– Funding conducted by Wadi's MD recommendation, final 224% achieved
– 2025 KOICA Humanitarian Assistance Innovation Incubation Support Project Selection, Seeking Breakthrough Targeting Disaster Market
– Restoring human dignity and developing a system to continuously provide water resources in disaster situations
“Why do people with limited mobility have to sit on the toilet to do their business? It’s very uncomfortable for the users and sometimes even embarrassing.”
Park Yeon-ok, an inside director of Nuriai Co., Ltd. (CEO: Lee Ro-sa, hereinafter: Nuriai), pointed out the following problems with existing portable toilets: Fundamentally, portable urinals have the potential to infringe on human dignity.
In fact, while doing volunteer work at centers for the disabled and nursing homes, CEO Lee discovered the problem of users of portable urinals complaining of difficulties in using the urinals due to inconvenient movements. Director Park thought that the system was created from the perspective of the helper, not the user, and founded Nuriai in 2022, developing and launching “My Own Micro Toilet,” a portable urinal, in 2024.
■ Idea recognition and business start-up from a startup support organization
Nuriai came up with the idea of allowing users to urinate without moving using a urinal and a stool. In order to verify the marketability of the actual idea, they participated in the Gwangju Metropolitan City Citizen Invention Idea Contest, Social Venture Idea Contest, etc., and won the gold and excellence awards, verifying the marketability of the idea. Thanks to these experiences, they were able to go from research and development to product production in just one year after starting their business.
■ Frustration with the market and the development of new markets
After developing the prototype, we attended events for the disabled, nursing homes, and senior citizens to promote the product and listen to customer feedback. However, contrary to our expectations, customers were either uninterested or reluctant to use portable urinals. In this situation, we had the opportunity to exhibit at exhibitions in the US and Japan, so we attended and held meetings with many buyers. In Japan, we signed an MOU with buyers regarding their intent to purchase the product. We also conducted a Wadiz funding campaign and achieved a funding rate of 224%.
Nuriai expanded its business area when it was selected for the KOICA Humanitarian Aid Innovation Incubation Support Project in January 2025. Through this support project, it was confirmed that the marketability of portable urinals was certain after gathering opinions from experts at the site of the 2023 Turkiye-Syria earthquake disaster. In February 2025, it also achieved the result of supplying them to Dong-gu Office in Gwangju Metropolitan City.
■ Creating new value with portable urinals
Nuria plans to develop technology that allows urine collected from portable urinals to be reused as drinking water and liquid fertilizer that can be used as fertilizer for crops after a disaster. It also aims to launch a medical portable urinal in the second half of next year.
Park Yeon-ok, executive director, explained the necessity of portable urinals in disaster situations, saying, “In disaster situations, public security becomes vulnerable and women are exposed to danger,” and “Through the use of portable urinals, women will be able to be free from the risk of various accidents.”
■ “We will lead the market as a small but strong manufacturing company with a social vision.”
Disasters such as the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake, and the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum in 2023 occur suddenly, so thorough preparation for relief supplies resources is necessary. Accordingly, Nuriai has confirmed the expandability of the disaster market and the potential for advancement as a medical device, and as a prospective social enterprise, its goal is to grow into a company that can conduct business while also adding social value. With real social value and a desire to proceed with business, it has succeeded in discovering markets and generating sales. It is expected to establish itself as a representative social manufacturing company in the region through further growth in the future.
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