Taming Lab Experiencing 'Rapid Revenue Growth', A Time When Funds for Growth Are Needed

AI-based Luxury Watch Recommerce 'Whattime' Dominates the Market with a Global B2B Network

Taming Lab is a startup that operates 'Whattime', a recommerce platform that assists with the entire transaction process of used luxury watches, from purchase to appraisal and repair. The team is led by CEO Yoo Ho-yeon, a watch enthusiast who has experience in original design manufacturing (ODM) watch production and even received apprenticeship training from top master watchmakers in Korea.

Whattime's biggest weapon is its internally developed 'Pricing AI'. This system collects and analyzes global luxury watch transaction data in real time to calculate the optimal purchase price reflecting market price differences by country. Through this, the company secures watches from domestic consumers at good prices and then immediately connects them to a network of over 20 professional resellers in more than four countries, including Japan, Hong Kong, the US, and China, making this business-to-business (B2B) model its main focus. It handles a wide range of products, not only limited editions and highly liquid models but also vintage and minor brands, and has secured transaction transparency and reliability by cooperating with the official entrusted appraisal office of the Incheon Customs.

Surpassing 2 Billion Won in Monthly Revenue in Just 400 Days... The Beginning of a J-Curve

Recently, Taming Lab surpassed 2 billion won in monthly revenue in just about 400 days since introducing the Pricing AI and fully launching its global B2B service, achieving 'rapid revenue growth' with formidable momentum. This is thanks to increasing the price calculation speed by more than twice compared to the previous method where professional appraisers manually researched market prices.

Looking at the financial statements, this explosive top-line growth is even more apparent. The revenue, which was less than 100 million won in 2024, soared vertically to nearly 7 billion won in 2025. These are numbers that prove their competitiveness in the purchasing process and that they are selling the purchased inventory well. In fact, peer-to-peer transactions within Whattime boast an overwhelming transaction speed and turnover rate, guaranteeing 90~105% of the market price while having a significant portion of all transactions completed within an hour.

Concerns Amid Growth... The Dilemma of a Cash Payment Structure Without Credit

However, looking behind the glamorous rapid revenue growth, one can catch a glimpse of the concerns of a distribution/commerce startup in terms of profitability and cash flow.

Even looking at 2025, when revenue approached 7 billion won, the turnover rate of purchased goods is high, but the margins are rather thin. This is because they are taking a strategy of enduring a low-margin structure to increase market share for the sake of a fast turnover rate. Because they adopt a model of acquiring good products at good prices, keeping inventory days to a minimum, and selling them as quickly as possible after purchase, the funding requirements are structurally bound to be large.

Looking at Taming Lab's statement of financial position as of the end of 2025, trade payables (accounts payable) amount to a mere 590,000 won. This reveals a business structure where, due to the nature of used products, they cannot make credit transactions when purchasing goods from individual customers or wholesalers and must pay in full with cash (or advance payments) immediately.

[Source: Whattime Website]

Additional Funding Needed for Growth

After launching the service, Taming Lab secured funds by successively attracting Seed and Pre-Series A investments from prominent investment firms such as Kakao Ventures, Mashup Ventures, 500 Global, and ZD Ventures. Looking at Taming Lab's revenue generation structure, it seems that VCs highly evaluated the fact that it is closer to a cross-border B2B brokerage platform engaging in intermediary trade utilizing market price differences between countries, rather than a general commerce business.

Ultimately, it can be inferred that Taming Lab has entered an early scale-up phase where it 'has entered a money-making phase, and if additional funds are injected in this phase, it will lead to even greater revenue'. Therefore, if they secure additional investment funds within the year to secure cash, high revenue can also be expected in 2026.

Following the Pricing AI, Taming Lab plans to successively develop an 'Appraisal AI' that automatically determines the authenticity and condition of products, aiming to build a platform that responds to large-scale transaction demand. If they successfully overcome the funding pressure dilemma of their early distribution structure, they will be able to continue their current rapid growth. We look forward to Taming Lab's continuing wonderful growth story.