Catchflow

What Catchflow does

Catchflow Inc. (주식회사 캐치플로우) is a South Korean directional speaker company incorporated in June 2018 as a spin-off from Samsung Electronics' C-Lab program (Spin-off No. 33). The company designs and manufactures the S-Ray product family — six ultrasonic speaker variants (SRAY-S, O, D, N, H, P) built on proprietary DSP technology and spatial acoustic simulation that modulate audio at 40 kHz to deliver focused sound beams within ±12-15° directionality. Target use cases include voice phishing prevention at Japanese police departments and municipal offices (Tokyo, Saitama, Miyagi), ATM fraud deterrence at banks and credit unions (Joho Credit Bank, Shikoku 114 Bank), highway and public-space audio through Japan Road Corporation (via Sehwa Electric), and personal assistive audio for hearing-impaired users (SRAY-N neckband form factor).

Catchflow operates a hardware-led B2B and B2G sales motion. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of proprietary S-Ray units to government agencies, financial institutions, and infrastructure operators, with pricing not publicly disclosed and quotes negotiated on a project basis. Distribution into Japan combines direct enterprise/government sales with consumer and SMB sales via the Rakuten e-commerce channel. The company also benefits from non-dilutive support through Korean government-backed R&D and accelerator programs, including TIPS (2019, 2021), IBK창공 (2020, 2021), Seoul Innovation Challenge (2024), and the Startup Growth Technology Development Project (December 2024 AI camera fusion product completion).

The company is venture-backed through three disclosed rounds — Samsung Venture Investment (seed, July 2018), ZER01NE/L&S Venture Capital (May 2019), and CNT Tech with the IBK창공 비상 1호 consortium (February 2021), plus a subsequent corporate investment from CNT Tech (March 2023). It maintains dual offices in Yangju (headquarters, relocated March 2025) and Seoul (Gasan digital complex branch), operates with 1-10 employees, and has not publicly disclosed revenue. Its primary geography is Japan, with continued deployment expansion across Japanese prefectures through 2025-2026.

Name

Catchflow

Legal name

Catchflow Inc. (주식회사 캐치플로우)

Website

https://catchflow.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catchflow is a South Korean directional speaker company that develops the S-Ray line of ultrasonic audio hardware using proprietary DSP and spatial acoustic simulation, serving Japanese police, municipal governments, financial institutions, and smart city infrastructure operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Directional Audio Hardware

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (334310)

SIC

Household Audio & Video Equipment (3651)

akta.pro primary industry

Bluetooth & Portable Speakers (CRACANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audible-Visual Alarms & Notification Devices (Sounders, horns, siren/strobe combos for industrial use) (IMAGAIAF), Hearables (True Wireless Earbuds & Smart Headphones) (CRACAIAD)

Keywords

• Directional speakers
• Ultra-directional audio
• Acoustic simulation technology
• Ultrasonic speaker systems
• Smart city audio hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Seocho

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Directional Speakers: Sale of proprietary S-Ray directional speaker products including SRAY-S (world's smallest), SRAY-O (high-power), SRAY-D (close-range focused), SRAY-N (neckband for hearing impaired), SRAY-H (smart city high-power), and SRAY-P (portable personal). Products sold directly to government agencies, financial institutions, and smart city operators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Catchflow designs, manufactures, and sells the S-Ray line of ultrasonic directional speakers that deliver focused sound beams within ±12-15° directionality. Products span personal wearables (SRAY-N neckband for hearing impaired), compact desktop units (SRAY-S), high-output outdoor and smart city models (SRAY-O, SRAY-H), and short-range focused units (SRAY-D, SRAY-P), sold primarily to government agencies, financial institutions, and smart city infrastructure operators.

