SeedN: "Leaf Improves Energy Management Efficiency, Reduces Power Consumption and Costs"
SeedN: "Leaf Improves Energy Management Efficiency, Reduces Power Consumption and Costs"
Posted September. 18, 2025 11:28,
Updated September. 18, 2025 11:32
- SeedN develops and operates Leaf, an AIoT-based temperature management
solution that efficiently controls heating and cooling systems in buildings to
improve energy efficiency and reduce power consumption and costs.
- The demand for Leaf is increasing both domestically and internationally,
particularly in Southeast Asian markets where electricity rates are high
and sensitivity to climate crisis is strong.
- SeedN is expanding its business scope to manage energy at the building
and city levels, and is preparing for full-scale introduction in various regions.
SeedN develops and operates Leaf, an AIoT-based temperature management solution that combines AI and IoT. Leaf is a solution that measures indoor temperature and humidity, building characteristics, external temperature, etc. of specific spaces or buildings and uses this data to efficiently control heating and cooling systems. Through this, it improves energy efficiency while maintaining a comfortable environment. Thanks to this, companies that have introduced Leaf can reduce power consumption and electricity costs.
SeedN currently has major corporations, retailers, etc. as clients. As electricity rate increases, climate crisis, and the importance of management grow, demand for Leaf is also increasing. The same applies to overseas markets. Particularly, demand is growing in Southeast Asian markets where electricity rates are expensive and sensitivity to climate crisis is high. SeedN is conducting PoC in Taiwan, Singapore, etc., and preparing for full-scale introduction.
Having completed validation of its temperature management technology and begun expanding into domestic and international markets, we met with SeedN CEO Hyun-woong Choi to discuss SeedN and Leaf.
SeedN Improves Building Energy Management Efficiency
Please introduce yourself first.
I'm Choi Hyun-woong from SeedN. I graduated from Hanyang University's Department of Architectural Engineering, and afterward worked at an architecture-related research company doing architectural engineering research, particularly building energy-related research.
The building energy field has active research and many theories. However, there are not many cases where this is actually applied to real buildings. This is because there are realistic limitations such as the interests of various groups. My research was the same. Even when I repeatedly conducted research and achieved results, there was only personal satisfaction and reality did not change. So I thought about technology that could have a direct impact on real life, and as a result, I came to conceive the building temperature management solution 'Leaf.'
Based on this, I left the research company in 2013 and founded SeedN in 2015. At first, I thought having a good business item would be enough, but there were many things to prepare—circuit design, hardware, software, applications, etc. It took 2 years to develop the prototype while studying alone.
What kind of company is SeedN?
SeedN develops and operates Leaf, an AIoT-based temperature management solution that efficiently manages heating and cooling energy in buildings. We thought about ways to automatically control building energy, and since HVAC accounts for the largest portion of building energy, we are focusing on heating and cooling first. In the future, we plan to expand our business scope to become a company that manages energy at the building level and city level by applying our solution to all facilities that need energy management within buildings.
For reference, SeedN is a compound word of 'Seed' and 'N,' meaning seed network. Our IoT devices become seeds, and these form a network to create positive effects on the environment, which is why we named it SeedN. Our slogan is 'Better for Us, Better for Earth,' meaning what is good for us is also good for Earth.
AIoT-Based Temperature Management Solution, Leaf
Please introduce the temperature management solution Leaf.
In a large cafe with 10 heating and cooling units, what would be the setting values for the heating and cooling systems that can optimize energy consumption while satisfying everyone in the kitchen, bar, and store? How should the temperature and air volume of each heating and cooling unit be adjusted?
Leaf is a solution that provides clear answers to such questions. By automatically setting optimal combinations for each heating and cooling unit and controlling them in real-time, it maintains the café as a comfortable environment and also improves energy efficiency.
Leaf consists of IoT devices (hardware) such as hubs, controllers, and sensors, and software. Through IoT devices, it collects data such as indoor temperature, humidity, building characteristics, external temperature, weather, etc., and sends this to the cloud and server. Then it analyzes with our self-developed AI algorithm and predicts appropriate values. This is sent back to the on-site heating and cooling systems for control. Through this process, we efficiently manage heating and cooling energy while maintaining a comfortable environment. Managers don't need to pay separate attention, and can monitor space comfort in real-time from anywhere and manage remotely.
Leaf is divided into 4 services. What are the differences between each service?
Leaf is divided into ▲Leaf ▲Leaf Store ▲Leaf Office ▲Leaf X according to service targets. Initially, we provided without service distinction, but as the customer base became diverse, we judged it necessary to distinguish services. So at the beginning of this year, we divided services based on customer types.
Depending on the service, the configuration, form, management scope, web/app support, etc. are different. Leaf targets small-scale business operators such as small business owners or individual business operators. They can manage space energy with their own app.
