EcoGear, a next-generation agri-food distribution technology innovation startup, secured seed funding from 500 Global, Infobank, and Sopoong Connect. 

EcoGear is a deep-tech green bio startup that commercializes technology to maintain agricultural product freshness and dramatically extend shelf life through functional protective layers formed extremely thinly on produce surfaces, achieved by applying edible nano-coatings made from natural biomaterials.

EcoGear’s proprietary nano-coating technology, developed using eco-friendly subcritical water extraction and nano-emulsion techniques, provides freshness preservation solutions for agricultural products that cannot be stored long-term or exported via container shipping due to storage issues such as softening, browning, pest contamination, and mold contamination during post-harvest storage. The nano-coating layer, which easily forms a freshness protection barrier, can include functional ingredients beneficial to human health, such as vitamins, minerals, and immune-boosting components. EcoGear’s nano-coating technology won the Excellence Collaboration Award at the 2022 Industrial Complex Open Innovation program and the Grand Prize at the 2024 NACF N-harvest-X program.

EcoGear has completed field demonstrations of its nano-coating solution in collaboration with major domestic distributors including local agricultural cooperatives and strategic partners, achieving results that extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables such as tangerines, tomatoes, melons, and strawberries by up to 200%. The company is currently selling products co-developed with domestic agri-food processing and distribution companies.

Shin Eunhye, Investment Manager at 500 Global, who led the investment, stated, “EcoGear is a company that has innovated food freshness and sustainability by applying nanoscience to the relatively overlooked agri-food industry, and has the potential to grow into a global enterprise solving food loss problems caused by climate change and supply chain issues.” She added, “We have great expectations for the company’s potential to expand its market from fruit and vegetable freshness preservation solutions to meat, seafood, rice, rice cakes, bread, and other grain-processed foods.”

Park Jihoon, CEO of EcoGear, commented, “Through this investment, we plan to increase production efficiency through nano-coating production automation, expand the range of products to which nano-coatings are applied, and accelerate market expansion by identifying domestic agri-food distributors for nano-coating applications as well as overseas agri-food import-export distributors.” He added, “We will grow into a global company by applying EcoGear’s nano-coating technology to K-Food.”