Birdview
Birdview operates Hwahae (화해), South Korea's leading mobile beauty discovery platform serving Korean women in their 20s and 30s with personalized skin-type reviews, ingredient analysis, brand rankings, and integrated e-commerce, monetizing via brand advertising and commerce commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Birdview does
Birdview (parent of Hwahae Global Inc.) is a Seoul-based technology company founded in 2013 that operates Hwahae (화해), South Korea's leading mobile beauty discovery platform. The platform serves Korean women in their 20s and 30s — reportedly over half of that demographic — by combining skin-type-personalized product reviews, a real-user-data-powered ranking system, ingredient analysis, dedicated beauty content (BeautyON), and integrated shopping in a single mobile application. Underlying technology is a mobile-first platform architecture with structured review data segmented across 12+ skin categories and age groups, supported by web distribution (hwahae.co.kr) and a global-facing version (hwahaeglobal.com).
Birdview monetizes primarily through two revenue streams: advertising and partnership fees from beauty brands (via a dedicated marketing site at mkt.hwahae.biz), and commerce commissions on products sold through integrated shopping and a Partner Center (store.hwahaemall.com). The company has raised approximately USD 20.3M cumulatively across three funding rounds (2014, 2018, 2023), with the April 2023 pre-IPO round of 20 billion KRW (~USD 15.3M) from PS Alliance and other institutional investors explicitly earmarked for technology enhancements and commerce expansion, in support of a stated intention to pursue a public listing. Customer segments are primarily consumer (long-tail of Korean women 20s–30s) on the demand side and beauty brands on the B2B advertising/commerce side, with no named enterprise anchor customers disclosed.
Birdview firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Birdview
- Legal name
- Hwahae Global Inc.
- Website
- https://birdview.kr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Birdview operates Hwahae (화해), South Korea's leading mobile beauty discovery platform serving Korean women in their 20s and 30s with personalized skin-type reviews, ingredient analysis, brand rankings, and integrated e-commerce, monetizing via brand advertising and commerce commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Birdview industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Beauty Discovery Mobile Platform
- akta.pro primary industry
- K-Beauty/J-Beauty & Global Skincare Regimens (CRABAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Personal Care & Wellness Booking Platforms (Beauty, Fitness, Spa) (BPAMAHAF)
Keywords
Where Birdview is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Birdview business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- E-commerce/Product Sales Commission: Hwahae features products recommended by users and appears to drive commerce through the platform, likely earning commissions or transaction fees on products sold through the app. The platform includes a Partner Center (store.hwahaemall.com) for brand partnerships.
- Advertising and Promotional Fees: The platform mentions 광고/제휴문의 (advertising/partnership inquiries) and marketing services (https://mkt.hwahae.biz/), suggesting advertising as a revenue stream from beauty brands.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Birdview product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Birdview operates Hwahae, a mobile beauty discovery and shopping platform that delivers skin-type personalized product reviews, ingredient analysis, real-user rankings, and integrated e-commerce for skincare, makeup, and inner beauty products. The platform is positioned as Korea's #1 beauty app, used by more than half of Korean women in their 20s and 30s, and also monetizes through advertising and partnership services for beauty brands.
Product overview
Birdview operates Hwahae (화해), a single unified mobile beauty platform that serves as Korea's number one beauty app. The platform provides a comprehensive suite of features including personalized skin-matching reviews, product shopping capabilities, industry rankings powered by real user data, beauty content through 뷰티ON, and detailed ingredient information — covering skincare, makeup, and inner beauty categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hwahae (화해) mobile app
Quantifiable outcome
- Cumulative downloads as of September 2022
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Birdview
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Birdview technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Birdview partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Birdview competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wishtrend: Korea-based K-beauty discovery and e-commerce platform offering curated brands, user reviews, and ingredient-focused content. Closely comparable to Hwahae in product/customer focus on Korean women discovering skincare and makeup, though smaller in scale.
- Soko Glam: US-based K-beauty discovery and retail platform with curated brand content and educational storytelling around ingredients and skin concerns. Comparable to Hwahae as a K-beauty curation and discovery platform, though primarily serving a US audience.
- MEME Box: Korean-founded K-beauty discovery and e-commerce platform that aggregates emerging Korean beauty brands with content-led merchandising. Mirrors Hwahae's intersection of beauty discovery, content, and commerce for skincare consumers.
- YesStyle: Hong Kong-based Asian beauty and K-beauty e-commerce destination with product reviews and curated content. Comparable as a K-beauty discovery and commerce destination for international consumers with review-driven merchandising.
Broad incumbents
- Olive Young: Korea's largest domestic health and beauty retailer with a deep K-beauty assortment, in-store advisory, and growing app/online presence. Overlaps Hwahae's commerce role and Korean female demographic but operates a much broader multi-category retail footprint.
- Coupang (Coupang Play / Beauty category): Korea's dominant e-commerce platform with a sizable beauty category, review engine, and Rocket delivery. Comparable on commerce and user reviews layer for Korean beauty consumers, though part of a much larger general-merchant marketplace.
- Naver (Naver Shopping / Smartstore Beauty): Korea's leading portal with integrated shopping, search, and user-generated reviews that surface beauty products. Comparable as a discovery-to-purchase surface for Korean beauty consumers, though embedded in a horizontal search/portal business.
Emerging players
- Perfect Corp (YouCam Makeup): Beauty-tech platform offering AR-powered virtual try-on, skin analysis, and AI-driven product recommendations. Overlaps Hwahae on personalized beauty discovery and skin-type matching but pivots on AR/AI rather than community reviews.
- Peach & Lily: K-beauty inspired brand and curation platform operating its own storefront plus editorial content on ingredients and routines. Compares to Hwahae on ingredient-led discovery and K-beauty merchandising, though it is fundamentally brand-led rather than community-led.
Regional players
- Amorepacific: Korea's largest beauty conglomerate with brand portfolio (Innisfree, Laneige, Sulwhasoo) and direct digital channels targeting Korean and global beauty consumers. Adjacent participant in K-beauty discovery and commerce that competes for the same consumer attention as Hwahae.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Birdview social profiles
Digital presenceBirdview financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Birdview leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Birdview subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Birdview funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Birdview M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Birdview
What does Birdview do?
Birdview operates Hwahae, a mobile beauty discovery and shopping platform that delivers skin-type personalized product reviews, ingredient analysis, real-user rankings, and integrated e-commerce for skincare, makeup, and inner beauty products. The platform is positioned as Korea's #1 beauty app, used by more than half of Korean women in their 20s and 30s, and also monetizes through advertising and partnership services for beauty brands.
Is Birdview a public or private company?
Birdview is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Birdview founded?
Birdview was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Birdview based?
Birdview is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Birdview make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. E-commerce/Product Sales Commission is the primary driver. The others are advertising and Promotional Fees.
Who are Birdview's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wishtrend, Soko Glam, MEME Box and YesStyle. Broad incumbents are Olive Young, Coupang (Coupang Play / Beauty category) and Naver (Naver Shopping / Smartstore Beauty). Emerging players are Perfect Corp (YouCam Makeup) and Peach & Lily. Amorepacific is listed as a regional player.
Does Birdview have an API?
No public API is recorded for Birdview.
What industry is Birdview in?
Birdview's product category is Beauty Discovery Mobile Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRABAAAI, K-Beauty/J-Beauty & Global Skincare Regimens, with a secondary code of BPAMAHAF, Personal Care & Wellness Booking Platforms (Beauty, Fitness, Spa).