Leaf Store is suitable for business operators who need nationwide store management, such as B2B franchises and offline store operating companies. Headquarters can manage each branch's energy while communicating with branch managers.
Leaf Office is a service for customers who manage office spaces such as buildings or corporate headquarters. Customers who use offices on multiple floors within one building or manage offices in multiple buildings can all use it. Mainly administrative teams and infrastructure teams that manage offices manage the space energy.
Leaf X was recently launched. It is good to use when building-by-building and floor-by-floor HVAC control is needed for multiple buildings like factories, hospitals, or school facilities that mainly consist of large complexes.
Securing Various Clients, Customer Response Also Positive
How is the current business progress?
It wasn't easy from the beginning of business. There were many ups and downs. But I never thought of giving up. The feeling of doing it to the end, that is, until we actually put the product on the market and directly confirm the reaction of 'not needed,' was stronger.
In the early business stage, securing references was set as the top priority goal. When I was at the research institute, I could test at large marts or large buildings without much difficulty, but after founding a startup, it was not easy to secure references by testing in such spaces. So we first targeted individual HVAC of small stores. Of course, that wasn't easy either. Since the spaces we tested were offices and stores, we had no choice but to test under various constraints. Also, since the field is completely different from theory, we had to spend considerable time for technical problems occurring in the field and securing desired data. We went through many trial and error processes and technology advancement processes.
Then we were able to apply our solution to offline stores of a large franchise. We got a good opportunity through someone who had been watching our company blog for a long time since the early business days. Of course, the results were successful, and with this as a starting point, we were able to secure various clients including various companies, retail stores, and corporate buildings. Currently, we have verified effectiveness in about 500 fields. Recently, as interest in ESG or climate crisis has increased and industrial electricity rates have risen, demand for our solution is increasing.
Customer response is quite positive. There are many responses that they were able to reduce electricity bills and energy consumption after introducing our solution. Although it varies by customer, we are showing an average 10% usage reduction effect. Actually, one company operating multiple offline stores nationwide achieved the effect of reducing electricity bills by 30% compared to the previous year and power consumption by 26%.
Please also tell us about the global market expansion situation.
We are expanding into major Southeast Asian countries such as Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand and conducting proof-of-concept (PoC). In the case of Southeast Asia, the need for our solution is strong. Due to geographical characteristics, air conditioning is used all year round, but energy costs are much more expensive than in Korea. Even with the same area and same usage, there is a difference of 2-2.5 times, and up to 4 times at most. Moreover, there is much interest in environmental and climate crisis issues. Actually, when we introduce our solution locally, the reaction is quite positive.
In this aspect, Southeast Asia is not just a simple testbed for us, but a strategic base where we can rapidly expand business. Including Taiwan, where we expanded in 2023 in cooperation with Japanese companies, we are discussing formal introduction through PoC results in Singapore and Taiwan. This was possible because everyone clearly felt the effect of reducing power consumption and costs.
Based on the experience accumulated in Taiwan and Southeast Asia, we plan to expand into the Middle East and Europe as well. We believe that the Middle East has high energy demand such as cooling, and Europe has strict environmental regulations and high electricity costs, so our technology's competitiveness can be demonstrated even more greatly.
What was most important in this overseas expansion process was localization. Given the nature of our service that must go deep into actual building environments, optimization of solutions and operations according to each region's power infrastructure, building structure, and regulatory system is necessary. For this, we are pursuing strategic partnerships with local companies, and cooperation with our partner company KILSA Global is being of great help. KILSA Global is playing a role in creating contact points with local governments as well as companies and investors that are difficult for us to approach, and we plan to jointly pursue local business development as well. Thanks to this, we think we are preparing the foundation to root our business in the local ecosystem, not just expanding overseas.
Will Transform into IT HVAC Tech Company Through Domestic and International Business Expansion
Please tell us about SeedN's future plans and goals.
Previously we focused on B2B franchise stores, but this year we plan to expand to more diverse areas such as offices, small business stores, and apartments. We were recently selected as a procurement innovation product, and we will prepare for smooth progress in that area as well. Also, as mentioned earlier, demand in overseas markets is increasing, so we want to actively respond to overseas markets along with domestic market expansion.
Our goal is to grow into an IT HVAC tech company beyond building energy management. Currently we are focusing on temperature management through heating and cooling systems, but we want to gradually expand our business scope to solutions that control the energy of entire buildings. So this year we plan to introduce ▲solutions that measure, block, and open switches and electrical distribution ▲building central solutions and energy management solutions linked to conference rooms. This is an area where we can cooperate with existing HVAC companies and manufacturers, and we expect to be able to create win-win structures where we can mutually benefit. We will cooperate as partners who grow the market together with existing industry people, not simple competitors, and steadily expand our business scope to establish ourselves as an IT HVAC tech company.
