[Sunchon National University’s 2024 Early Startup Package Selectee] Ci…
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[Selected for Sunchon National University’s 2024 Early Startup Package] City Farm, a developer of hybrid smart farm systems for cultivating wasabi leaves and rhizomes.
City Farm is an innovative agtech startup specializing in the development of hybrid smart farm systems tailored for the cultivation of both wasabi leaves and high-value rhizomes. The company was established in June 2022 by CEO Hyoseob Kim.
"Backed by over 20 years of field experience and R&D in ICT, factory automation, network operations, and agriculture, I engineered a novel hybrid smart farming model that seamlessly bridges traditional agronomy with advanced technology," said CEO Kim. "Under our premium brand, 'Namdo Wasabi,' we are currently scaling the production of wasabi, a highly lucrative, high-value strategic crop."
Wasabi is widely recognized as an exceptionally difficult crop to cultivate due to its hypersensitive growth requirements. However, City Farm has demystified this process, realizing an automated environment where anyone can easily grow it. "We have deployed a cost-effective, proprietary mobile vertical cultivation bed system capable of stable year-round harvesting," Kim explained. "Our mission is to open a new frontier for the domestic wasabi industry by producing eco-friendly, ultra-high-quality fresh wasabi."
"Wasabi demands meticulous micro-climate control and traditionally involves high operational costs. At City Farm, we ensure stable, continuous year-round production through our self-developed, factory-type hybrid smart farm systems. We have completed a strategic technology transfer for 'Year-Round Seedling Production' from the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services. Furthermore, we hold proprietary patents for an integrated energy management system for plant factories, with additional patents pending for working environment-controlled cultivation systems and wasabi tissue culture technologies. Leveraging this technological prowess, we are aggressively driving expansion into fresh produce distribution, convergence value chains, and bio-tech raw materials."
City Farm has achieved continuous, year-round production of wasabi seedlings, providing a reliable foundation for consistent annual harvesting. "Our crops are raised in an eco-friendly environment within a highly efficient, low-overhead factory-type hybrid infrastructure," Kim added.
"While it takes 12 to 18 months for wasabi to yield harvestable rhizomes (roots), we strategically began marketing our freshly harvested wasabi leaves through regional and Nonghyup Local Food networks to generate immediate revenue and gauge market response. As our output scales, we plan to accelerate our broader marketing blueprint by pivoting into processed food formulations and advanced bio-tech material development." To ensure financially sustainable management during this scaling phase, City Farm is actively planning to attract strategic partners and venture capital (VC) investment focused on advanced seedling cultivation.
What inspired the CEO to launch this venture? "As climate change forces the agricultural sector to evolve through smart technology, I was searching for the ideal high-value crop that could maximize this tech infrastructure. That was when I became captivated by the unique potential of wasabi," Kim recalled. Notably, the initial foundational capital for the startup was successfully secured through the CEO's prior successful business ventures in solar energy and premium green-egg poultry farming.
Reflecting on his journey since founding the company, Kim shared, "Selecting a notoriously difficult crop like wasabi was a challenge, but seeing it thrive beautifully through our own proprietary technology brings immense personal fulfillment. I believe sharing this technology with local farmers to foster a collaborative growth model will be even more rewarding."
City Farm is co-led by CEO Kim and his spouse as core business partners. Beyond its internal team, the company has established a robust R&D ecosystem, charting its future business roadmap alongside leading academic and scientific research institutions, including the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Sunchon National University, Gwangju University, and the Suncheon Bio-Healthcare Research Center.
Outlining the corporate roadmap, Kim stated, "In 2025, we will build a dedicated tissue culture laboratory to commercialize tissue-cultured seedlings. By 2026, we will finalize product development and industrial standardization to establish our own specialized processing plant. Achieving these milestones will unlock exponential opportunities. We are fully committed to contributing to a sustainable, resilient agricultural ecosystem for specialty crops that directly responds to global climate change."
City Farm was officially selected for Sunchon National University’s 'Early Startup Package' this year. The Early Startup Package is a prestigious government-backed acceleration program targeting promising startups under three years of operation. The program provides up to 100 million KRW in commercialization funding, along with dedicated incubation space, specialized corporate growth education, and elite professional mentoring.
