Frozen One Raises $2 Million to Expand High-Protein Ice Cream Nationwide

Frozen One has raised $2 million to push its high-protein pints beyond the niche shelves where most functional treats stall out. The seed round was led by Supernatural Ventures, with Tonic Ventures and Lucinda Capital also in the mix, and the company plans to use the cash to scale production, sharpen marketing and drive faster turnover at retail.

The pitch is blunt: frozen dessert should work as a real protein format, not a protein bar in disguise. Frozen One’s pints carry 40 grams of protein and land at fewer than 400 calories, with retail listings showing about 380 to 390 calories depending on flavor. The lineup is built to read like ice cream, not gym fuel, with chocolate, apple pie and peanut butter chip among the current options.

That positioning matters because the category still lives or dies on one question: does it actually taste like ice cream? Frozen One says the formula leans on skim milk, whey protein concentrate, allulose, inulin, egg yolk and monk fruit, with cream placed lower in the ingredient list to keep fat and sugar in check without stripping out flavor. A Schnucks listing for the chocolate pint also shows cocoa powder, vegetable glycerin, vanilla extract, salt, guar gum and sunflower lecithin in the mix.

Co-founder Conner Mennig has said the idea grew out of frustration with chalky protein bars and repetitive shakes, which is exactly the complaint that has kept so many “better-for-you” desserts stuck in the compromise lane. Frozen One, founded in 2025 by Mennig and Alan Chen in Austin, Texas, is trying to break that pattern with a product that looks and sounds closer to premium ice cream than sports nutrition.

The retail story is already moving fast. Frozen One said it reached about 700 stores in the first quarter of 2026 and is set to launch into roughly 1,464 Target stores nationwide. Delivered Cold lists the pints at $9.99 each and says the brand currently offers three flavors, a price point that puts Frozen One squarely in the premium frozen aisle.

The company is entering a crowded but promising lane. Protein Pints rolled out nationally in March 2025 with four flavors in more than 2,200 Kroger Family of Stores, showing that mainstream grocers will back high-protein frozen desserts when the nutrition claim is matched by a credible indulgence story. For Frozen One, the funding round suggests investors still think there is room for another player, but only if the product can win the harder test: making protein ice cream feel like the real thing, not the functional substitute.