Sobo Foods makes plant-based frozen dumplings inspired by Asian comfort food, launching with three flavors: Japanese-inspired curry potato, Chinese-inspired pork & chive, and Korean-inspired kimchi & mushroom. Its dumplings are manufactured at the KitchenTown food innovation hub in San Mateo. Founders Eric Wu (cofounder of Gainful) and Adam Yee (former Motif FoodWorks scientist and The Better Meat Co technical cofounder) say they developed a plant-based gelatin substitute to improve juiciness and have submitted a patent application for related IP. The brand positions itself as a better-for-you alternative to existing frozen Asian products, avoiding high sodium, artificial colors/flavors and stereotypical branding. Financially, Sobo emerged from stealth with $1 million in backing from angels and an institutional investor. For 2023 the company is pursuing a slow, grassroots Bay Area rollout—hand-delivery, local events, farmers markets, chef collaborations and possible community grocery placements—to iterate product-market fit before wider expansion.

Total raised

$1M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

May 2023