GeoGrid is a startup developing smart water purifiers for buildings.
It was founded in November 2020 by CEO Choi Sung-hoon.

CEO Choi said, “GeoGrid is a company that provides an environment where anyone can use clean and healthy water based on data.”

GeoGrid developed a building water purifier called “BLOS (Building Oasis).”
BLOS stands for Building Oasis.
It applies home-use water purifiers to buildings to create buildings that do not require individual purifiers.
CEO Choi said, “GeoGrid removes and prevents rust, scale, and slime from the building’s water pipes and eliminates bacteria through UV sterilization devices. It provides real-time water quality data to users so that they can drink tap water safely.”

“Tap water is the cleanest when it is first produced at the water purification plant. However, it becomes contaminated in the process of coming through the pipes, and as a result, public trust decreases and the drinking rate is very low. The OECD average for tap water drinking rate is 51%, but Korea’s rate is only 5%, which is very low. GeoGrid’s product is an item that restores tap water to the state it was in when it was produced at the plant, to increase the drinking rate.”

Once BLOS is installed, the building’s pipes remain clean, so there is no need for cleaning or replacement.
By suppressing rust generation, it also extends the lifespan of equipment such as boiler heat exchangers.
CEO Choi said, “It reduces maintenance costs related to pipes and maximizes energy efficiency, reducing operating costs.
Because it provides real-time monitoring of pipe and water conditions, people can trust and use the water.
With regular maintenance, it is always kept in optimal condition.”

GeoGrid is characterized by its ability to comprehensively manage water pipes and tap water in buildings.
“Through the product, we measure water quality, usage, leakage, vibration, and carbon emissions according to usage.
Through various sensors, we can also check the condition of the pipes and the potential occurrence of bacteria, red water, and heavy metals.
It is convenient for maintenance and effective for cost reduction through building-level management.”
CEO Choi emphasized, “When using the same amount of water, purifiers emit 2,000 times more carbon than tap water.
Increasing the tap water drinking rate helps reduce carbon emissions caused by the use of purifiers.”

“It has been installed and is undergoing pilot projects in a 47-year-old apartment in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and in a high school cafeteria in Seoul.
In particular, the old apartment received a drinking water suitability rating within three weeks after installation, and in a satisfaction survey conducted after installation, the direct and indirect drinking rate increased from 1% to 82%.
In the high school cafeteria, the water quality problem was solved within one month after installation.”

GeoGrid recently received the Excellence Award at the 2024 Hoban Innovation Technology Competition hosted by the Hoban Group, and is currently in discussions for collaboration with Hoban Construction.

It also received a total investment of KRW 600 million, with KRW 300 million each from Sopoong Ventures (December 2023) and D3 Jubilee Partners (January 2024).
It is preparing to attract Pre-A investment within this year.
Regarding future plans, CEO Choi said, “We plan to install it in old apartments nationwide in cooperation with local governments, as well as in schools, hospitals, and large dining facilities such as smart farms that cannot be solved with individual purifiers.
We will also install it in hotels and resorts where water usage is high, to maintain healthy and clean water and pipes without anti-corrosion agents.”
He added, “We will conduct demonstration projects in water-using buildings and, based on these results, introduce BLOS to any building that uses water both domestically and abroad.”

GeoGrid was selected for the Startup Leap Package operated by K-Water (Korea Water Resources Corporation).
The Startup Leap Package is a support program by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development that provides up to KRW 300 million in business support funds and services for startups in their growth phase (3–7 years after founding).
It supports business diagnosis and improvement, consumer demand and market environment analysis, investment diagnosis, and strategy development.

Founded: November 2020
Main Business: Eco-friendly building smart water purification plant (BLOS)
Achievements:

• Raised KRW 600 million in seed investment (Sopoong Ventures, D3 Jubilee Partners)

• Selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups TIPS Program

• Supported by Seoul Testbed Demonstration Project

• K-Water Partnership Startup

• Selected for Startup Leap Package

• Two-time Minister of Environment Award winner

• Participated in CES 2024 Eureka Park

Reporter: Lee Jin-ho (Hankyung.com)