How much funding has Q-Lab raised?

Q-Lab has raised $134,000 in total funding. Their latest funding round was Seed. Key investors include Jeonnam Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (Jeonnam CCEI).

Where is Q-Lab headquartered?

Q-Lab is headquartered in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The company has a team of 2-10 people.

Q-Lab operates in the AI in Agriculture sector. A microbiome-based feed additive startup spun out of Mokpo National University, developing eco-friendly feed additives to improve health and growth efficiency of marine organisms in aquaculture. Microbiome-based eco-friendly feed additives that improve farmed aquatic animal health, reduce disease mortality (up to 10% reduction), increase feed efficiency (24% improvement), and reduce antibiotic use in aquaculture — addressing the ~KRW 250B annual disease cost in Korean aquaculture.

When was Q-Lab founded?

Q-Lab was founded in 2025. It is based in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea.

How much funding has Q-Lab raised?

Q-Lab has raised $134,000 in total funding. Key investors include Jeonnam Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (Jeonnam CCEI).

Who is the CEO of Q-Lab?

Han Kyu Lim (임한규) is the CEO of Q-Lab. The company was founded in 2025.

Where is Q-Lab located?

Q-Lab is headquartered in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea.

What funding stage is Q-Lab at?

Q-Lab is currently at the Seed stage.

How many employees does Q-Lab have?

Q-Lab has approximately 2-10 employees.

Q-Lab

Category: AI in Agriculture

A microbiome-based feed additive startup spun out of Mokpo National University, developing eco-friendly feed additives to improve health and growth efficiency of marine organisms in aquaculture. Q-Lab was founded in 2025. The company is led by Han Kyu Lim (임한규). Based in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Team size: 2-10. Total funding raised: $134,000. Latest round: Seed. Key investors include Jeonnam Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (Jeonnam CCEI).

Founded: 2025
Headquarters: Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea
Team size: 2-10
Total funding: $134,000

Value proposition

Microbiome-based eco-friendly feed additives that improve farmed aquatic animal health, reduce disease mortality (up to 10% reduction), increase feed efficiency (24% improvement), and reduce antibiotic use in aquaculture — addressing the ~KRW 250B annual disease cost in Korean aquaculture.

Products and solutions

AQUABIOME brand microbiome-based feed additives for flounder, shrimp, and abalone, AI and big data-based smart aquaculture consulting, functional feed products

Unique value

Science-backed microbiome feed additives tailored to each marine species (flounder, abalone, shrimp) with AI-powered data analytics and consulting platform for total aquaculture solutions.

Target customer

Aquaculture farms in South Korea (flounder, abalone) and international markets (shrimp farms in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia)

Industries served

Aquaculture / Marine Biotechnology / Sustainable Agriculture

Technology advantage

Proprietary microbiome-based feed additive technology licensed from Mokpo National University; scientific data verified through experiments; field-validated product efficacy; AI-powered data collection and analytics platform for ongoing product optimization and user consulting

How they differentiate

Unlike conventional feed additives, Q-Lab's products are based on microbiome science tailored to each species' biological characteristics, with scientific validation data, field-proven results (10% mortality reduction, 24% feed efficiency improvement), and a platform-based approach that collects and analyzes aquaculture data for continuous product improvement and user consulting.

Main competitors

CJ CheilJedang (feed division), BioRix (바이오릭스) - Korean feed additive startup, Gut Biome Tech (굿바이옴텍) - Korean microbiome feed additive company

Key partnerships

Mokpo National University Industry-Academia Cooperation Foundation (technology licensing), Jeonnam Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (Jeonnam CCEI) (investor and accelerator), Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (project funding), Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (project funding)

Major milestones

June 2025: Company incorporated, May 2025: Selected for Pre-Startup Package and Blue Startup Support Program, August 2025: Started mass production (15 tons sold), March 2026: Raised $134K (KRW 200M) from Jeonnam CCEI

Growth metrics

Started mass production in August 2025 with 15 tons sold; 10% mortality reduction and 24% feed efficiency improvement reported in field tests

Market positioning

Early-stage faculty startup targeting the growing sustainable aquaculture feed additives market in Korea and Southeast Asia, positioned as a science-driven, eco-friendly alternative to antibiotics and conventional additives.

Geographic focus

South Korea (domestic flounder/abalone market) and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia for shrimp market)

Patents and IP

Core microbiome-based feed additive technology licensed from Mokpo National University Industry-Academia Cooperation Foundation

About Han Kyu Lim (임한규)

Professor, Department of Aquatic Life Medicine (Dept. of Marine and Fisheries Resources), Mokpo National University; B.S., M.S., Ph.D in fisheries/aquaculture sciences

Latest news about Q-Lab

Q-Lab, a Mokpo National University spin-off, raised $134K (KRW 200M) from Jeonnam CCEI to scale its microbiome-based aquaculture technology with AI-powered smart equipment. The deal signals how region

More AI in Agriculture companies

Official website: https://q-lab.kr/