SOYFT BIOME raises funding to turn soy waste into dairy-free protein ingredients

SOYFT BIOME has raised undisclosed funding from MYSC through the ExtraMile Lycon Fund to scale a rare kind of protein story: not soy protein from the bean, but functional ingredients made from byproducts left over after soy fermentation. The Seoul-based startup says its AquaProtein ingredient is built for emulsification systems that can mimic dairy taste and texture without added sugar, a pitch that lands squarely where plant-based formulators keep getting stuck.

That emphasis on function matters. In dairy alternatives, protein content alone does not solve the problem. Brands still fight separation, thin mouthfeel and the gummy aftertaste that can come with sugar reduction. SOYFT BIOME is positioning AquaProtein as a tool for those jobs, using fermentation waste streams as raw material and turning a disposal challenge into an ingredient with performance claims. The company’s bet is that sustainability only becomes commercially useful when it improves stability, texture and processing behavior in real formulations.

SOYFT BIOME already has two consumer-facing brands in market, which gives the company more than a lab-floor profile. KETOYOU is its high-protein line built around tempeh and similar fermented products. JA:YU, launched in 2025, is a low-sugar, plant-based condensed milk alternative that has reportedly been listed on Coupang Rocket Fresh, Olive Young, Baemin B-mart and department stores. That retail footprint suggests SOYFT BIOME has spent real time learning what Korean shoppers will actually buy, not just what investors like to hear.

The startup, founded in 2022, was formerly known as SoYouF&B. A company source said the 2024 rename reflected both its SOYFT plant-based cream technology and a broader green-bio strategy. SOYFT BIOME says it has fermentation and emulsification core technology, plus its own production facilities, and operates out of Seongnam and the Korea Food Research Institute food cluster site in Iksan, North Jeolla Province.

The new capital also reinforces a broader shift in ingredient investing. Backers are looking past simple protein counts and toward inputs that can solve multiple problems at once: lower waste, better texture and better-tasting dairy-free products. SOYFT BIOME says it plans to move beyond food into cosmetics and medical nutrition, which would put its fermentation platform to work in markets where functional behavior is just as important as the sustainability story. For now, the sharper case is in food, where a soy-side-stream ingredient has a better chance of winning if it can outperform conventional soy ingredients in creaminess, emulsification and sugar reduction.