What Zaksim Library does

Zaksim Library (작심) operates a premium unmanned study cafe franchise brand in South Korea, marketed as the country's #1 national brand (국민브랜드) in the premium study cafe category and positioned as the global #1 study cafe/reading room brand in consumer trust. The company serves two distinct customer segments: end-user learners preparing for competitive Korean exams (9급 civil service, 소방직 firefighting, 군무원 military civil service) who pay for distraction-free, premium study environments, and franchise entrepreneurs (가맹점주) who license the Zaksim brand and operating system to operate study cafes nationwide. Zaksim was launched in 2016 by (주)아이엔지스토리 (ING Story Inc.), a Seoul-based corporation headquartered in the Gangnam district that originated from a youth career education business and has served more than 1 million students through its broader ecosystem.

The core product is a modular signature space concept offering named rooms (Zaksim Room, Secret Room, Bodleian Room, Oxford Room, Cambridge Room, Imperial Room, Edinburgh Room, British Room, Meeting Room) with amenities such as massage chairs and air dressers, themed around the study environment of Oxford University's Bodleian Library. The underlying technology stack consists of two proprietary systems: a self-developed unmanned kiosk SaaS program that handles check-in, payments, seat management, and facility access, and a centralized unmanned monitoring (중앙무인관제) system that connects all locations to a single operations center for nationwide remote management. These systems support staff-free store operations and a multi-unit franchise model. The company also bundles licensed domestic Korean educational content into the franchise offering.

Zaksim generates revenue through three streams: (1) franchise fees and recurring royalties from franchisees operating under the Zaksim brand, (2) direct membership and subscription revenue from company-owned (직영) locations held within the corporate entity, and (3) educational content licensing bundled into the franchise offering. The franchise model is the primary growth and distribution channel, with company-owned stores serving as operational benchmarks and proof-of-concept showrooms. Zaksim claims the industry's highest count of directly operated stores and was the first Korean study cafe brand to expand overseas (recorded 2022). Cumulative institutional investment is approximately 200億 KRW, with disclosed rounds in 2015 (Capstone Partners), 2018 (Central Investment Partners, Industrial Bank of Korea, Korea Investment Partners, KTB Network), and 2019 (Alpenroute Asset Management, Bass Investment). The corporate group also operates six sub-brands (Zaksim Design Group, Zaksim Ad, Zaksim Studio, Zaksim Office, Zaksim Lounge, Zaksim Space) covering design, advertising, workspace, lounge, and space-rental services around the core study cafe franchise.

Name

Zaksim Library

Legal name

(주)아이엔지스토리

Website

https://library.zaksim.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zaksim Library (작심) is a South Korean premium unmanned study cafe franchise brand operated by ING Story Inc., serving exam-preparation students and franchise entrepreneurs through company-owned and franchised locations powered by a proprietary kiosk SaaS and centralized monitoring system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Study Cafe Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Commons & Study Space Operations (Quiet Study, Group Rooms, Reservations) (EDAEAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Library & Learning Space Managed Operations (Circulation, Scheduling, Staffing) (EDAEALAL)

Keywords

• Premium study cafe
• Unmanned study spaces
• Study cafe franchise
• Unmanned kiosk SaaS
• Exam preparation spaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Seochon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Franchise (가맹) Fees and Royalties: Zaksim generates revenue by selling franchises to entrepreneurs who open Zaksim study cafes. Franchisees pay an initial fee and ongoing royalties in exchange for brand rights, the proprietary kiosk SaaS, operational support, educational content access, and centralized monitoring services.
2. Company-Owned (직영) Locations: Zaksim operates its own company-owned study cafe locations, generating direct revenue from membership/subscription fees paid by students and learners who use the space.
3. Educational Content Licensing: Zaksim provides access to domestic Korean educational content (including civil service exam prep, 9-grade, firefighting, and military exams) as part of the franchise offering, monetizing proprietary educational materials alongside the physical space.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zaksim Library operates a network of premium unmanned study cafes offering modular, signature-designed study rooms (Zaksim Room, Bodleian Room, Oxford Room, Cambridge Room, etc.) inspired by Oxford University's Bodleian Library, combined with curated Korean educational content for exam preparation. The business is primarily delivered through a franchise model, supplemented by company-owned (직영) locations, and is enabled by a proprietary unmanned kiosk SaaS platform and central monitoring system that allow staff-free, remotely managed operations.

Product overview

Zaksim Library (작심) operates as a multi-business ecosystem centered around its core premium unmanned study cafe brand. The flagship product, Zaksim Study Cafe, is a premium study space brand offering modular signature rooms inspired by world-renowned academic libraries. The company has expanded into related verticals including design (Zaksim Design Group), advertising (Zaksim Ad), studio services, office spaces (Zaksim Office), lounge services, and space rentals (Zaksim Space). The ecosystem is unified by proprietary technology — a self-developed unmanned kiosk SaaS system — that powers operations across all business units. Founded in 2016 by ingsstory (주아이엔지스토리), the company has grown to become Korea's leading premium study cafe brand with the most company-owned stores in the industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zaksim Study Cafe (작심스터디카페)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million students and learners have engaged with the Zaksim ecosystem.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Toz (토즈): One of the largest Korean study cafe franchise chains, operating a multi-unit branded network of premium study rooms. Directly comparable to Zaksim in franchise model, target customer (exam-prep students), and unmanned/managed operations.
• Rich Dog (리치독): Korean premium study cafe franchise chain offering private rooms and amenities to exam-prep students. Closely comparable to Zaksim's value proposition of branded, distraction-free study environments delivered through a franchise network.
• Brain City (브레인시티): Korean study cafe franchise brand targeting the same exam-preparation student segment with private rooms and 24-hour unmanned access. Comparable to Zaksim in customer base, room-based monetization, and franchise GTM.
• Gold Dog (골드독): Korean premium study cafe franchise with a comparable private-room format and brand-led positioning aimed at exam candidates. Materially overlaps with Zaksim on customer profile, physical product, and franchise-led scaling model.
• The Dog Study Cafe (더독): Korean study cafe franchise serving focused individual study use cases with branded rooms and amenities. Comparable to Zaksim in operating format and target learner demographic within the same domestic competitive set.

Broad incumbents

• Industrious: Global premium workspace operator offering paid, managed, technology-enabled private work and study spaces. Relevant as a broader incumbent in the paid focused-room / workspace category that Zaksim occupies domestically.
• WeWork: Large global coworking and flexible-office operator providing branded, technology-enabled workspaces. Relevant to Zaksim as a broad incumbent in paid, amenitized workspace/study environments, though targeting a different (working professional) segment.
• Mindspace: International premium coworking and serviced office provider with multiple locations across Europe, the US and Asia. Comparable to Zaksim at the broader category level as a branded, technology-managed workspace operator with multi-location delivery.
• JustCo: Asia-Pacific flexible workspace and coworking operator with presence across major Asian cities. Comparable in region (shared Asian footprint), physical format (branded managed workspaces) and franchise/operator-led scaling approach.

Emerging players

• StudyHall Coworking / Pause Pods Network: Smaller, niche players offering paid focused-study or individual work pods and rooms. Comparable to Zaksim's premium-room, distraction-free study concept at a smaller scale and with less brand breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@zaksim2013
• Instagraminstagram.com/zaksim_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors7 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Zaksim Library