K-Bio Gateway raises $870,000 seed for probiotic anti-ageing materials

What's the deal? South Korean green-bio startup K-Bio GatewayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised US$1.01M (roughly $870,000) in a seed round, it announced on September 21. Korea Technology Finance CorporationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with Bluepoint PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Y&ArcherDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → participating. The company's valuation was not disclosed.

What's the endgame? Founded in 2025, K-Bio Gateway develops functional food and cosmetic materials aimed at healthy ageing. Its work centres on DH24 ( Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DH24), a proprietary probiotic strain designed to cut body fat and target anti-inflammatory metabolism.

The strain was discovered by chief executive Cho Kyung-won, who previously developed hit products including Lactofit. The company runs a brand called Diet Helper 24 built on DH24.

Why now? Within a year of founding, K-Bio Gateway was selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' TIPS programme and has secured a total of US$2.01M in government research and startup support. It plans to spend the new capital on DH24 product research, production capacity, and global clinical and regulatory work.

"Based on this investment, we will advance DH24's research, development, and commercialisation, and begin our push into global markets in earnest," Cho said (translated from Korean).

The signal: The round is small, but it points to investor appetite for science-backed functional materials tied to the growing anti-ageing and metabolic-health market — a bet on turning a single proven strain into products that can travel beyond Korea.

Read more: wowtale.net

Image credit: Generated with Gemini