the founders retreat hosted by 500 Global and Seoul Business Agency (SBA). Planby applied for this founders retreat in April, in hopes of visiting Silicon Valley again to connect with fellow start-ups, meet potential investors and to conduct market research on local architectural firms. 5 other start-ups in different areas of business will be joining the trip, making the experience more rich and diverse. As soon as we arrived there, we were greeted by the officials at SBA who had set up our seats and drinks. We also saw some familiar faces like Peter and Blaire who have been taking care of us since their investment in Planby Technologies last year. We had also met some of the founders of other starts-ups who were participating in the retreat. It was a great chance to catch up with them and talk about their plans in the future. The session began with an introduction to the program with the full itinerary explained in detail. The schedule included sessions led by renowned experts in the start-up scene, visiting HQs of Silicon Valley-based firms like Stripe, Salesforce, Mercury, Notion and etc. We are especially looking forward to the sessions in pitching to potential investors and sales training. These sessions will certainly help us increase our firm’s attractiveness to investors and gain traction in the US market.

While we were busy preparing for CES in January, we were introduced to the CEO of an office design firm based in Korea. One of our acquaintances suggested that it might be a good idea to receive strategic investment from them. So as soon as we got back from CES, we scheduled a meeting and met up with them in February. First Meeting Our CEO, COO and CTO attended this meeting to talk with their CEO and CPO. We introduced them to our services and jointly thought of ways to apply our services to their line of work. However, they were very sensitive to security issues as their designs were their primary asset. So after the first meeting, we sent them an email including a functions manual along with some suggestions on how we can maintain design security while providing our services. We offered a completely separate database, domain, AI model and learning data to ensure their IP will not get breached. However, after we sent them this email, we didn’t hear back from them for over 2 months. We thought we had lost a valuable client and decided moved on to other potential clients. Just as we were listing up our potential target clients, we received an email from their CEO saying that they want to catch up and continue discussing our collaboration. We were thrilled to hear back from them and promptly scheduled a follow-up meeting.

Interior design creation is the core function provided by Planby Studio. Simply put, this function creates novel interior designs based on prompts or a reference image. Multiple designs can be created with a single combination of prompts or a single reference image. Input - The inputs for this function can be largely divided into screenshots of 3D Model images and real-life photos of the subject space. 3D Model Image - This input image type refers to screenshots of 3D model images created with computer aided design tools such as SketchUp, AutoCAD, Rhino or any other 3D modeling tool that constructs 3D images with structural layouts. Our AI model automatically analyses the structural features such as walls, ceilings, pillars, and floors in the image. These structural features are maintained in the output while overlaying design elements. We recommend this input to those who are familiar with 3D computer aided design tools. Real-life Photo - This is the more intuitive input image type for the general public with no prior experience using design tools. You can simply take a photo of your fully furnished living room, bedroom or any interior space (residential, office, commercial, etc) and use it as the input. You can even use a photo of a site under construction, as long as the major structural layouts such as walls and pillars are in place. Likewise to the 3D model image input, our AI model will automatically analyse the structural features and keep them intact in the output design.

On April 22nd, 2024, Planby Technologies Inc. had its first staff dinner with all members together face to face. With flexible working hours and remote working systems in place, it was difficult to schedule everyone’s time to gather for a staff dinner. But with the NextRise Start-up fair just around the corner, as well as the business trip to the US approaching in June, we had to meet up and align our vision. The first thirty minutes were somewhat awkward as some members were not familiar with each other, despite having worked together online for quite a while. However, as we started eating delicious lamb skewers and drinking Somaek(Korean style bomb mixing Soju and beer), the mood quickly turned friendly and vibrant. We spent the first hour or so getting to know each other better at a personal level. We guessed each other’s MBTI(Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) based on the experience we have with each other and talked about how everyone ended up working at Planby. On top of that, we shared some personal information that might help us get along better.

Last week, Planby Technologies Inc. had a follow-up meeting with a global corporate identity firm that is planning to develop an AI solution for the automation of interior design. Our potential partner firm had rich experience in planning, building and managing car dealership stores for brands such as Mercedes-Bez and BMW, mainly in European regions. To innovate and revolutionize the design and planning process for the entire automotive dealer retail ecosystem, they wanted to harness the power of AI boosting efficiency, customer satisfaction and aesthetic appeal. The solution consists of largely 4 parts, namely AI-assisted concept development, chatbot embedding, floor plan automation, and 3D furniture rendering. Planby Technologies Inc. is considering participating as one of the suppliers for this holistic solution. There are multiple values Planby Technologies Inc. can offer to a firm with such an agenda in mind. The core function we can offer is the creation of multiple different car dealership store designs that is consistent with the brand image. Retail dealership stores need a consistent tone and mood to their interior design as well as details including finishing material and construction method.

On April 8, 2024, members at Planby had the delightful opportunity of sharing a memorable evening with the SeedX3 batch team of 500 Global - our esteemed investors. A vibrant Korean BBQ party, buzzing with lively discussions, laughter, and an exchange of ideas that strengthened our bond with fellow entrepreneurs. Previously, our team had been part of the SeedX program in California, sharing the stage with various innovative teams from the 500 Global portfolio. This enriching journey spanned from September to November, offering a plethora of learning experiences. Now, with nearly half a year whisked away, we found ourselves amidst the third batch of this program - a realization that sparked a sense of accomplishment and injected a refreshing perspective. The current batch, a melting pot of companies operating in diverse markets like logistics and commerce, offered a glimpse of the intense survival competition that is a reality in these sectors. As early participants of the program, we at Planby had the unique advantage of sharing our journey - the challenges we faced, the victories we celebrated, and our myriad experiences in Korea and the US - with 500 Global and other teams.

Planby was invited to attend the 2024 CES. We were able to exhibit at the KAIST booth, and although it was not grand, it was a great honor to be able to attend a global event. Before departing for the United States - We communicated with the production team for about 2 weeks to create posters. We compiled the product brochures we had been using, and added diagrams that could well represent our technology. Since we couldn't constantly man the booth, we also included the contact details of our team members and LinkedIn IDs in the poster. Finally, Leaving for the United States! - We arrived at Las Vegas the day before the event started, stopping over Hawaii and LA to save a little on airfare. It was quite a tiring schedule, but due to the soaring prices of direct flights to Las Vegas during the event, we were recommended to enjoy some sightseeing in other cities. At the time, the weather in both Korea and Las Vegas was quite cold, but we faced a really different heat when we stopped by Hawaii in the middle (honestly, it was too hot and humid, I wanted to get out quickly 🫠)