What ST Unitas does

ST Unitas (에스티유니타스) is a privately held Korean edtech company founded in April 2010 (originally as ST&Company) and headquartered in Guro-gu, Seoul. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio of short-term test-prep courses covering Korean national civil service exams (9th and 7th grade, via the flagship Gongdangi brand and Technical Short-term), police recruitment (Kim Polka), firefighting (Sobangdangi), public enterprise, labor attorney, legal attorney, MEET/DEET (MD), and English/foreign languages. According to the Korean Records Institute (KRI), Gongdangi has produced the most national civil service exam passers across 58 job series over the 2015-2025 period, with 36,558 cumulative passers and a 2020 market share of 84% among Seoul 7th-rank civil service passing candidates. Sobangdangi has produced 16,299 passers over seven years. Pricing is subscription-based for All-in-One passes (annual), unit-priced for short-term courses (pay-as-you-go), and subscription-based for Premium services (monthly, launched November 2024).

The company's technology layer consists of the Connectz (Conects) mobile study app — marketed as Korea's No. 1 study app and awarded the Korea First Brand Award in the education group category for two consecutive years — alongside the AI-powered Stella personalization service launched in January 2018 and the Connectz Gongpul past-question practice app launched in July 2025. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer online platforms (Connectz, Gongpul, individual brand sites) with a hybrid offline network of company-owned academies in Seoul (Noryangjin Nowon area) and Daegu, affiliated partner campuses in Busan and Changwon, and the Connectz SPACE franchise system for managed self-study centers, reading rooms, and study cafes. ST Unitas has grown from approximately 4 founding members in 2010 to a workforce of 1,001-5,000 employees, having raised $106.6M in a Series C led by Bain Capital in May 2020. Historical M&A activity includes the acquisitions of SkyEdu (2014), Beautyschool/MBC Academy (2015), Unitas Brand (2015), Daegu Korean Civil Service Academy (2016), Libro internet bookstore (2016), and The Princeton Review (2017), with the latter divested in January 2022 to refocus on the domestic Korean market.

Name

ST Unitas

Legal name

주식회사 에스티유니타스 (ST Unitas Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://stunitas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

ST Unitas is a Korean edtech company operating a multi-brand portfolio of subscription and short-term test-prep courses for civil service, police, firefighting, professional certification, and foreign language exams, serving individual learners through its Connectz online platform, owned and affiliated offline academies, and Connectz SPACE franchise study centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Test Preparation Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual School Course Providers (Single-Course/Part-Time Enrollment) (EDAJADAE), Virtual World Language & Electives Providers (K–12) (EDAJADAK)

Keywords

• Civil service exam preparation
• Online education platform
• Professional certification courses
• Language test preparation
• Offline academy franchise

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Online Course Sales: Revenue generated from selling online courses for exam preparation including civil service, police, fire service, professional certifications, and language studies. Subscription and one-time purchase models available through the Connectz platform.
2. Offline Academy Operations: Revenue from operating physical learning centers and franchise-based Connectz SPACE locations including study rooms and study cafes in major cities.
3. Textbook/Publication Sales: Sale of textbooks and study materials for exam preparation, with best-selling titles achieving No.1 rankings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ST Unitas operates a multi-brand education platform in South Korea delivering short-term intensive courses for civil service, police, fire service, professional certification, and language exams. The company sells online subscriptions and offline academy instruction through branded sites such as Gongdangi (civil service), Technical Short-term, Sobangdangi (firefighter), Police Kimpolka, English Short-term, and Labor/Legal Attorney Short-term, supported by the Connects mobile study app and the Stella AI-powered personalized learning service.

Product overview

ST Unitas is Korea's leading edtech company operating a multi-brand education platform for professional certification and civil service exam preparation. The portfolio consists of multiple short-term (단기) branded courses including Gongdangi (civil service), Technical Short-term, Sobangdangi (firefighting), Kim Polka (police), Labor Attorney, Legal Attorney, and English Short-term brands. The platform includes the flagship Connects mobile app for online learning and study management, the AI-powered Stella service for personalized education, and a network of offline academies and managed self-study centers (Frap/독학관) across Korea. The company also publishes textbooks and operates franchise study spaces. The architecture follows a platform-plus-modules model where Connects serves as the primary digital hub integrating content from various short-term brands, while Stella provides AI-driven personalization across the ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 커넥츠 (Conects): Korea's #1 study app and online learning platform providing comprehensive exam preparation courses
• 공단기 (Gongdangi)
• 기술단기 (Gisul Dangi)
• 소방단기 (Sobang Dangi)
• 경찰단기 김폴카 (Gyung Dangi Kim Polka)
• 경단기 (Gyeong Dangi)
• 영단기 (Young Dangi)
• 노무사단기 (Nomu Dangi)
• 법무사단기 (Bupmu Dangi)
• 자단기 (Ja Dangi)
• MD단기 (MD Dangi)
• 공풀 (Gongpul)
• 스텔라 (Stella)
• Conects Plab (커넥츠 프랩)

