LIMPID Selected for Korea's Deep-Tech TIPS Program, Expanding Government-Backed R&D Behind Kinfora to US$6 Million

A new grant from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups joins the nation's largest companion-animal R&D program — twin national validations of the digital-biomarker AI powering Kinfora

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LIMPID Corp., the AI pet healthcare company behind the Kinfora platform, has been selected for Deep-Tech TIPS, the flagship startup R&D track of South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups, securing KRW 1.5 billion (approximately US$1.1 million) over 36 months through June 2029. The award brings the government-backed R&D programs behind Kinfora to KRW 8.3 billion (US$6.0 million) across two national programs.

TIPS pairs government funding with private endorsement: companies enter only on the recommendation of an accredited venture operator. LIMPID was recommended by The Invention Lab, an early-stage venture capital firm and accredited TIPS operator, and qualified for the deep-tech track after completing its first TIPS R&D program with a final "completed" rating. Under the agreement signed last month, the project develops video-AI behavioral biomarkers — recognizing everyday pet behaviors on LIMPID's own GPU infrastructure — with Kinfora as the first commercial application.

The grant joins the Companion Animal Intractable Disease Technology Development Program of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs — a KRW 6.8 billion (US$4.9 million) initiative and the largest single R&D program in the country's companion-animal sector, which LIMPID leads alongside Sookmyung Women's University's College of Engineering, Kyungpook National University's College of Veterinary Medicine, veterinary CRO LVRC and Korea Testing Certification Institute (KTC). That program turns behavioral video, audio, imagery, dietary and medical records into digital biomarkers — resting respiratory rate, water intake and urination changes, itching, activity drops — that precede visible symptoms of chronic conditions such as kidney disease, pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease.

"Deep-tech funding in Korea is matched to private endorsement, so this is validation from both the government and investors — twice in one year," said Heesu Kim, CEO of LIMPID and a veterinarian. "Both programs point at the same loop Kinfora is built on: detect, alert, respond, repeat. A camera at home becomes the earliest point of care, and food becomes the first response."

The non-dilutive funding adds to a scaling year: revenue grew 390 percent in 2025, LIMPID acquired vision-AI subsidiary PetPeotalk in June, and Kinfora launched in July with more than 350 million pet-behavior video records behind its AI.

About LIMPID

LIMPID Corp. is an AI pet healthcare company founded in 2020 by veterinarians and technology entrepreneurs. The company operates a vertically integrated stack: Saladpet, Korea's leading pet nutrition app; freeze-dried nutrition brands Trusty Food and Dr. Trusty, the world's first freeze-dried veterinary therapeutic diet; veterinary clinical-research organization LVRC, founded with Kyungpook National University's College of Veterinary Medicine; and vision-AI subsidiary PetPeotalk. LIMPID has completed U.S. FDA Food Facility Registration and operates a HACCP-certified freeze-drying facility. Learn more at www.limpid.co.kr.

Media Contact

Heesu Kim, CEO — LIMPID Corp.
Tel: +82-10-5851-2947
[email protected] 

SOURCE LIMPID Corp.