The '2025 Agri-food Startup Contest', hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by the Korea Agricultural Technology Promotion Agency, awarded the grand prize, the Presidential Award, to 'IO Crops', which developed an AI-based autonomous greenhouse robot. The finals and award ceremony took place on the 25th of last month at the Charlotte Hall of the Lotte Central Research Institute in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, attended by over 300 people, including judges, a public evaluation panel, and sponsors.

IO Crops, which pursues agricultural production automation through AI technology, developed the AI-based autonomous greenhouse robot 'Hermai'. Hermai performs agricultural tasks such as monitoring and controlling pests before they occur, as well as harvesting within greenhouses.

The Agri-food Startup Contest marks its 11th anniversary this year. It was first held in 2015 to discover promising entrepreneurs with excellent technology and creative ideas in the agri-food sector and to provide opportunities for promotion and investment attraction. IO Crops, which received the grand prize and KRW 50 million in prize money this year, was highly evaluated for providing smart farm solutions that automate major crops based on AI.

This year's contest saw 570 teams apply. After preliminary and main rounds, 10 teams advanced to the final stage. To enhance fairness and objectivity, the evaluation included not only experts but also a public evaluation panel.

The Prime Minister's Award for Excellence went to WizFarm (developer of AI-based Hanwoo online trading and smart auction system PocketCow). The Minister's Award for Excellence was awarded to SignalCare (developer of ProFusion, an upcycled alternative fermentation protein raw material based on eco-friendly insect protein and microbial fermentation technology) and TopoLab (mass production of high-value-added medical cannabis CBD using plant cell culture technology). The Special Award (Youth Frontier Award) was given to Reharvest (developer of Renery Powder, an alternative raw material through carbon-neutral eco-friendly upcycling), and the Encouragement Award (Director's Award) was given to DeepPlant (developer of DeepAging system enhancing meat taste and quality with AI analysis and innovative technology), DaramDareum (producer and supplier of agri-food with health functional additives and infused flavors and aromas), Solboom (developer of eco-friendly pest control solution using mass production liquid culture technology of insect pathogenic fungi), FutureSense (provider of Food4Chain, a system offering inventory and loss rate management and food traceability solutions for the food industry’s digital transformation), and Ypet (developer of an implantable chip and healthcare platform for pets that measures health indicators like temperature with a single scan). A total of KRW 1.2 billion in prize money was awarded to the winning companies.

Kim Jung-wook, Director of the Agri-food Innovation Policy Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "The government will spare no effort in policy support, such as startup support, regulatory improvement, investment, and market access support, to ensure that startup companies can grow stably and advance into the global market."

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