Products and services

• Gongdangi (공단기) - Civil Service Short-term Course
• Technical Short-term Course (기술단기)

Quantifiable outcome

• 36,558 civil service passers over 11 years (2015-2025)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 더 프린스턴 리뷰 (The Princeton Review)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2017Global knowledge platform acquired in February 2017, bringing international educational content and methodology to ST Unitas. Note: Divested in January 2022.
• 인터넷서점 리브로 (Internet Bookstore Libro)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2016Acquired in April 2016 to strengthen online retail and distribution capabilities for educational materials.
• 대구 한국 공무원 학원minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2016Acquired in March 2016 to expand offline presence in the Daegu region.
• 유니타스브랜드 (Unitas Brand)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2015Acquired in December 2015, integrating the Unitas brand into the ST Unitas portfolio.
• 뷰티르샤 (Beautyr School - MBC아카데미뷰티스쿨, 스누티브러쉬)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015Acquired in October 2015, enhancing ST Unitas' presence in beauty and lifestyle education segments.
• 스카이에듀 (SkyEdu)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2014Acquired in October 2014 as part of ST Unitas expansion strategy, contributing to the company's portfolio of specialized education brands.
• 공단기 부산 제휴학원minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated campus in Busan operating under partnership agreement for civil service exam preparation.
• 경단기 부산 제휴학원minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated campus in Busan operating under partnership agreement for police exam preparation.
• 소방단기 부산 제휴학원minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated campus in Busan operating under partnership agreement for fire service exam preparation.
• 공단기 경남·창원 제휴학원minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated campus in Changwon operating under partnership agreement for civil service exam preparation.
• 소방단기 경남·창원 제휴학원minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated campus in Changwon operating under partnership agreement for fire service exam preparation.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Unacademy: India-based online exam-prep platform for civil service, professional certification, and competitive exams; comparable in multi-vertical adult exam-prep model, online + offline hybrid, and AI-personalization roadmap.
• Class101 (클래스101): Korean online learning platform focused on hobby, creative, and professional upskilling courses; overlaps with ST Unitas on online course delivery and self-serve enrollment but targets a different learner intent.
• Testbook: India-focused online platform for government and competitive exam preparation; comparable in vertical specialization (civil service, police, certification), online test practice, and mobile-first delivery.
• Yanolja Edtech / Ezen (이젠): Yanolja-owned Korean edtech (Ezen) offering online exam-prep and language courses; competes in adjacent verticals with ST Unitas and shares similar online + mobile delivery model in the Korean market.

Broad incumbents

• YBM (와이비엠): Established Korean education company with broad portfolio across language learning, K-12, and adult certification; overlaps with ST Unitas's English Short-term and certification brands but at a more diversified scale.
• Wendy Education / Visang Education (비상교육): Korean education publisher and platform with textbook and digital learning offerings across K-12 and adult certification; adjacent competitor in textbook publishing and broader educational services where ST Unitas also operates.

Direct peers

• Megastudy (메가스터디): Korea's largest online and offline exam-prep platform for civil service, certifications, and language learning; directly competes with ST Unitas's Gongdangi, Connects, and English brands for the same adult learner base.
• Daesung Study (대성학원): Long-standing Korean exam-prep academy group with deep presence in civil service, police, and fire service test prep; competes with ST Unitas across both the flagship Gongdangi vertical and offline academy channel.
• Etoos Education (이투스교육): Leading Korean online education platform offering civil service, professional certification, and college entrance exam prep; directly comparable in product mix, online delivery model, and target learner.
• Hackers (해커스): Korean education brand known for language test prep (TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, OPIC) and certification courses; directly competes with ST Unitas's English Short-term and language-learning brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ST Unitas