By Man-hyuk Han (mh@itdonga.com)
solution that efficiently controls heating and cooling systems in buildings to
improve energy efficiency and reduce power consumption and costs.
- The demand for Leaf is increasing both domestically and internationally,
particularly in Southeast Asian markets where electricity rates are high
and sensitivity to climate crisis is strong.
- SeedN is expanding its business scope to manage energy at the building
and city levels, and is preparing for full-scale introduction in various regions.
SeedN develops and operates Leaf, an AIoT-based temperature management solution that combines AI and IoT. Leaf is a solution that measures indoor temperature and humidity, building characteristics, external temperature, etc. of specific spaces or buildings and uses this data to efficiently control heating and cooling systems. Through this, it improves energy efficiency while maintaining a comfortable environment. Thanks to this, companies that have introduced Leaf can reduce power consumption and electricity costs.
SeedN currently has major corporations, retailers, etc. as clients. As electricity rate increases, climate crisis, and the importance of management grow, demand for Leaf is also increasing. The same applies to overseas markets. Particularly, demand is growing in Southeast Asian markets where electricity rates are expensive and sensitivity to climate crisis is high. SeedN is conducting PoC in Taiwan, Singapore, etc., and preparing for full-scale introduction.
Having completed validation of its temperature management technology and begun expanding into domestic and international markets, we met with SeedN CEO Hyun-woong Choi to discuss SeedN and Leaf.
Hyun-woong Choi, CEO of SeedN / source=IT dongA
SeedN Improves Building Energy Management Efficiency
Please introduce yourself first.
I'm Choi Hyun-woong from SeedN. I graduated from Hanyang University's Department of Architectural Engineering, and afterward worked at an architecture-related research company doing architectural engineering research, particularly building energy-related research.
The building energy field has active research and many theories. However, there are not many cases where this is actually applied to real buildings. This is because there are realistic limitations such as the interests of various groups. My research was the same. Even when I repeatedly conducted research and achieved results, there was only personal satisfaction and reality did not change. So I thought about technology that could have a direct impact on real life, and as a result, I came to conceive the building temperature management solution 'Leaf.'
Based on this, I left the research company in 2013 and founded SeedN in 2015. At first, I thought having a good business item would be enough, but there were many things to prepare—circuit design, hardware, software, applications, etc. It took 2 years to develop the prototype while studying alone.
What kind of company is SeedN?
SeedN develops and operates Leaf, an AIoT-based temperature management solution that efficiently manages heating and cooling energy in buildings. We thought about ways to automatically control building energy, and since HVAC accounts for the largest portion of building energy, we are focusing on heating and cooling first. In the future, we plan to expand our business scope to become a company that manages energy at the building level and city level by applying our solution to all facilities that need energy management within buildings.
For reference, SeedN is a compound word of 'Seed' and 'N,' meaning seed network. Our IoT devices become seeds, and these form a network to create positive effects on the environment, which is why we named it SeedN. Our slogan is 'Better for Us, Better for Earth,' meaning what is good for us is also good for Earth.
Leaf’s IoT device controller, hub and sensor / source=SeedN
AIoT-Based Temperature Management Solution, Leaf
Please introduce the temperature management solution Leaf.
In a large cafe with 10 heating and cooling units, what would be the setting values for the heating and cooling systems that can optimize energy consumption while satisfying everyone in the kitchen, bar, and store? How should the temperature and air volume of each heating and cooling unit be adjusted?
Leaf is a solution that provides clear answers to such questions. By automatically setting optimal combinations for each heating and cooling unit and controlling them in real-time, it maintains the café as a comfortable environment and also improves energy efficiency.
Leaf consists of IoT devices (hardware) such as hubs, controllers, and sensors, and software. Through IoT devices, it collects data such as indoor temperature, humidity, building characteristics, external temperature, weather, etc., and sends this to the cloud and server. Then it analyzes with our self-developed AI algorithm and predicts appropriate values. This is sent back to the on-site heating and cooling systems for control. Through this process, we efficiently manage heating and cooling energy while maintaining a comfortable environment. Managers don't need to pay separate attention, and can monitor space comfort in real-time from anywhere and manage remotely.
Leaf’s IoT devices installed in various spaces / source=SeedN
Leaf is divided into 4 services. What are the differences between each service?
Leaf is divided into ▲Leaf ▲Leaf Store ▲Leaf Office ▲Leaf X according to service targets. Initially, we provided without service distinction, but as the customer base became diverse, we judged it necessary to distinguish services. So at the beginning of this year, we divided services based on customer types.
Depending on the service, the configuration, form, management scope, web/app support, etc. are different. Leaf targets small-scale business operators such as small business owners or individual business operators. They can manage space energy with their own app.
