About Return Zero
Return Zero is a Technology company based in Seoul (South Korea) founded in 2018 by Jung Ju Young, Hyeonjong Lee, and Hyun Jong Lee, and was acquired by U BASE in May 2026. It operates as a korean speech recognition engine is provided for smart speakers. Return Zero has raised $3.46 million across 1 funding round from investors including U BASE, Woori Financial Group and Shinhan Venture Investment. Return Zero offers products and services including RTZR STT, Callabo, VITO, and AICO. Its focus areas include High Tech, Natural Language Processing, NLP Platforms and Speech Recognition. Its legal entity is Return Zero Co., Ltd. Its competitors include Otter.ai, AssemblyAI, AudioEye, YITU and iFLYTEK and 3 more; 6 of its 8 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Return Zero was founded in 2018 in Seoul, South Korea. A specialized Korean speech recognition engine is offered by the company within the AI and technology sector. This engine is integrated into smart speakers, where simple data is collected and processed through APIs to address recognition challenges. Operations focus on engine development and API-based solutions for Korean language applications.
- Headquarters Seoul, South Korea
- Founders Jung Ju Young, Hyeonjong Lee, Hyun Jong Lee
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTechnology
- Website rtzr.ai/en
- Social LinkedIn Facebook
- Acquired by U BASE (May 2026)
- Legal Name Return Zero Co., Ltd.
Products & Services of Return Zero
Return Zero offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including RTZR STT, Callabo, VITO, and AICO.
AI solution for business speech recognition and transcription needs.
Tool for recording, summarizing, and analyzing online meetings.
Android app that transcribes and searches calls for users.
App for creating short videos from YouTube links quickly.
Funding Insights of Return Zero
Return Zero has successfully raised a total of $3.46M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Series C round of $3.46 million completed in November 2025. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $3.46M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Series C — $3.46M
- First Round $3.46M
(Nov 2025)
- Investors Count 2
All 1 funding rounds of Return Zero with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | $3.46M | Series C | – | Woori Financial Group |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in Return Zero
Return Zero has secured backing from 3 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include U BASE, Woori Financial Group and Shinhan Venture Investment.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
- | – | shinhanvc.com | - | |
- | – | woorifg.com | - | |
Business process outsourcing services for call centers are provided. | 1998 | ubase.co.kr | Seoul, South Korea |
Investor details for Return Zero
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People of Return Zero
3 people are tracked at Return Zero (3 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Jung Ju Young | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Hyeonjong Lee | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Hyun Jong Lee | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Return Zero
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Timeline of Return Zero
3 dated milestones of Return Zero across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Return Zero is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $3.5M.
- Exit Acquired by U BASE.
Competitors of Return Zero
Return Zero has 8 listed competitors in our database, 6 of them funded. They include Otter.ai, AssemblyAI, AudioEye, YITU and iFLYTEK, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| otter.ai | 2016 | Los Altos, United States | $70M | – | AI-based voice transcription for meetings is provided via cloud software. | |
| assemblyai.com | 2017 | San Francisco, United States | $108.12M | 59 | Provider of speech to text solutions | |
| audioeye.com | 2005 | Tucson, United States | $13.2M | 145 | Cloud-based accessibility tools are offered to businesses for digital compliance. | |
| yitutech.com | 2012 | Xuhui, China | $385.07M | – | AI-based decision intelligence platforms are provided for multiple sectors. | |
| iflytek.com | 1999 | Hefei, China | – | – | AI-based speech and language interaction technologies are provided globally. | |
| wellsaidlabs.com | 2018 | Seattle, United States | – | 21 | AI platform for generating realistic voices in training, advertising, and video production. | |
| suno.com | 2021 | Cambridge, United States | $125M | – | AI-generated music and lyrics are created on an online platform. | |
| unisound.com | 2012 | Beijing, China | $301.94M | – | AI-backed voice solutions are provided for multiple industries. |
Detailed competitors of Return Zero
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Web traffic of Return Zero
The website of Return Zero (rtzr.ai) receives about 7.7K visits a month.
- Monthly visits7.7K
▼ 12.1% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Return Zero. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
deview.kr | deview.kr | 100% | – | #3,340,351 | – |
velog.io | velog.io | 95% | – | #26,732 | – |
| skelterlabs.com | 93% | 18.2K | #1,640,259 | View details | |
| ncloud.com | 89% | – | #67,207 | View details | |
| google.com | 76% | 85.8B | #1 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 10 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Return Zero
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Top companies in AI Core Platforms & Infrastructure
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Return Zero (AI Core Platforms & Infrastructure), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Photo editing and sharing apps are developed by Meitu. | 2008 | Xiamen, Fujian, China | USD 525 M | USD 536.99 M | 719 | |
Platform that provides data analysis and management solutions | 2003 | Denver, Colorado, United States | USD 2.46 B | USD 2.87 B | 5,915 | |
OpenAI is engaged in developing advanced artificial intelligence technologies. | 2015 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 180.07 B | – | 11,115 | |
AI-based system-on-chips are developed for advanced driver assistance systems. | 1999 | Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel | USD 530 M | USD 1.89 B | 3,820 | |
AI models and chatbots are offered for industry applications. | 2021 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 132.31 B | – | 6,146 | |
AI and SaaS-based self-driving solutions for autonomous vehicles are provided. | 2017 | Mountain View, California, United States | USD 692.62 M | USD 3 M | 2,619 | |
AI-based conversational solutions are provided for user interactions and learning. | 2021 | Menlo Park, California, United States | USD 193 M | – | 325 | |
Analytics and digital solutions for healthcare and banking are provided. | 1999 | New York, New York, United States | USD 10 M | USD 2.09 B | 59,500 | |
Provider of AI-based drone surveillance solutions for defense and maritime sector | 2017 | Orange, California, United States | USD 11.29 B | – | 9,670 | |
Citation-based AI answer engine with real-time sourcing is operated. | 2022 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 1.72 B | – | 1,401 |
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Related news about Return Zero
Complete news archive for Return Zero
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Frequently Asked Questions about Return Zero
Return Zero was founded in 2018 and raised its 1st funding round 7 years after it was founded.
Return Zero is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
Return Zero is a funded company, having raised a total of $3.46M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series C of $3.46M, raised on Nov 2025.
Return Zero was founded in 2018 in Seoul, South Korea. A specialized Korean speech recognition engine is offered by the company within the AI and technology sector. This engine is integrated into smart speakers, where simple data is collected and processed through APIs to address recognition challenges. Operations focus on engine development and API-based solutions for Korean language applications.
Return Zero offers RTZR STT, Callabo, VITO, and AICO.
Return Zero has 3 investors. Key investors include U BASE, Woori Financial Group, and Shinhan Venture Investment.
Return Zero operates through Return Zero Co., Ltd..
Yes. Return Zero was acquired by U BASE in May 2026.