GRETA is a faculty startup based on long-term research in synthetic data technology by a professor from Yonsei University Department of Applied Statistics. The company develops measures to utilize data without concern for data breaches and creates solutions that can be applied across various industries. The company was founded in November 2021 by co-CEOs Hyun Tae Kim and Jongho Im.
GRETA is currently conducting an AI-applied project for synthesizing virtual personas called SynPersona with Kyobo Life Insurance. The main point of the project is that it uses real information from company data, national statistics, and public data to show the true variety of individual traits instead of just making up random data.
For instance, SynPersona adjusts the average monthly income of virtual individuals to match the actual regional income levels from Statistics Korea data. These virtual personas have profiles that are highly similar to real customers and encompass diverse attributes, such as gender, age, smoking status, income, consumption tendencies, and socio-cultural background. This allows companies and institutions to simulate responses from real customers. Based on the results, they can more safely and efficiently predict policy effectiveness, conduct feasibility studies for new businesses, and establish customized marketing strategies.
SynPersona’s core value lies in its ability to balance realism and safety. It is sophisticated enough to mimic real data, yet it contains absolutely no personal information, thus eliminating the risk of leaks. Therefore, SynPersona provides an analytical environment that is similar to handling real data while complying with privacy regulations. Furthermore, SynPersona can be used as a new tool for advancing data-driven decision-making in innovative ways, moving beyond simple statistical analysis and customer segmentation techniques.
“Traditional personas were primarily created using internal customer data. While this approach can help analyze internal data, it is limited in its ability to create new economic value. This is due to the target group’s traits differing from the internal customer data and missing information. Because of these limitations, traditional personas cannot fully explain actual customer behavior.” (CEO Hyun Tae Kim)
SynPersona leverages GRETA’s synthetic data technology and utilizes national statistics and public data to create more sophisticated persona data than traditional methods. What sets SynPersona apart is its ability to minimize the risk of disclosing personal information while possessing characteristics similar to those of real customers. Furthermore, GRETA provides solutions that are not just technical demonstrations but are ready for immediate use by real companies and institutions. These solutions are based on data, statistics, and analytical capabilities accumulated through extensive academic research and proven experience across diverse industries. SynPersona’s greatest competitive advantage lies in its ability to simultaneously achieve realistic data utilization and privacy protection.
GRETA is structured around two co-CEOs who are professors in the Department of Applied Statistics at Yonsei University. The company comprises a data science team, a development team, and a management support team. Each team collaborates based on its academic expertise in synthetic data generation and evaluation, algorithm development, and so on. The co-CEOs conduct R&D alongside their graduate students, depending on the project’s characteristics. Furthermore, advice from multiple professors enhances both technical depth and industrial applicability.
Regarding future plans, Im stated, “We are currently preparing two services: one centered on corporate data and another based on the previously introduced individual (‘persona’) data.” He added, “In the short term, our most important goal is to successfully launch these two services and establish a stable revenue structure through continuous customer acquisition.”
Founded: November 2021
Main business: synthetic data solution development and statistical/data consulting
Achievements: Conducting Phase 1 research on mobility simulation data application plan for Korea Expressway Corporation; Selected for NICE Open Innovation; Sold synthetic data solutions for clinical trials to SYMYOO Co., Ltd.; Selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups Startup Scale-Up Package in 2025; Selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups Early-Stage Startup Package in 2023; Received an excellence award at the KISA Personal Information Protection and Utilization Startup Challenge Competition in 2024
reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com
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