Leaf Store is suitable for business operators who need nationwide store management, such as B2B franchises and offline store operating companies. Headquarters can manage each branch's energy while communicating with branch managers.
Leaf Office is a service for customers who manage office spaces such as buildings or corporate headquarters. Customers who use offices on multiple floors within one building or manage offices in multiple buildings can all use it. Mainly administrative teams and infrastructure teams that manage offices manage the space energy.
Leaf X was recently launched. It is good to use when building-by-building and floor-by-floor HVAC control is needed for multiple buildings like factories, hospitals, or school facilities that mainly consist of large complexes.
Securing Various Clients, Customer Response Also Positive
How is the current business progress?
It wasn't easy from the beginning of business. There were many ups and downs. But I never thought of giving up. The feeling of doing it to the end, that is, until we actually put the product on the market and directly confirm the reaction of 'not needed,' was stronger.
In the early business stage, securing references was set as the top priority goal. When I was at the research institute, I could test at large marts or large buildings without much difficulty, but after founding a startup, it was not easy to secure references by testing in such spaces. So we first targeted individual HVAC of small stores. Of course, that wasn't easy either. Since the spaces we tested were offices and stores, we had no choice but to test under various constraints. Also, since the field is completely different from theory, we had to spend considerable time for technical problems occurring in the field and securing desired data. We went through many trial and error processes and technology advancement processes.
Then we were able to apply our solution to offline stores of a large franchise. We got a good opportunity through someone who had been watching our company blog for a long time since the early business days. Of course, the results were successful, and with this as a starting point, we were able to secure various clients including various companies, retail stores, and corporate buildings. Currently, we have verified effectiveness in about 500 fields. Recently, as interest in ESG or climate crisis has increased and industrial electricity rates have risen, demand for our solution is increasing.
Customer response is quite positive. There are many responses that they were able to reduce electricity bills and energy consumption after introducing our solution. Although it varies by customer, we are showing an average 10% usage reduction effect. Actually, one company operating multiple offline stores nationwide achieved the effect of reducing electricity bills by 30% compared to the previous year and power consumption by 26%.
Please also tell us about the global market expansion situation.
We are expanding into major Southeast Asian countries such as Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand and conducting proof-of-concept (PoC). In the case of Southeast Asia, the need for our solution is strong. Due to geographical characteristics, air conditioning is used all year round, but energy costs are much more expensive than in Korea. Even with the same area and same usage, there is a difference of 2-2.5 times, and up to 4 times at most. Moreover, there is much interest in environmental and climate crisis issues. Actually, when we introduce our solution locally, the reaction is quite positive.
In this aspect, Southeast Asia is not just a simple testbed for us, but a strategic base where we can rapidly expand business. Including Taiwan, where we expanded in 2023 in cooperation with Japanese companies, we are discussing formal introduction through PoC results in Singapore and Taiwan. This was possible because everyone clearly felt the effect of reducing power consumption and costs.
Based on the experience accumulated in Taiwan and Southeast Asia, we plan to expand into the Middle East and Europe as well. We believe that the Middle East has high energy demand such as cooling, and Europe has strict environmental regulations and high electricity costs, so our technology's competitiveness can be demonstrated even more greatly.
What was most important in this overseas expansion process was localization. Given the nature of our service that must go deep into actual building environments, optimization of solutions and operations according to each region's power infrastructure, building structure, and regulatory system is necessary. For this, we are pursuing strategic partnerships with local companies, and cooperation with our partner company KILSA Global is being of great help. KILSA Global is playing a role in creating contact points with local governments as well as companies and investors that are difficult for us to approach, and we plan to jointly pursue local business development as well. Thanks to this, we think we are preparing the foundation to root our business in the local ecosystem, not just expanding overseas.
Will Transform into IT HVAC Tech Company Through Domestic and International Business Expansion
Please tell us about SeedN's future plans and goals.
Previously we focused on B2B franchise stores, but this year we plan to expand to more diverse areas such as offices, small business stores, and apartments. We were recently selected as a procurement innovation product, and we will prepare for smooth progress in that area as well. Also, as mentioned earlier, demand in overseas markets is increasing, so we want to actively respond to overseas markets along with domestic market expansion.
Our goal is to grow into an IT HVAC tech company beyond building energy management. Currently we are focusing on temperature management through heating and cooling systems, but we want to gradually expand our business scope to solutions that control the energy of entire buildings. So this year we plan to introduce ▲solutions that measure, block, and open switches and electrical distribution ▲building central solutions and energy management solutions linked to conference rooms. This is an area where we can cooperate with existing HVAC companies and manufacturers, and we expect to be able to create win-win structures where we can mutually benefit. We will cooperate as partners who grow the market together with existing industry people, not simple competitors, and steadily expand our business scope to establish ourselves as an IT HVAC tech company.
By Man-hyuk Han (mh@itdonga.com)
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