It comes as companies seek to position themselves for longer-term tech trends, he said. For its part, Zepeto — which is backed by South Korea's internet service provider Naver — has seen increased demand from corporate partners this year, said Lee. There are around 100 companies currently using the platform to promote their brands to its 200 million-strong user base, he added. "When these people are investing in the metaverse via us, they're doing so not with a six-month or a one year outlook. They're looking to have their presence here for the long term," he said. In particular, corporate partners view Zepeto as a means of targeting Gen Z consumers. The six to 24-year-old cohort account for more than 80% of those users who create personalized characters and pay for virtual tokens on the platform, said Lee.