Liner secures $36.1 million tobring its evidence-first AI search to corporate clients.

      TL;DR: Liner has secured $36.1 million in Series C funding led by LB Investment, bringing its total funding to $64.3 million. The South Korean AI search startup boasts 14 million registered users across 220 countries and achieved a score of 95.3 on OpenAI’s SimpleQA benchmark. Liner is focusing on integrating its technology into enterprises, notably through HUMAIN ONE, the Saudi government-backed AI platform, instead of developing new foundational models.

      Liner, an AI search startup from South Korea, has raised $36.1 million in a Series C funding round as it aims to transition its widely-used consumer research platform into an enterprise AI venture. Led by LB Investment, the funding round also included returning investors such as InterVest, Atinum Investment, and CJ Investment, as well as new participants like Korea Development Bank, KB Securities, Daishin Securities, STIC Ventures, and Helios Private Equity. This round brings Liner's total capital raised to around $64.3 million.

      The investment is predicated on the belief that the citation-supported search and retrieval technology used in Liner's consumer offerings can also attract corporate and governmental clients seeking verifiable AI-generated responses. Established in South Korea and led by CEO Luke Kim, Liner initially served as a tool for highlighting and organizing web information before transitioning into an AI research assistant. Since its last funding round 22 months ago, Liner has broadened its product lineup and started expanding its B2B offerings with specialized services. Its current range includes Liner Scholar for academia, Liner Write for business users, and Liner Finance for investment research.

      Liner operates as a global AI research company, with its main office in Seoul, South Korea, and a U.S. office in San Francisco. It currently boasts 14 million registered users in 220 countries and territories. According to Similarweb, Liner ranked 30th worldwide for AI service web traffic as of late July 2026, outpacing several more recognized AI brands. Additionally, it has been featured in four consecutive editions of Andreessen Horowitz’s list of foremost consumer generative AI products since 2024.

      This consumer reach could set Liner apart in a market that is increasingly scrutinizing AI offerings. Unlike firms focused on developing new foundational models, Liner emphasizes the layer connecting user inquiries to AI-generated answers, prioritizing the identification of relevant sources and ensuring responses are supported by verifiable evidence.

      The recent funding round comes at a time when investors are seeking more than just user growth and benchmark scores from AI companies. Liner does not develop new foundational models but rather centers on sourcing relevant materials to support AI responses. This focus is crucial, as generative AI systems can sometimes yield inaccurate or unsupported information, which can have serious implications for financial decisions or government policies. Liner claims its system scored 95.3 on OpenAI’s SimpleQA benchmark, outpacing GPT-4 in generating search responses.

      However, achieving a high score on a benchmark for factual questions alone does not confirm enterprise readiness. A more significant indicator of Liner’s objectives is its initial commercial application. Liner's AI search technology has been integrated into HUMAIN ONE, an enterprise platform from the AI company HUMAIN, which is backed by the Saudi Arabian government. Liner asserts it secured this engagement after being benchmarked against various global technology providers. This integration into HUMAIN ONE represents a crucial deployment in an environment where managing data quality, source credibility, and explainability is essential.

      The HUMAIN collaboration showcases the B2B business model that Liner aspires to expand. While consumer AI solutions are rapidly gaining traction, they do not guarantee ongoing revenue due to the availability of numerous free alternatives. Contracts with enterprises offer larger and more stable revenue streams. However, Liner must demonstrate its technology can fulfill expectations concerning integration reliability, privacy, and support.

      Liner intends to utilize the Series C funding to enhance R&D and infrastructure, recruit talent globally, and expand its enterprise business within South Korea and beyond. The new emphasis on B2B sales does not imply a retreat from its B2C beginnings, as Liner plans to enhance the monetization of its consumer products.

      "This investment is not just about broadening our reach," Kim stated in a press release. "It establishes a strategic foundation to ensure world-class infrastructure and attract top global talent, both of which are crucial for establishing reliability, the cornerstone of any AI agent."

      Liner's upcoming challenge will be to convert its reliability narrative into consistent enterprise sales. Its consumer footprint, citation-focused product design, and the HUMAIN deployment provide concrete evidence to support this enterprise appeal. The Series C funding equips Liner with the necessary resources to determine if these assets can coalesce into a sustainable global AI business.