Product overview

Catchflow offers a portfolio of ultra-directional speaker products under the S-Ray brand line, all built on proprietary DSP technology and spatial audio simulation. The product family spans six distinct models: SRAY-S (CF-100), the world's smallest ultra-directional speaker for desktop and counter use; SRAY-O, a high-output model for outdoor and highway installations; SRAY-D, a low-power short-range focused speaker for concentrated audio zones; SRAY-N, a neckband wearable for hearing-impaired individuals; SRAY-H, a high-output smart city infrastructure speaker; and SRAY-P, a personal portable model. The portfolio is complemented by Sound Pointer, a high-precision information delivery solution combining proprietary DSP and spatial audio simulation. Catchflow operates as a pure hardware product company with no public API offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• S-Ray: Line of directional speakers including SRAY-S (world's smallest ultra-directional speaker), SRAY-O (high-power special purpose), SRAY-D (low-power close-range), SRAY-N (neckband for hearing impaired), SRAY-H (smart city high-power), and SRAY-P (personal portable) models
• Sound Pointer

Products and services

• SRAY-S (CF-100) Ultra-Directional Speaker World's smallest ultra-directional speaker (114.52 x 104 x 20.5 mm, 272 g) delivering up to 93 dB at 0.5 m with ±12° beam angle, supporting Bluetooth 4.2, Aux, and Micro SD playback (MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC). Designed for counter, kiosk, and personal audio zone applications.
• SRAY-O High-Output Directional Speaker Special-purpose high-output directional speaker (180 x 130 x 35 mm, 232 g) delivering 85 dB at 20 m with ±12° beam angle, with Aux, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi, and Micro SD support. Designed for outdoor and large-space installations such as highways.
• SRAY-D Short-Range Focused Directional Speaker Low-output short-range focused directional speaker (147 x 200 x 43 mm, 380 g) delivering up to 93 dB at 0.5 m with ±12° beam angle, powered via USB PD 20V/1.5A (35 W max / 10 W avg). Supports Aux and Micro SD (MP3, WAV). Designed for concentrated near-field audio zones.
• SRAY-N Neckband Directional Speaker Neckband-style directional speaker (175 x 195 x 43 mm, 272 g) for hearing-impaired users, delivering 90 dB at 0.5 m with ±12° beam angle. Bluetooth connectivity and a 6800 mAh built-in battery support personal audio assistance.
• SRAY-H Smart City High-Output Directional Speaker High-output directional speaker for smart city deployments (195 x 150 x 75 mm, 272 g) delivering 85 dB at 20 m with ±12° beam angle. Features Aux, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi, and Micro SD support. Designed for infrastructure and public-space installations.
• SRAY-P Personal Portable Directional Speaker

Quantifiable outcome

• World's smallest directional speaker (114.52 x 104 x 20.5 mm, 272g)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sehwa ElectriccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023NDA signed for highway directional speaker co-development with Japan Road Corporation. Sehwa Electric serves as development and implementation partner for infrastructure-scale directional audio systems.
• Global Alliance (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic partnership alliance established in Japan to support market expansion and deployment of directional speaker solutions for fraud prevention and smart city applications.
• RakutenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2020Mass-produced SRAY products exported to Japan through Rakuten e-commerce platform for consumer and SMB sales.
• ZER01NE x M.START AcceleratorminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2019Selected for ZER01NE x M.START accelerator program operated by Hyundai and Hyundai Mobis, providing mentorship, resources, and potential strategic partnerships.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Focusonics: UK-based directional sound speaker developer selling focused-beam emitters for retail, museums, and digital signage — a close technology and use-case analog to Catchflow's SRAY-D/SRAY-O deployments.
• HyperSound (Turtle Beach): Ultrasonic directional audio technology originally commercialized for personal listening and retail signage, directly comparable to Catchflow's ultra-directional approach to targeted audio delivery.
• Holosonics: US pioneer of parametric/directional audio with its Audio Spotlight product line, the most established commercial competitor in the focused-beam speaker category that Catchflow's S-Ray line directly competes against.

Broad incumbents

• Bose: Global audio equipment incumbent with substantial R&D and channel reach; relevant as a broad incumbent that could move into the directional/anti-noise-pollution niche where Catchflow operates.
• Sennheiser: Established professional and consumer audio brand with deep channel partnerships; comparable as a broad incumbent in audio equipment that could contest the directional-speaker category.
• Sony: Major consumer audio and electronics incumbent with global retail reach; comparable as a broader incumbent in the audio hardware space surrounding Catchflow's directional speaker category.
• Panasonic: Large Japanese electronics and audio player with prior investments in directional/beam-forming audio research; relevant both as an incumbent peer and as a potential acquirer of Catchflow given its Japanese smart-city presence.
• JBL (Harman International): Harman-owned consumer and professional audio brand with strong retail and venue-installation distribution; relevant as a broad incumbent competing for adjacent directional and venue-audio installations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@catchflow-top
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sray.sns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catchflow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 Catchflow