From this January to February, N.thing, a startup company that develops Smart Farm operated by IoT system for enabling cultivation free from external circumstances, has won CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2020 and iF Design Award. The CES is given to innovative consumer products that reflect the future of consumers. The iF Award acknowledges innovative power of design that is applied among the disciplines of Product, Packaging, Service Design, Architect and so on. They both have accredited N.thing’s modular vertical farm named “Planty Cube”. For being practical and innovative for consumers to cultivate crops without difficulties of having the appropriate temperature and nutrition by fortune.

Q. Please briefly introduce the company and the reason for attending CES 2020, one of the globally renowned contests.

A. Kim Ju-hee (PR director): In the past, agriculture used to be classified as a highly unstable industry due to its reliability on uncertain and fluctuating external factors such as supply and demand in markets or climate conditions. However, our product of Planty Farm has its standardized management system within modularized farms in the form of container equipped with OS operating system that automatically monitors and controls the process of cultivation. Therefore, no matter who and where under which the crop is cultivated, there will be the same intended positive outcomes. We initially enrolled in CES 2020 to gain global popularity; we are very glad to have won the Best of Innovations award. It is an honor that the infamous contest remarked our product as an innovative one, and evaluated it as the product that provides a service rather than merely as an agricultural facility.

Q. What do you think was the key to the current achievements?
A. Kim Hye-yeon (CEO & Founder): I would like to thank my great team for our company’s sustainable achievements and developments. Since the business of agricultural technology constantly faces uncertainties, it is crucial to keep marching through what we believe to be meaningful and innovative. Also, as a team, I think it is important to encourage ourselves together and say “Let’s do it! Why not go for it?”, even in the face of unpredictability. In that sense, our team has been very cooperative and enthusiastic towards achieving the company’s plans.
Q. What is special about N.thing?

A. Jeong Hee-yeon (CDO & Co-founder): I think N.thing is special because it reinterpreted the way of agriculture. Rather than  viewing agriculture in the traditional way, we approached it in a new perspective. Therefore, not abiding by the rule of following “how it always has been” is believed to be one of the factors that kept the company to be special.
Q. Are there any tips for HYU students who seek for success as a startup business leader?

A. Shin Tae-jin (Software Engineer): It seems important for university students to be persistent in whatever they are working on and to try to learn from the natural processes of trial and errors that accompany failures. I hope they remember that every failure is another stepping stone to success. Having such a mindset would be helpful to keep doing what they do and not give up. Try your best at your current status and all your efforts will pay you back in the end.

Kim Hye-yeon (CEO & Cofounder): I would also like to recommend building connections with people around you during university years. Also, it would be helpful to try many challenges with your friends that excite you such as discussing your interest fields including business ideas. University years are a very good phase of making many challenges with less fear of failure.