What The Wave does

The Wave (더웨이브컴퍼니) is a private local-content planning company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It addresses Korea's regional population decline by delivering end-to-end services — from project planning through on-site execution and operations management — to local governments, central ministries, and public institutions. Its service portfolio comprises four pillars: AI-driven ultra-personalized regional migration consulting (participant data analyzed to classify six migration types and generate customized relocation plans), AI entrepreneurship education targeting youth and regional residents, AI marketing and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) training that builds a self-sustaining marketing-expert cooperative, and bespoke regional innovation projects covering branding, culture, community, and space planning.

The company operationalizes these services through five proprietary sub-brands that act as both proof-of-concept and recurring infrastructure: 파도살롱 (PadoSalon coworking space, since 2019), 강릉살자 (Live in GANGNEUNG seasonal youth village, 2021–2025, 218+ participants, ~30% settlement rate), THE WAVE (B2B workation brand in collaboration with regional hotels, 2022–2025), 파도의 집 (Pado's home coliving for digital nomads, 2023–2025), and 이발소 편집샵 (Ibalso Select Shop local edit and retail store, 2024–2025). The flagship 강릉살자 program has been recognized with both the 2022 Gangwon Provincial Governor's Commendation and the 2023 Minister of the Interior and Safety Commendation, and operates on a documented 5-step methodology (Attract–Retain–Grow–Connect–Replicate).

Revenue is generated primarily through project-based public-sector contracts — direct negotiation (수의계약), competitive bidding (공개입찰), and subsidy programs (보조사업) — with central ministries (행정안전부, 해양수산부, 중소벤처기업부), Gangwon Province, and three city/county governments (Gangneung, Pyeongchang, Goseong), plus public corporations and one academic institution. A secondary revenue stream comes from direct membership, rental, and B2B sales at the company's coworking, coliving, workation, and retail spaces. Customers are anchored almost entirely in the Korean public sector and adjacent institutions, with limited enterprise penetration (Hanwha Life workation is the named corporate example). Operations span Gangneung (HQ), Pyeongchang (5 parallel projects including a 2026 Administrative Safety Ministry grant), and Goseong (anchor organization for a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries fishing-village revitalization consortium).

Name

The Wave

Legal name

더웨이브컴퍼니

Website

https://thewave.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Wave (더웨이브컴퍼니) is a South Korean local-content planning company founded in 2017 that helps Korean local governments and central ministries address regional population decline through AI-assisted migration consulting, youth village programs, coworking/coliving/workation spaces, and regional marketing and entrepreneurship education across Gangwon Province.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Revitalization Consulting

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Systems Strengthening (Policy, Planning, EMIS, Governance) (BPADAKAK)

Keywords

• Regional revitalization consulting
• Youth settlement programs
• Co-working space operations
• Workation program management
• Local content planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Gangneung

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Contracts & Consulting: Primary revenue stream from government contracts with ministries, provincial governments, city/county governments, and public corporations. Includes consigned project operations (수의계약), competitive bidding (공개 입찰), and subsidy programs. Revenue is project-based and episodic rather than recurring.
2. Branding & Design Services: Brand design and identity work for local governments, public institutions, and private local businesses. Includes brand naming, logo design, content strategy, and promotional materials.
3. Space Operation & Management: Operation and management of co-working spaces (파도살롱), co-living spaces (파도의 집), and branded workation spaces (THE WAVE). Revenue includes membership fees and rental income.
4. Education & Training Programs: AI entrepreneurship education programs and local content marketing training, operated under consignment contracts with universities and local governments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Wave is a South Korean local content planning company that delivers end-to-end regional revitalization services for government and public-sector clients. Its core offerings include AI-powered ultra-personalized migration consulting for youth settlement, AI-driven entrepreneurship and marketing (including AEO) education, custom regional innovation project execution, and operation of proprietary branded spaces such as co-working, co-living, workation, and local select shops in Gangwon Province.

Product overview

The Wave (더웨이브컴퍼니) is a local content planning company offering a portfolio of programs, branded spaces, and education services. Its core service offerings include 지역이주 지원 (AI-powered ultra-personalized local migration support), AI 창업 교육 (AI entrepreneurship education), AI 마케팅 (AI-driven regional marketing and AEO), and 기타 프로젝트 (custom regional innovation projects). Supporting these services are five sub-brands: 강릉살자 (seasonal youth village, 2021–2025), 더웨이브 THE WAVE (B2B workation brand, 2022–2025), 파도살롱 (coworking space, since 2019), 파도의 집 (coliving for digital nomads, 2023–2025), and 이발소 편집샵 (local select shop, 2024–2025). The company operates across Gangneung, Pyeongchang, and Goseong in Gangwon Province, South Korea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 강릉살자 (Gangneung Salja): A youth village program operated from 2021-2025 (5 seasons) that helps young people relocate and settle in Gangneung through housing, work, entrepreneurship, workation, and networking programs. Over 219 participants, 69 settlements achieved.
• 더웨이브 (THE WAVE)
• 파도살롱 (PadoSalon)
• 파도의 집 (Pado's home)
• 이발소 편집샵 (Ibalso Select Shop)
• 일로오션 (Ilro Ocean)

