NewHeritage Raises $760K Seed Round from CNTTech to Scale Seaweed-Snack Exports to Global Markets

NewHeritage, a South Korean startup combining seaweed-based snacks with intellectual property content to export gim products to 13 countries, announced on September 4 that it has raised 1 billion won (approximately USD 760,000) in Seed funding from CNTTech.

Since its founding, NewHeritage has built an early-stage OEM production system for seasoned gim and gim snacks by leveraging the seaweed farming and manufacturing infrastructure of founder and CEO Namhyun Kim’s family. Using this foundation, the company has rapidly expanded its export channels to 13 countries including the United States, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.

“NewHeritage is breaking away from the low-margin structure of Korea’s traditional gim industry by combining brand development, snack innovation, content IP, and eco-friendly material technology,” said Hwasung Jeon, CEO of CNTTech. “We recognized the company’s strong execution in validating export markets.” Jeon added, “Beyond this Seed round, we will continue to support technology development and follow-on funding through government-linked programs such as TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) and LIPS.”

Namhyun Kim, CEO of NewHeritage, said, “This investment will accelerate our overseas channel expansion and seaweed-based R&D.”

South Korea’s materials and manufacturing startups have been drawing investor attention for combining traditional industrial know-how with new technology and export strategies. In June 2026, CarbonSix raised USD 40 million in Series A funding to scale its Physical AI platform for global manufacturing, while in July, NeoArcRobotics secured USD 332,325 in Seed funding to build cutting and welding robots for Korea’s shipyards.