A'con

A'con, operating under the name ACON3D, is a Seoul-based company founded in 2019 that functions as an online marketplace for 3D models and digital assets. The company, officially carpenstreet Inc., was co-founded by Minhong Daniel Lee and Jungsoo Julie Seo. The idea originated when Minhong, then an architecture student, recognized the vast number of high-quality 3D designs from coursework and failed project bids that were being discarded. Simultaneously, content creators in fields like webtoons and animation struggled to find the specific assets they needed. This observation led to the creation of ACON3D, combining Minhong's background in service planning with Julie Seo's expertise in marketing and business development from her time at Samsung and other IT startups.

The platform serves a dual-sided market by connecting 3D designers (sellers) with digital content creators (buyers), such as webtoon artists, game developers, and animators. For sellers, ACON3D provides a platform to monetize their 3D creations. For buyers, it offers a vast library of over 15,000 digital assets that help to significantly shorten production time and enhance the quality of their work. The business generates revenue by acting as a mail order broker for the transactions between these users. The marketplace features a diverse range of assets including 3D backgrounds, characters, objects, sound files, and software plug-ins.

A'con has successfully secured funding to fuel its growth, raising $8.35 million in a Series A round in February 2022. This round was led by investors including KB Investment, Maven Capital Partners, IMM Investment, ES Investor, and SpringCamp. The platform operates on a licensed-based model, offering different tiers such as personal and shared licenses to accommodate individual creators and teams. This structure ensures that assets can be used safely and legally in various projects, from personal fan art to commercial webcomics and games. ACON3D aims to become a central hub in the expanding digital and virtual content ecosystem, supporting a global community of creators.

Keywords: 3D model marketplace, digital assets, webtoon creation, game development assets, 3D design monetization, animation resources, carpenstreet Inc., Minhong Daniel Lee, Jungsoo Julie Seo, online 3D asset store, 3D backgrounds, character models, SketchUp models, content creator tools, creative assets, digital art marketplace, Series A funding, KB Investment, Maven Capital Partners, IMM Investment, ES Investor, SpringCamp