Upstage
Upstage develops AI-powered document processing and large language model solutions for enterprises, with its Solar LLM targeting cost-effective AI applications. The company has raised $705M in funding and employs 249 people.
The growth story
Upstage grew from 67 to 249 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $705M along the way, most recently a Series D in May 2026.
About
Upstage sells AI software that automates document processing using OCR technology and provides enterprise-grade large language models. Its products aim to improve work efficiency by handling complex document tasks and offering AI solutions tailored for business use cases.
The company has secured $705M in funding, including a Series D round in 2026, with backing from major investors like AMD, Amazon Web Services, and Hyundai Motor Company. With 249 employees, Upstage has built a substantial workforce focused on delivering its AI-powered enterprise solutions.
Founders and leadership
Engineering is Upstage's largest function, accounting for 52 employees. The company has a median employee tenure of 2 years, indicating a relatively young and dynamic workforce.
The Upstage org chart
Sung Kim (Co-Founder, CEO) leads 58 mapped leaders with 5 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 84 (+24% YoY), Media and Communication 20 (+18% YoY), Information Technology 19 (+36% YoY), Business Development 17 (+21% YoY), Program and Project Management 13 (+86% YoY), Education 12 (+50% YoY).
Talent flow
Upstage recruits heavily from Korean tech firms, with NAVER, Kakao, and Kakao Enterprise being top talent sources. Alumni frequently move to major tech companies like Amazon Web Services, NAVER Cloud, and Meta.
Most common previous employers of Upstage staff: NAVER (21), Kakao (9), 카카오엔터프라이즈 (Kakao Enterprise) (9), IBM (5), Amazon Web Services (AWS) (5), Boston Consulting Group (BCG) (5). Former Upstage employees most often moved to Amazon Web Services (AWS) (5), NAVER Cloud (4), Meta (3), NAVER (3), Toss (2), TwelveLabs (2).
Alumni worth knowing
The Upstage mafia
Upstage alumni have founded 6 companies, including PoPoKii, One Jump, and OOJU. These startups typically have small teams, with PoPoKii employing 5 staff and One Jump employing 4.
6Juhyeong Kim, was VP, AI Biz Development and Sales until 2022Jessup Jong, was Machine Learning Engineer until 2023Juhyun Park, was Product Manager until 2023wonguk jung, was Teach Leader until 2025Jonghwan Moon, was Analyst until 2022Galina Fendikevich, was Head of US GTM until 2026Web traffic
Traffic mix: 49% direct, 34% search, 4% social, 0% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Upstage: Python (Programming Language) (63), Machine Learning (46), Artificial Intelligence (AI) (37), Data Analysis (30), Project Management (25), Natural Language Processing (NLP) (25), C++ (21), Java (19).
Where the team actually sits
Upstage people are concentrated in Seoul, South Korea (63), South Korea (36), Gyeonggi, South Korea (14), Seoul Incheon Metropolitan Area (11). 2 offices on record.
Search footprint
Upstage attracts about 1,037 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $1K a month if bought through ads. It gained 48 ranking keywords and lost 43 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 2.90 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.90 / 5
- Senior management
- 2.00 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 1.60 / 5
Frequently asked
Upstage has 249 employees as of September 2026.
Upstage has raised $705M in total, most recently a Series D round in May 2026.
Upstage was founded in 2020 by Sung Kim.
Sung Kim (Co-Founder, CEO) sits at the top of Upstage's reporting structure, with 5 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Upstage staff are NAVER (21 people), Kakao (9 people), 카카오엔터프라이즈 (Kakao Enterprise) (9 people).
Former Upstage employees most often move to Amazon Web Services (AWS) (5), NAVER Cloud (4), Meta (3).
At least 6 companies have a founder who previously worked at Upstage, including PoPoKii, One Jump, OOJU.
Upstage attracts about 1,037 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $1K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Upstage staff are Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analysis, Project Management.
Upstage staff are concentrated in Seoul, South Korea (63), South Korea (36), Gyeonggi, South Korea (14).
Upstage has about 84 people in Engineering, up 24% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Upstage has about 20 people in Media and Communication, up 18% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 146 current and 137 former Upstage profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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