Promising Start-ups of Food-Tech and Agri-Tech Industries Gathered in One Place! Agri & Food Tech Start-up Rising Expo 2023 (AFRO 2023) Begins in COEX

    LOS ANGELES, CA, July 28, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On the July 26th, the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency (KATPA), led by Director Ahn Ho-Geun, held the '2023 Agri & Food Tech Start-up Rising Expo (AFRO 2023)' at COEX (Hall A) in Seoul.

Organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and hosted by KATPA, NH Nonghyup, COEX, and the Korea Food-Tech Association, the expo aimed to support promising agri-tech and food-tech start-ups to leap from Unicorns to Decacorns. Beyond simple product displays and on-site sales, the event aims to become a specialized agri-food tech expo focused on start-up ecosystems, offering support for investment, market access, technology, and networking.

This expo, the first and largest of its kind in the agri-food tech field in Korea, had participation from over 250 organizations, including agri-tech, food-tech, and green bio start-ups, as well as leading companies, investment firms, and public institutions. The expo featured exhibition booths categorized by future agriculture themes such as agri-tech, food-tech, and green bio, and various auxiliary events took place in special stages and conference halls.

In the agri-tech field, which drives innovation by applying state-of-the-art ICT technology to crop cultivation and animal husbandry, participating companies included futuristic farm solution providers like AVALVE, ioCrops, and FarmPro, as well as agricultural robot companies such as Gint and Rendezvous.

In the food-tech field, which combines advanced food technology in production, distribution, and consumption, visitors could meet companies such as HanwooLab, Deeplant, GrandmaChan, OnJeonHee, and EnoughU.

In the green biofield, which creates new added value by combining advanced bio and life science technology in agriculture and food, companies like Roots Lab, Neuro Pack, GreenContinue, Nanu, and Pensees participated.

Various auxiliary events at the expo strengthened networking between private domestic and foreign investors. KATPA's 'KOAT Demo Day,' which promotes and expands investment opportunities for agri-food start-ups, was conducted in collaboration with the D.CAMP's 'pre D.DAY' program. There were also programs like investment firms and individual in-depth meetups (1:1 matching between investors and start-ups) to expand investment opportunities for participating companies in the agri-food start-up support program.

Additionally, there were other programs like conferences to discuss the current status and future development directions of the agri-food investment ecosystem, venture nurturing company MD evaluations, and MD meetups to support market access, as well as programs to link technology, such as national patents, technology transfer consultations, and an 'Open Antenna' talk show to activate open innovation (OI) for start-ups. There will also be a mock IR session for global accelerating support companies.

Director Ahn Ho-Geun said, "The protagonists of AFRO 2023 are all of you involved in agri-food start-ups. KATPA will do its best as the director to highlight the growth of agri-food start-ups and activate the venture start-up ecosystem. I expect start-ups participating in this expo will grow into unicorn companies shortly. I ask for your active interest and support gathered here to achieve their goals. KATPA will also sincerely support agri-food start-up companies moving forward."

As Korea's largest agri-tech and food-tech event, AFRO 2023 displays products and services from domestic start-ups with global growth potential in the agri-food industry to address various agricultural and food-related issues. The event features conferences, investment explanation sessions (IR competitions), and various other programs to discuss the current and future state of agri-tech and food-tech. The expo was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by KATPA, NH Nonghyup, COEX, and the Korea Food-Tech Association.

AFRO 2023 LIVE

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