Praun Secures Pre-Series A Funding to Scale Easy Classic Beauty Brand MOCRES

Praun, a K-beauty startup behind the easy classic beauty brand MOCRES, has closed a pre-Series A round with participation from Mark & Company and Solid One Partners.

Praun was founded on branding and marketing expertise. Its CEO built a career shaping brand strategy, product planning, marketing and communications across beauty and lifestyle names including Braai, FastFive and Freshcode, taking on core roles in launching early-stage startups and new business lines. Drawing on that experience of nurturing businesses with an integrated perspective, she started Praun to build a new beauty brand for customers with a more mature sense of taste.

MOCRES, Praun’s debut brand, was created on the philosophy that “the most classic is the most stylish.” Rather than chasing the fast-moving trend cycles that dominate the beauty market, MOCRES designs products and an aesthetic meant to help people put together a polished look easily, in everyday life. Its first launch is a lineup of eight hybrid lip products combining care and color, called Easy Stunning Tinted Lip Duo, alongside two dedicated cases.

MOCRES previewed the brand on May 29 and began official sales through its own online store on June 12. Since launch, the brand has drawn a steady response from customers who connect with its positioning around creating “a new kind of polished moment for grown-ups.” Its first soft-opening promotion sold out successfully, and by the second day of its grand-opening promotion, some MOCRES merchandise had already sold out, an early signal of demand.

Starting around the tenth day after sales began, first-time buyers who responded to the brand’s classic sensibility, product aesthetic and quality began leaving unprompted reviews and recommendations. Building on that early customer response, Praun plans to grow MOCRES beyond a simple color cosmetics label into a repeat-purchase beauty brand that customers with mature taste choose again and again in daily life.

With the new funding, Praun plans to accelerate product development, strengthen brand content, expand distribution channels and prepare its global trademark filings and overseas market entry. The company has already filed trademarks in key markets including the United States, Japan and the EU, and plans to pursue overseas expansion in stages, starting with Japan.

An investor involved in the round said Praun stands out as a team building a differentiated brand on the strength of its founder’s branding and marketing expertise and deep understanding of the beauty market. The investor added that the easy classic beauty direction MOCRES is pursuing is expected to open up new customer segments and use cases within Korea’s fast-changing beauty market.

“MOCRES is a brand born to offer something stylish to grown-ups who have their own taste and attitude, in a beauty market obsessed with youth and speed,” said Chaewon Yang, CEO of Praun. “With this investment, we plan to upgrade our product lineup and customer experience and grow into a timeless beauty brand that customers at home and abroad can rely on for years to come.”