Consumer Startups

Cheongyeon (formerly Cleaning Lab / 청소연구소) operates a matching platform in South Korea that connects households with vetted cleaning managers for home, move-in/out, office, and air-conditioner cleaning services. The company also runs a senior-care service ('청연케어') and a household-goods store, and trains homemakers to become professional cleaning managers.

2 investors

SuperKitchen is a Korean prepared side dish (banchan) retailer offering ready-to-eat Korean home-cooked meals and side dishes for family consumption. The company serves home cooks seeking convenient, affordable meal solutions through product lines including budget-friendly basic sides, restaurant-quality main dishes, and nutritionist-designed children's meals.

2 investors

SCON is a Korean media-tech company that creates entertainment content using virtual characters and 3D content technology. It supports branding and IP development for companies and individual creators across live commerce, video content, gaming, and live performances in the metaverse market.

2 investors

INGR (아이엔지알) supplies personal care and cosmetic ingredients/raw materials to B2B buyers and manufacturers, and develops skincare brands such as Vegetology (베지톨로지). It focuses on vegan and clean beauty products, participating in K-Beauty trade fairs in Korea and Europe.

2 investors

Adapt is a South Korean consumer brand company that develops and sells health/food slimming products and men's beauty and makeup items, distributed through retailers such as Olive Young, Musinsa, and Coupang. Founded in 2017, it markets its own branded consumer products directly to customers, incorporating their feedback to improve its brands and content.

2 investors

Uprise operates consumer finance apps in South Korea, including bitbunny, a walk-to-earn rewards app that lets users exchange accumulated rewards for products or coins, and dndn, an investment service covering savings and pension products. The company builds personal finance and investment products for individual consumers.

2 investors

GNA Company develops technology to measure, connect, and reward gameplay, including a game-play measurement engine, ad technology linking games with advertisers, a reward system, and a gamer community. Its flagship product Playio lets gamers discover and play games and earn rewards, serving gamers and game advertisers across markets including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the US.

2 investors

REmited operates the "영끌" (Yeong-kkeul) app, which collects consumer purchase data from uploaded real receipts and routed online shopping (e.g. Coupang, Kurly), and offers brands an AI platform for market analysis, customer segmentation, and targeted mission campaigns. It serves brands, advertisers, and card companies seeking purchase-based consumer insights, primarily in South Korea.

2 investors

Axelmark is a Japanese company formed through mergers of several firms, operating in content, mobile advertising, and social gaming businesses. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market and traces its origins to firms founded in the 1990s.

2 investors

KitchHike (キッチハイク) is a Japanese brand-production and platform company focused on regional revitalization, working with local governments to create new cultural and economic activity in Japan's regions. Its offerings include a childcare-focused family relocation stay program, a regional food gift service, and a research/planning studio for local communities.

2 investors

GOKKO (ごっこ倶楽部) is a Japanese entertainment company that produces vertical short dramas for platforms like TikTok, and operates a short-drama studio (studio505) and a vertical short-drama app called POPCORN. Based in Tokyo, it creates high-quality, low-cost content and holds Japanese records for short-drama viewership.

2 investors

Snaq.me produces healthy snacks made with minimal ingredients, focusing on natural flavors and reducing food waste. The company targets health-conscious consumers seeking guilt-free snacking options.

2 investors

A company focused on facilitating Japanese business expansion into Southeast Asia, particularly targeting the halal market in Malaysia. The company helps Japanese enterprises navigate international market entry and localization challenges in the region.

2 investors

Petgo is a Japanese online store selling pet supplies for dogs and cats, including flea and tick medications, therapeutic and regular pet food, veterinary medicines, supplements, litter and toilet products, grooming items, and accessories. It offers a subscription delivery service and its own private-label brands.

2 investors

Holiday is a Japanese travel information site where users and local staff share outing plans and spots, covering destinations across Japan and abroad organized by area, situation, and author. The platform lets people browse and post itineraries, sightseeing guides, and video-based travel content.

2 investors

Operates a live-streaming and broadcasting platform (branded Twitcast/TwitCasting) where users watch and host live streams across categories such as music, gaming, talk, and voice content. The service, oriented to a Japanese-language audience, includes subscriptions, live captions, and interactive features for streamers and viewers.

2 investors

Bloomee (ブルーミー) is a flower subscription service that delivers small, seasonal bouquets of fresh market flowers to customers' mailboxes on a recurring basis, with plans by bouquet size and a guidebook plus flower-nutrient included. It targets Japanese consumers and runs sustainability initiatives with flower markets and growers to reduce waste and support the domestic flower industry.

2 investors

Laxus operates a subscription service for renting luxury designer handbags from 60 brands, with free shipping, professional cleaning, and damage protection included. The platform emphasizes sustainability by encouraging reuse of products instead of single ownership and disposal.

2 investors

Hesung Innovation is a consumer appliance company that designs, develops, brands, and sells home and kitchen products such as fans, heaters, air conditioners, humidifiers, air fryers, and milk frothers under the DREO brand. Its products are sold across North America, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East through online channels and retailers including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Costco, and The Home Depot.

2 investors

HotMaxx (好特卖) operates a chain of discount retail stores in China that sell surplus and near-expiry branded goods—including snacks, beverages, instant foods, household products, and baby items—at deeply reduced prices. Founded in 2020, it uses professional buyers to source discounted inventory globally, helping brands clear stock while offering low prices to Chinese consumers, with over 800 stores across more than 100 cities.

2 investors

孝芳堂 (Kohodo) produces premium ginger syrup concentrate made from Kochi ginger and Setouchi lemon, designed for restaurants and consumers seeking sophisticated non-alcoholic beverage experiences. The syrup is diluted with carbonated water, hot water, or milk to create premium ginger ale, hot ginger, or ginger lattes.

2 investors

Aill goen is an AI-assisted matchmaking and dating service that introduces single employees from different companies to each other, using AI navigation to suggest matches, assist conversations, and visualize a counterpart's interest level. It targets working singles seeking partners who share their lifestyle and career values, keeping usage private from their employers.

2 investors

Asuiku (あすいく) is a Japanese service that lets parents search for and book spots at vetted short-term/temporary childcare facilities via smartphone and LINE, including weekend and same-day reservations. It also offers experiential and lesson-based childcare programs (e.g. English, rhythmics, calligraphy, and company-tie-in events) across 110+ partner facilities in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

2 investors

HEARTBEATS (formerly ventus) operates ORICAL, a digital trading card collection service that features professional partners including baseball teams. The company is based in Japan and works with sports organizations to offer digital collectible cards.

2 investors