Lauren Choo Company, a South Korean alcohol-free food tech startup, has secured pre-series A funding from investors including KAIST Venture Investment Holdings, HYU Holdings, and several private investment associations.

With this new funding, the company plans to focus on research and development, while actively seeking export permits and hiring experienced professionals. Next year, they aim to optimize their recipes using data and participate in the government-backed TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startups).

Lauren Choo Company specializes in food tech that removes alcohol from beverages and then restores the original flavors. Recently, the company won first place in the Non-Alcohol and Alcohol-Free categories at the “2024 World Drink Awards” in the UK and earned a bronze medal at the IWSC, one of the world’s top three wine competitions. CEO Choo Se-eun founded the company after many years of experience in the F&B sector. With the growing demand for alcohol-free products, the company has been attracting strong interest from both investors and consumers.

Byun Bo-sun, Senior Investment Officer at KAIST Venture Investment Holdings, said, “We were impressed by how they stay true to the essence of the F&B industry while using technology to create barriers to entry. We believe they have the potential to grow into a differentiated brand in international markets, where non-alcoholic beverages are more mainstream than in Korea.”