If I helped lead the growth of China's SNS industry, I will now create new innovation based on AI voice agents.
On the 21st at a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Daisybell CEO James Liu said, "As AI technology is rapidly applied across industries, the very paradigm of corporate management is changing," and added, "In particular, we determined that voice-based AI agents are a core technology that can simultaneously transform future operational efficiency for corporations and the customer experience."
Founded by CEO Liu early last year, Daisybell is an AI startup based in Silicon Valley in the United States. It develops and provides solutions that replace repetitive communication tasks previously performed by people—such as corporate booking services, customer support, and guidance—with AI voice agents. It raised about $5 million (about 7.5 billion won) from investors in the United States, Europe, and Korea.
◇ First-generation Chinese SNS founder takes on the global AI market
CEO Liu is regarded as a representative first-generation founder who led the early growth of China's SNS industry. After majoring in computer science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, he completed an MBA program at Stanford University. He then worked as a management consultant at the China office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Focusing on the growth potential of the SNS market, he co-founded the SNS platform "UUMe" in 2003. To expand the business, he sold the company in 2005 to the Chinese SNS corporation Renren and, as chief operating officer (COO) of Renren, oversaw operations. He also secured investment from Masayoshi Son, chairman of SoftBank.
Renren grew rapidly among Chinese youth and was called the "Facebook of China." In the early 2010s, it enjoyed great popularity as a leading Chinese SNS platform, but its influence later waned as it lost ground to competitors such as Weibo.
After SNS, the area CEO Liu focused on was the AI-based customer response market. He determined that AI voice agents would become a core technology that could enhance efficiency across overall corporate operations—beyond simple automated consultations to include booking, guidance, and customer management.
CEO Liu emphasized, "If connecting people to people was the key in the SNS era, natural interaction between people and AI is important in the AI era," adding, "In particular, the voice interface has very strong growth potential because it is the most human form of communication."
Daisybell's core strength is its customer-tailored AI voice solution. It learns each client's data and workflows to provide responses suited to industry characteristics and service environments. It goes beyond simple Q&A to perform functions such as booking, guidance, and consultation in line with actual workflow.
For example, in the case of logistics corporations, an AI agent checks delivery schedules, package weights, and address information in real time while assisting customers. In restaurant reservation services, it not only confirms the date, time, and party size but also assesses the customer's situation to recommend tailored offerings.
Pricing competitiveness is also cited as a strength. CEO Liu said, "Daisybell's service can be used at about 15% to 20% of the expense of operating traditional call-center staff," adding, "From the perspective of corporations, they can expect both cost savings and improved operational efficiency."
Daisybell's main markets are Japan, the United States, and Hong Kong. As high labor costs and chronic labor shortages persist, demand for AI voice agents is expanding rapidly in these regions. In particular, it is growing in Japan by securing clients across a range of industries, including retail, fashion, hospitals, finance, and real estate.
◇ Full tilt into Korea… Competitiveness of Chinese startups: "fierce competition and fast execution"
Daisybell recently secured a Korean online education corporation as its first client, accelerating its entry into the Korean market. CEO Liu's visit to Korea this time was also to strengthen the Korean business.
CEO Liu said, "Korea has very strong growth potential in AI call centers and corporate AI customer response markets," adding, "We will expand our customer base in Korea, focusing on logistics, e-commerce, and travel industries." Daisybell also plans to expand into Europe, including France.
At the end of the interview, when asked about the greatest strength of China's startup ecosystem, CEO Liu cited "fierce competition." He said, "To survive in the rapidly changing AI market, execution that can respond nimbly to technological shifts is most important," adding, "This culture of fast execution also underpins the rise of Chinese AI unicorn corporations like DeepSeek."
He continued, "Hundreds and thousands of startups constantly emerge, and only a proven few survive in fierce competition—that structure is the hallmark and strength of China's startup ecosystem."