Life 4 Cut

What Life 4 Cut does

Life 4 Cut (인생네컷) is a South Korean self-photo studio brand operated by LK Ventures Co., Ltd. (주식회사 엘케이벤처스), a private corporation headquartered in Mokpo with a Seoul office in Gangnam. Founded in 2017, the company has scaled to over 200 physical studio locations across all major regions of South Korea — Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Jeju — through a hybrid model of directly operated stores and franchise partner locations. Customers use self-service photo booths to capture four-photo strip sessions with themed frames, including licensed IP collaborations with Disney, Netflix's Squid Game, LINE Friends, Pokemon, Marvel, Warner Bros, and dozens of Korean character brands.

The core technology is a self-photo booth system combining digital frame selection, photo capture, and printing hardware with a companion mobile application for iOS and Android. The mobile app, launched in 2021 alongside a QR code photo delivery system, enables digital photo reception, cloud storage (the 'Story' feature), stamp-based loyalty rewards, event participation, and remote studio control. User authentication is supported via OAuth login through Google, Naver, Kakao, and Facebook. No public API, SDK, or AI/ML capabilities are documented.

Life 4 Cut operates a direct-to-consumer revenue model across three primary streams: per-session photo booth transactions, branded merchandise sales (binder albums, keyrings, collectible books, and collaborative IP products) through an integrated e-commerce Goods Shop, and franchise fees from partner store operators. Merchandise price points range from approximately 1,900 KRW to 18,000 KRW, while per-session pricing varies by location and is not publicly disclosed. The company maintains active marketing channels across Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, with the mobile app serving as a retention and re-engagement layer. In December 2025, the company received a strategic investment from Haimaru Company into operating entity LK Ventures and announced a partnership to develop an integrated online and offline influencer growth ecosystem, with the first project being the 'Influencer Battle' on TikTok.

Name

Life 4 Cut

Legal name

주식회사 엘케이벤쳐스

Website

https://lifefourcuts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Life 4 Cut is a South Korean self-photo studio brand operating 200+ locations nationwide, offering themed four-photo strip sessions with IP collaborations (Disney, Squid Game, LINE Friends) and a companion mobile app for digital storage and loyalty rewards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mokpo

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Photo Studio Sessions: Revenue from photo booth sessions at physical studio locations. Customers pay per photo session to take and print photos using themed frames.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded goods including photo albums, keyrings, collectible books, and collaborative merchandise with IP partners like Squid Game and Mukbungsoye (무궁화소녀)
3. Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise partnerships with independent store operators using the Life 4 Cut brand

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Life 4 Cut operates self-service photo booth studios across South Korea where customers take themed four-photo strip (4-cut) sessions using branded booths and a library of IP-licensed frames. The in-studio experience is paired with a companion iOS/Android mobile app that delivers photos via QR code, stores them in the cloud, and supports a stamp-based loyalty program. The company also runs a merchandise e-commerce shop selling branded goods such as binder albums, keyrings, and IP-licensed collectibles, and licenses its brand through a franchise network of partner-operated studios.

Product overview

Life 4 Cut operates a chain of self-photo studio (photo booth) locations across South Korea, offering customers themed four-photo strip sessions in proprietary branded booths. The core offering is the physical photo studio experience (인생네컷), augmented by a companion mobile app that enables QR-code-based photo delivery, cloud photo storage ('Story'), stamp-based loyalty rewards, and event participation. The company also runs a merchandise e-commerce shop selling branded goods (binder albums, keyrings, collectible books) featuring IP collaborations with Disney, Squid Game, Line Friends, and other franchises. The product portfolio includes the core studio service, the mobile app, the QR delivery system, a frame customization/gallery feature, and a goods shop — all tied together by a membership system supporting OAuth login via Google, Naver, Kakao, and Facebook.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life 4 Cut Self-Photo Studio Service (인생네컷)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and significant.

• LK VenturescoreOthers · 31 December 2025LK Ventures is the operating company behind the Life 4 Cut global self-photo studio brand. Haimaru Company made a strategic investment in LK Ventures and formed a business partnership to develop an integrated online and offline influencer growth ecosystem.
• DisneysignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisney-themed photo frames available at Life 4 Cut studios, part of intellectual property collaboration for themed photo experiences
• LINE FriendssignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerLINE Friends-themed photo frames and merchandise available, IP collaboration partner
• Squid Game (Netflix)significantStrategic or Co-development PartnerSquid Game collaboration merchandise and frames, including keyrings and collectible books

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Photoism (포토이즘): Largest direct competitor in the Korean self-photo studio category, offering themed 4-cut sessions with IP collaborations, mobile app, and a similar nationwide store footprint. Operates as the closest head-to-head competitor to Life 4 Cut on concept, pricing, and customer demographics.
• Photomatic (포토매틱): Korean self-photo studio operator offering themed photo sessions with similar frame-collaboration mechanics. Targets the same Korean consumer demographic with overlapping product features and pricing.
• Mintmon Studio (민트몬스튜디오): Korean themed self-photo studio chain with similar frame-gallery concept and youth-focused branding. Directly competes with Life 4 Cut for the friend/couple/date customer cohort in Korea's major metropolitan areas.
• Photo Signature (포토시그니처): Korean self-photo studio chain with comparable 4-cut session format, themed frames, and franchise-style expansion. Targets the same young-adult and friend/couple customer segments as Life 4 Cut and competes for the same foot traffic in major Korean cities.
• Haru Film (하루필름): Korean self-photo studio brand offering themed 4-cut and multi-cut photo experiences with branded frames and an app-based photo delivery model. Comparable on product format, target demographic, and digital-physical hybrid customer experience.

Others

• FotoMaster: Photo booth equipment manufacturer and supplier serving photo booth operators globally. Adjacent to Life 4 Cut as an infrastructure provider in the broader self-photo and photo booth ecosystem, rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Prontophot: European photo studio chain with hundreds of locations focused on ID, passport, and consumer photo services. Comparable on multi-location retail photography operations but overlaps less on the themed/IP-driven 4-cut experience.
• Selfie WRLD: US-based self-photo and selfie experience studio chain with multiple themed rooms and props. Comparable on the self-service themed photo experience concept and franchised expansion model, but operates in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/life4cutsph
• YouTubeyoutube.com/life4cut
• Facebookfacebook.com/lifefourcuts
• Instagraminstagram.com/life4cuts_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Life 4 Cut