Hupo is a startup backed by Meta, originally established four years ago, initially focusing on the mental health sector, aiming to help people manage stress, build habits, and change behaviors. Its founder and CEO, Justin Kim, is an avid sports enthusiast whose research on human performance sparked his interest in workplace performance.

Justin Kim realized that psychological resilience is a key factor driving performance, whether in sports or the workplace. After receiving seed investment from Meta, Hupo began focusing on how to apply these concepts to sales coaching. He stated that although the transition seemed drastic, the core issues faced were essentially the same: how to improve performance at scale. In the banking and insurance industries, differences in performance mainly stem from variations in training, feedback, and confidence, while traditional coaching methods cannot reach every employee.

Hupo uses AI technology that understands conversations in real-time, enabling teams to receive consistent coaching support even in highly regulated and complex environments. Recently, the company successfully raised $10 million in Series A funding led by DST Global Partners, with additional investors including Collaborative Fund, Goodwater Capital, January Capital, and Strong Ventures. Currently, Hupo has multiple clients in the Asia-Pacific and European regions, such as Prudential, AXA, Manulife, HSBC, Bank of Ireland, and Grab.

Justin Kim pointed out that although the banking, financial services, and insurance industries pose challenges for startups, their clients often expand contracts 3 to 8 times within the first six months. In the first half of this year, Hupo plans to enter the U.S. market, further expanding its scalable coaching services.

Justin Kim's career began at Bloomberg, where he sold enterprise software to banks, asset management companies, and insurance firms, gaining a deep understanding of the complexities of regulated sales. He believes that Hupo's success is based on his deep understanding of customers and end users, as well as his grasp of the realities of selling financial products.

Currently, Hupo has raised a total of $15 million in funding. The newly obtained funds will be used to expand the product, especially the real-time coaching features, scale enterprise deployments, enhance marketing efforts, and strengthen team building. Justin Kim hopes that within the next five years, Hupo will not only focus on sales coaching but also help large teams achieve more efficient performance, providing managers and employees with clearer insights and practical guidance.

Key Points:   

📈 Hupo successfully transitioned from a mental health platform to an AI sales coach, focusing on the banking and insurance sectors.   

💰 The company recently raised $10 million in Series A funding, with clients including renowned institutions such as Prudential and HSBC.   

🌍 Hupo plans to expand into the U.S. market, with future goals of helping large teams improve overall performance.