Mentat

Based in South Korea, Mentat provides a licensing platform tailored for book publishers and AI companies, allowing seamless access to book data for training AI models while ensuring copyright protection. Mentat was founded in 2025 in Seoul, South Korea, offering a platform that connects book publishers with AI firms for licensing book data. In May 2026, Mentat raised KRW 1. 1 billion in seed funding led by new investor Collaborative Fund, with participation from other new investors Krypton and HonestAI.

The core product facilitates AI training data licensing and citation/reference licensing, allowing publishers to monetize their existing book catalogs without upfront costs. Through this platform, publishers can securely license their works for AI model training, enabling AI companies to access high-quality data while ensuring copyright protection through encryption and controlled access. The service addresses the growing demand for book data in various genres, particularly non-fiction, and is geared toward enhancing revenue streams for publishers in global markets such as North America, Europe, and Asia. Clients primarily include traditional book publishers ranging from trade to academic publishers, who utilize Mentat’s platform to capitalize on the increasing value of their content in the AI landscape.

Mentat operates on a revenue-sharing model that allows publishers to earn income from their licensed content. Revenue is generated through two main channels: AI training data licensing and citation/reference licensing. For example, in a typical transaction, a publisher may license a specific title to an AI company for model training, receiving a lump sum payment or recurring payments structured according to the licensing agreement. Additionally, every citation of the publisher's works by AI applications generates revenue, which is transparently tracked through Mentat's dashboard.

The pricing structure can vary, including arrangements such as a KRW 5,000,000 per title fee for training licenses and revenue sharing based on citation counts, with a focus on creating sustainable income streams for publishers through both upfront and ongoing payments. The company is working on new features aimed at improving user experience and facilitating more efficient licensing processes. Furthermore, Mentat aims to penetrate additional markets in Europe and North America by mid-2026, focusing on establishing partnerships with a broader range of publishers and AI companies.