Smoking Tiger lands seed round from The Ventures for US Korean-style bakery cafes

What's the deal? Smoking TigerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which runs Korean-style bakery cafes in California and Texas, has raised a seed round led by The VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The investment was announced in October 2026.

What's the endgame? The company operates cafes across two US states, pairing Korean-style baked goods with a cafe format. The seed backing marks early institutional support for the brand's US footprint.

The signal: The round reflects investor interest in Korean food and beverage concepts expanding into the US market, with seed capital flowing to brands seeking to scale across states.

Read more: ground.news

Image credit: Brian Legate