"Lit Up Worldwide with the Sunrise"—How a K-App Built by 4 Developers Captivated Users in 190 Countries

"Our app lit up across the globe following the sunrise. Starting in South Korea, passing through India, Africa, and Europe, and reaching all the way to the U.S. and Mexico, we gained 5,000 new users every day as we circled the Earth."

If you had to pick a flagship artificial intelligence (AI) feature for Samsung Galaxy phones, it would undoubtedly be the 'Object Eraser.' It removes surrounding people, shadows, or light reflections from photos and seamlessly fills in the background. The key figure behind this feature is Kim Sang-hee, CEO of Countdown AI, who developed it through Samsung Electronics' in-house startup program. He later left the company to found Countdown AI and launch 'MeeAww,' an AI photo editing app.

We met CEO Kim on the 15th at the Google for Startups Accelerator event held at The Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. We listened to the secret of how MeeAww, which started with just four developers, achieved 1.6 million downloads across 190 countries globally in just two years after its founding.

The secret behind MeeAww capturing the hearts of global users lies in simplicity. No matter how advanced AI technology is, it is difficult to reach the masses if it is hard to use.

Existing AI services required users to manually input complex prompts. In contrast, MeeAww introduced a 'one-click button' that generates results in just three seconds with a simple tap on the screen.

Thanks to this intuitive UI design, users in Africa and Southeast Asia were able to use the app effortlessly without language barriers. In short, technological intuitiveness bypassed the language barrier. As a result, MeeAww surpassed one million subscribers within just six months of its launch.

"No matter how advanced AI technology is, it's meaningless if everyday users find it difficult," said Kim. "Our goal was to make it so that even people who know nothing about AI can use the features immediately upon opening the app."

A Single Tap Generates an Ad Video: A Lifesaver for Small Business Owners

MeeAww is now evolving beyond a simple photo editor into a 'marketing solution' for small business owners. The prime example is 'MeeAww Marketing,' launched this past May.

By uploading a single product photo, this service handles ad copy, promotional video generation, and even competitor analysis all at once. It targets small business owners and individual creators who lack time and money. While using general-purpose AI models like ChatGPT or Gemini requires crafting complex prompts each time, MeeAww Marketing streamlines the entire process into a single button.

It also fundamentally prevents plagiarism issues that can arise during AI generation. This is because the service uses over 5,000 self-produced photos and 200 videos as foundational data. In the second half of this year, the company plans to integrate with advertising platforms such as Google and Meta to add features that precisely analyze actual marketing effectiveness based on quantitative data like reach and conversion rates.

Google's support backed Countdown AI's ultra-fast growth. Currently operating as an elite team of seven people, they gained momentum by participating in the 7th cohort of 'Chang-Goo,' Google's startup support program.

They received comprehensive, hands-on support spanning technology, infrastructure, HR, marketing, and fundraising. During the early stage of the Chang-Goo program, Kim commuted to Google's office daily to seek advice and discuss business strategy.

In particular, Kim transplanted Google's unique 'Squad' organizational structure into his company. Moving away from the traditional setup of separate departments for development and marketing, cross-functional teams of developers, designers, and marketers pair up per project to move swiftly. Faster decision-making naturally accelerated product launch speeds.

"By the end of this year, I plan to boost our global revenue by 10 times to over 1 billion KRW annually," Kim expressed. "Rather than an app that merely shows off new technology, I want to create a reliable service that truly helps people's daily lives and businesses."

News Link:

https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20260716_0003711656