The AI sleep healthcare company is the first sleep tech firm chosen for the South Korean government-led initiative; also, it is establishing a local base in Boston to expand US clinical collaborations.
Key takeaways:
- HoneyNaps has been selected for Korea’s 2026 Global ICT Unicorn Program, a government initiative supporting high-growth technology companies.
- The company recently expanded its US footprint by establishing a base at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Boston.
- HoneyNaps is advancing its FDA-cleared AI diagnostic solution, SOMNUM, and developing a sleep foundation model leveraging multimodal polysomnography data.
HoneyNaps, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered sleep healthcare company, has been selected for the “2026 Global ICT Unicorn Program (ICT GROWTH)” organized by Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA). HoneyNaps is the first sleep tech company selected for the government-led scale-up initiative.
The Global ICT Unicorn Program is a strategic government initiative designed to identify and support high-growth technology companies with global expansion potential. The program provides support, including overseas market expansion, investment connections, policy financing, and global networking opportunities. This year, 15 companies across advanced ICT sectors—including AI, healthcare, and data solutions—were selected.
The company was also recently selected for the “2026 Korea BioHealth Value-up Innovation Program (K-VIP)” organized by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. Through this program, HoneyNaps expanded its US presence by establishing a local base at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Kendall Square, Boston.
“Selection for the Global ICT Unicorn Program, combined with our expansion into Kendall Square, creates strong momentum for our global business growth,” says Sean Ha (Taekyoung Ha), president of HoneyNaps USA, in a release. “By combining our FDA-cleared technology, US clinical network, and government-backed scale-up support, we aim to become a leading AI sleep healthcare company representing Korea in the global market.”
HoneyNaps continues to advance its FDA-cleared AI sleep disorder diagnostic solution, SOMNUM, while expanding its integrated AI sleep healthcare ecosystem through:
- SOMNUM Pro, an on-premise AI automated scoring software optimized for hospitals and sleep clinics;
- SOMNUM Cloud, a web-based platform for large-scale sleep data analysis and interpretation; and
- SOMNUM Clinical Service, a clinical trial analysis and operational support service for pharmaceutical companies and research organizations.
The company plans to gradually expand collaborations with leading US hospitals and sleep centers while actively pursuing joint research and clinical partnerships with global pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
In parallel, the company is advancing the development of a Korean sleep foundation model (SleepFM). This model leverages multimodal polysomnography data to expand AI applications beyond sleep disorders into cardiovascular and neurological disease analysis and clinical decision support.