Products and services

• Local Migration Support (지역이주 지원) AI-driven ultra-personalized migration consulting service that analyzes participant data to classify migration types and provide customized migration plans, connecting participants with housing, jobs, content, and community resources to support youth settlement in regional areas. Targeted at local governments seeking to combat depopulation.
• AI Entrepreneurship Education (AI 창업 교육) Project-based AI-utilizing entrepreneurship education program for youth and regional residents, covering AI tool usage, business model development, and popup store market validation, delivered on consignment to universities and local governments.
• AI Marketing (AI 마케팅)

Quantifiable outcome

• 218 cumulative migration program participants, 69 confirmed settlements, ~30% settlement rate across programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• 평창군청 경제과 (Pyeongchang County Economic Affairs Division)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Key operational partner for Pyeongchang expansion. The company manages multiple simultaneous projects including workation center B2B sales, youth settlement pilot programs, and creative marketing expert training — totaling approximately 1 billion KRW in project value.
• 해양수산부 / (주)오아이 컨소시엄 (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries / OI Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Selected as the 앵커조직 (anchor organization) for the 해양수산부 어촌신활력증진사업 (Fishing Village Revitalization Program) at Bongpo Harbor in Goseong. The company leads a consortium to connect people and businesses to fishing village revitalization.
• 강원창조경제혁신센터 (Gangwon Creative Economy Innovation Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Ongoing strategic partnership with the primary regional startup/creative economy support institution in Gangwon Province. The company participates in LCA (Local Creator Acceleration) programs, co-organizes the Local Creator Conference (LCC), and receives program support. The center has supported multiple company projects and serves as a key institutional partner in the regional ecosystem.
• 강릉원주대학교 (Gangneung-Wonju National University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Academic partnership for student entrepreneurship education programs. The company operates consigned student startup education programs at the university (2019~), providing curriculum development and program delivery.
• 강릉문화재단 (Gangneung Cultural Foundation)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Cultural programming and creative economy collaboration in Gangneung. Joint programs include cultural festivals and artist residency initiatives.
• 2018평창기념재단 (2018 Pyeongchang Memorial Foundation)minorOthers · 1 January 2019Partnership related to cultural and commemorative projects in Pyeongchang, aligned with the 2018 Winter Olympics legacy.
• 강릉아트센터 (Gangneung Art Center)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Arts and culture programming partnership in Gangneung, supporting creative projects and cultural events.
• KAIST 경영대학 (KAIST Business School)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Academic-business collaboration for management expertise and regional innovation research. The company leverages KAIST's business school knowledge for regional economic development models.
• 재단법인 밴드 (Band Foundation)minorOthers · 1 January 2019Non-profit foundation engaged in social/cultural projects in the region. Nature of specific joint projects not detailed in available sources.
• 한울타리마을협동조합 (Hanultari Village Cooperative)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Village cooperative partnership contributing to rural community building and settlement support initiatives.
• 국토연구원 (Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Research collaboration on urban regeneration and regional development policy. Contributes to the company's expertise in regional revitalization methodologies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FastFive (패스트파이브): Korean coworking space operator with multiple locations across Korea. Comparable to The Wave's 파도살롱 coworking brand as a direct competitor in the Korean flexible workspace market, particularly targeting freelancers and small teams.
• Stayfolio (스테이폴리오): Korean curated unique-stay and workation platform featuring regional boutique accommodations. Highly comparable to The Wave's THE WAVE workation brand and regional tourism positioning, both targeting travelers seeking local experiences outside Seoul.
• Masil-gasil (마실가실): Korean rural experience platform connecting urban travelers with regional experiences and local creators. Closely comparable to The Wave's regional content and workation strategy, especially its 이발소 편집샵 local goods shop and creator ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global flexible workspace leader. Comparable to The Wave's 파도살롱 coworking operations as a broad incumbent in the workspace category, though operating at vastly larger scale and in major urban markets rather than regional Korea.
• Selina: Global hospitality brand combining hostels, coworking, and wellness for digital nomads. Comparable to The Wave's integrated workation/coworking/coliving model, particularly THE WAVE and 파도의 집 brands, but operating at global scale across 25+ countries.

Emerging players

• Outsite: Coliving and coworking network for remote workers with locations across multiple countries. Comparable to The Wave's 파도의 집 coliving brand and THE WAVE workation brand, with similar focus on community-driven stays for digital nomads.
• Impact Square (임팩트스퀘어): Korean impact-focused consulting and ecosystem builder for social enterprises and regional innovation. Comparable to The Wave's government consulting and regional revitalization services, both operating in the Korean social impact economy.

Regional players

• Amazing Breese (어메이징브리즈): Korean shared workspace and event space operator with strong focus on community programming. Comparable to The Wave's 파도살롱 coworking space model with emphasis on local creator community building and event-driven member engagement.
• SparkPlus (스파크플러스): Korean coworking and flexible office operator serving enterprise and SMB clients. Comparable to The Wave's 파도살롱 in the Korean coworking category, though SparkPlus focuses primarily on corporate clients rather than regional creator communities.

Others

• KAIST Impact Lab: Academic-impact research and consulting arm affiliated with KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), which is also a partner of The Wave. Comparable as an ecosystem participant bridging regional innovation research and policy execution, though operating as an academic institution rather than commercial entity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thewave.kr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 The Wave