UTokyo Startup "CTE, Inc." Launches Agriculture-Specific AI Agents ― Supporting on-site decision-making with the "Nou-Nou" series, serving as a 24/7/365 "Partner" ―

CTE, Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yusuke Sasaki; hereinafter CTE), a University of Tokyo startup developing AI solutions specialized for the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries, announced on January 27 the launch of the "Nou-Nou Series," a suite of agriculture-specific AI agent services utilizing generative AI technology.

The "Nou-Nou Series" is a group of services designed to support the information gathering, organization, and execution required for decision-making at agricultural sites, all initiated through dialogue. Utilizing CTE's proprietary algorithms, the series aims to achieve both high response accuracy tailored to Japanese agricultural sites and practical operational usability.

■ AI Provides One-Stop Support for "Consultation," "Recording," and "Planning"

The main services offered are as follows:

Nou-Nou Chat & Nou-Nou Hub
An interactive AI available 24/7/365 for cultivation consultations. It optimizes responses based on the specific region and crop varieties. It also supports multilingual translation (Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian), making it an effective tool for supporting foreign technical interns.

Nou-Reco
A farming record agent where AI automatically organizes and accumulates data simply by sending work details or growth updates via LINE or Slack.

Nou-Plan (Rolling out gradually)
Supports the creation and updating of cultivation and work plans, breaking them down into actionable tasks.
Nou-Nou Vision (Rolling out gradually)
Conducts pest/disease diagnosis and growth monitoring via image analysis.

■ Deepening Collaboration with Norinchukin Bank's "AgriweB"

CTE has previously collaborated with the Norinchukin Bank Group's "AgriweB" to provide agriculture-specific generative AI. The new "Nou-Nou Series" leverages this expertise, evolving into an AI agent platform capable of handling knowledge, records, planning, and analysis in a one-stop manner.

The service offers a "Standard Plan" for individuals (880 JPY/month/ID) and a "Pro Plan" for corporations and JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) (1,320 JPY/month/ID). JA affiliates can also access the service via the Norinchukin Bank.

■ About the ICT Startup League
This support program began in FY2023, sparked by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Start-up Creation-type Embryonic Research and Development Support Project."
The ICT Startup League supports startups through four key pillars:
1. R&D Funding / Hands-on Support
Startups are provided with up to 20 million JPY in R&D funding via subsidies. Additionally, through "hands-on support," the evaluation committee members involved in the selection process stay close to the startups after selection to promote growth. For companies that evaluators are particularly passionate about ("absolutely want to adopt"), a support system akin to "fandom" is built, where the evaluators themselves provide continuous support, including advice on business plans and offering growth opportunities.
2. Discovery & Incubation
We provide opportunities for learning and networking that encourage the business growth of league members.
We also deploy initiatives to discover those aiming to start businesses in the future, aiming to expand the base of the startup ecosystem.
3. Competition & Co-creation
The league serves as a venue for positive competition, similar to a sports league, where startups learn together and challenge each other to win the necessary funding (up to 20 million JPY). It also provides a space for co-creation where league members can collaborate to expand their businesses through various opportunities, such as sessions with evaluation committee members.
4. Promotion
We disseminate the initiatives of league members in collaboration with the media! By letting more people know about their businesses, we aim to expand the field for new matching and opportunities.

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UTokyo Startup "CTE, Inc." Launches Agriculture-Specific AI Agents ― Supporting on-site decision-making with the "Nou-Nou" series, serving as a 24/7/365 "Partner" ―

■ AI Provides One-Stop Support for "Consultation," "Recording," and "Planning"

■ Deepening Collaboration with Norinchukin Bank's "AgriweB"

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