Source: Originally reported by The Korea Economic Daily (Hankyung) JOB & JOY
City Farm is an innovative agtech startup specializing in the development of hybrid smart farm systems tailored for the cultivation of both wasabi leaves and high-value rhizomes. The company was established in June 2022 by CEO Hyoseob Kim.
"Backed by over 20 years of field experience and R&D in ICT, factory automation, network operations, and agriculture, I engineered a novel hybrid smart farming model that seamlessly bridges traditional agronomy with advanced technology," said CEO Kim. "Under our premium brand, 'Namdo Wasabi,' we are currently scaling the production of wasabi, a highly lucrative, high-value strategic crop."
Wasabi is widely recognized as an exceptionally difficult crop to cultivate due to its hypersensitive growth requirements. However, City Farm has demystified this process, realizing an automated environment where anyone can easily grow it. "We have deployed a cost-effective, proprietary mobile vertical cultivation bed system capable of stable year-round harvesting," Kim explained. "Our mission is to open a new frontier for the domestic wasabi industry by producing eco-friendly, ultra-high-quality fresh wasabi."
"Wasabi demands meticulous micro-climate control and traditionally involves high operational costs. At City Farm, we ensure stable, continuous year-round production through our self-developed, factory-type hybrid smart farm systems. We have completed a strategic technology transfer for 'Year-Round Seedling Production' from the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services. Furthermore, we hold proprietary patents for an integrated energy management system for plant factories, with additional patents pending for working environment-controlled cultivation systems and wasabi tissue culture technologies. Leveraging this technological prowess, we are aggressively driving expansion into fresh produce distribution, convergence value chains, and bio-tech raw materials."
City Farm has achieved continuous, year-round production of wasabi seedlings, providing a reliable foundation for consistent annual harvesting. "Our crops are raised in an eco-friendly environment within a highly efficient, low-overhead factory-type hybrid infrastructure," Kim added.
"While it takes 12 to 18 months for wasabi to yield harvestable rhizomes (roots), we strategically began marketing our freshly harvested wasabi leaves through regional and Nonghyup Local Food networks to generate immediate revenue and gauge market response. As our output scales, we plan to accelerate our broader marketing blueprint by pivoting into processed food formulations and advanced bio-tech material development." To ensure financially sustainable management during this scaling phase, City Farm is actively planning to attract strategic partners and venture capital (VC) investment focused on advanced seedling cultivation.
What inspired the CEO to launch this venture? "As climate change forces the agricultural sector to evolve through smart technology, I was searching for the ideal high-value crop that could maximize this tech infrastructure. That was when I became captivated by the unique potential of wasabi," Kim recalled. Notably, the initial foundational capital for the startup was successfully secured through the CEO's prior successful business ventures in solar energy and premium green-egg poultry farming.
Reflecting on his journey since founding the company, Kim shared, "Selecting a notoriously difficult crop like wasabi was a challenge, but seeing it thrive beautifully through our own proprietary technology brings immense personal fulfillment. I believe sharing this technology with local farmers to foster a collaborative growth model will be even more rewarding."
City Farm is co-led by CEO Kim and his spouse as core business partners. Beyond its internal team, the company has established a robust R&D ecosystem, charting its future business roadmap alongside leading academic and scientific research institutions, including the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Sunchon National University, Gwangju University, and the Suncheon Bio-Healthcare Research Center.
Outlining the corporate roadmap, Kim stated, "In 2025, we will build a dedicated tissue culture laboratory to commercialize tissue-cultured seedlings. By 2026, we will finalize product development and industrial standardization to establish our own specialized processing plant. Achieving these milestones will unlock exponential opportunities. We are fully committed to contributing to a sustainable, resilient agricultural ecosystem for specialty crops that directly responds to global climate change."
City Farm was officially selected for Sunchon National University’s 'Early Startup Package' this year. The Early Startup Package is a prestigious government-backed acceleration program targeting promising startups under three years of operation. The program provides up to 100 million KRW in commercialization funding, along with dedicated incubation space, specialized corporate growth education, and elite professional mentoring.
Source: Originally reported by The Korea Economic Daily (Hankyung) JOB & JOY
