Kookmin Bio, a South Korean company specializing in biohealth food and pharmaceutical research and development, has successfully raised $2.5 million (KRW 3.4 billion) in its latest Series B funding round. This brings the company’s total investment to over $7.5 million (KRW 10 billion). Existing investors New Paradigm Investment and Korea Alternative Investment participated again, joined by new backers including scale-up TIPS operators K-Ground Ventures and IBK.

New Paradigm Investment, which has demonstrated consistent confidence in Kookmin Bio’s proprietary microbiome regulation technology and its future growth potential, has now invested in four consecutive funding rounds, from Pre-Series A through Series B.

Kookmin Bio focuses on developing microbiome technology utilizing patented microorganisms, including ‘Lactobacillus’ and ‘Bacillus’, which are independently isolated from Korean fermented foods. These microorganisms produce metabolites beneficial to human health and help regulate the gut microbiota. The company aims to create new bio drugs and functional health foods to address various health concerns, including muscle strength improvement, sarcopenia treatment, body fat reduction, and abdominal obesity management.

Bae Sang-seung, CEO of New Paradigm Investment, expressed strong confidence in Kookmin Bio’s potential. “Kookmin Bio is expected to introduce an innovative paradigm in the treatment of diseases such as sarcopenia and abdominal obesity through its unique microbiome regulation platform,” he said. “The goal is to develop first-in-class drugs for sarcopenia and groundbreaking biotechnology for abdominal obesity that can overcome the limitations of current anti-obesity treatments. This bold investment reflects our belief that their solutions could be game changers in the biotechnology sector.”

With the newly raised funds, Kookmin Bio plans to accelerate clinical research and human trials for its microbiome-regulating bio drugs. The company also intends to expand its health functional food business and develop personalized microbiome regulation solutions.

Seong Moon-hee, CEO of Kookmin Bio, highlighted the significance of the funding in the current economic climate. “I am pleased that Kookmin Bio’s biohealth food and drug materials, as well as our proprietary microbiome platform technology, have been recognized, even in a challenging investment environment for biohealth and biotech ventures,” he said. “This funding will enable us to advance our microbiome regulation platform, expand our revenue-generating businesses in biohealth food and pharmaceutical ingredients, and refine the mechanisms of our disease treatments.”

The company plans to leverage the investment to solidify its position as a leader in microbiome innovation while contributing to advancements in public health and biotechnology.