On August 30, 2024, GroundK announced its growth vision, Innovating Mobility for ASIA, built on two strategies: expanding its service footprint and targeting the digital-transformation sector. The plan pairs the launch of a global service site (groundk.com) with the supply of its B2B mobility solution, T-RiseUp, across Asia and the Middle East.
Who ran the fleet of 500 vehicles?
This past June, 500 sedans and vans stood in formation at KINTEX in Goyang. Washed, fitted with national flags and plates, every vehicle was prepared to move dignitaries and delegates for the Korea-Africa Summit. The company that secured and operated that fleet was GroundK.
Founded in 2016, GroundK specializes in motorcade and protocol transport for large government events. Beyond the Korea-Africa Summit, the team delivered operations for the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan and the Bank of Korea International Conference, and took part in projects such as the Audi Summer Tour 2024 marking the visit of Bayern Munich, and a Seoul event for the luxury brand BVLGARI. Building on the trust earned through years of VIP protocol work for securities and card companies, and adding its own IT capability for service management, GroundK has established itself as an essential partner in transport and protocol.
What does the Innovating Mobility for ASIA vision contain?
On August 30, GroundK presented its growth vision, Innovating Mobility for ASIA, together with the core strategies behind it. Reflecting the team's drive to scale up abroad, the announcement set out two main directions.
The first is expanding the service footprint. To capture both the outbound business travel and inbound demand that have grown sharply since the pandemic, GroundK plans to reach beyond Korea into markets worldwide. The team aims to consolidate the ground-travel infrastructure it has secured across Asia, then create synergy with partners in Europe and North America.
What changes with the global service site?
The most tangible change for customers is the launch of a global service site, groundk.com. Introducing GroundK's overseas services, the site will be developed so that customers can book overseas vehicle services directly. Rather than reserving vehicles country by country, a customer will be able to book every mode of travel, from cars to flights, in one place, from home in Korea all the way to an overseas destination.
How will GroundK address Asia's digital-transformation demand?
The second strategy is active outreach in the digital-transformation sector. GroundK develops and operates T-RiseUp, a B2B solution for transport operators and other mobility providers. Against initial expectations, recent demand has come from resorts, casinos, and other facilities that provide vehicles to tourists.
Similar solutions already exist, but most offer only fragmentary features in English. T-RiseUp, by contrast, brings the complex information of drivers, vehicles, and services into a single channel available in the user's preferred language, drawing a positive response across an Asia where English use is limited. With its own technology organization, GroundK can also undertake system integration (SI) projects when clients require them. The company's strategy is to generate stable, high-value returns alongside solution supply across Asia and the Middle East.
How will GroundK grow alongside local governments in Korea?
GroundK also signaled strong interest in the domestic market. Its goal of continuously developing future revenue streams is reflected in the Tourism Taxi Solution and the City Tour / Shuttle Solution, both recently launched for local governments.
"To grow from a startup into a solid mid-sized company, you have to build a pivot strategy and realize scale-up. We will pursue global expansion, but we also want to grow together with local governments by bringing digital transformation to the tourism-transport challenges they face." — Jang Dong-won, CEO of GroundK
Jang added that he was looking forward to the year-end even more, noting that GroundK would take part in a major sports awards event in October. "I want to carry our commitment to grow with substance into next year as well," he said.
