[Edaily Marketin, Reporter Soyoung Park ] This week (September 21–23), startups across various sectors—including beauty, green biotech, and general construction machinery—secured investments from venture capital (VC) firms and accelerators (AC).

“Makemake,” the operator of a global water-stress-solution beauty brand that gained popularity for its premium swimming pool shampoo, drew attention after successfully securing 3 billion won in a pre-Series A funding round. Investors highly valued Makemake’s approach of targeting market gaps through technology. The company is credited with securing product competitiveness in the specialized swimming market based on its proprietary water quality management technology and patented materials.

Beauty Brand Operator ‘Makemake’

Makemake, which operates the global water-stress solution beauty brand ‘SOOO,’ has secured a 3 billion won pre-Series A investment. Signight, Amorepacific, and IgniteXL joined as new investors. Bluepoint Partners also participated in this follow-on round. The exact company valuation remains undisclosed.

In this round, Makemake focused on laying the groundwork for future business expansion by assembling a group of strategic investors with expertise in the beauty industry and global networks, rather than simply raising capital.

Previously, Makemake launched SOOO, a premium swim care brand designed to address hair and skin discomfort caused by residual chlorine after swimming. It subsequently introduced “Scalpture,” a scalp care line, as a follow-up product.

MakeMake is growing into a global beauty tech company by solving various beauty problems caused by exposure to water. In particular, it is expanding its distribution network by signing a distribution agreement with the global beauty distributor Silicon2.

With this investment, Makemake plans to advance the sophistication of its core materials and product technologies while accelerating its entry into global markets, including North America. Furthermore, building on the technological expertise validated in its swim care line, the company intends to expand its business scope into scalp care, hair care, and beauty tech devices.

Green Bio Materials Company 'K-BioGateway'

K-BioGateway, a green bio functional materials company, has secured approximately 1.2 billion won in seed funding. This round was led by the Korea Technology Finance Corporation. Bluepoint Partners and Y&Archer also participated. The exact company valuation remains undisclosed.

K-BioGateway was established last year. It specializes in the research and development of functional materials that support healthy and beautiful aging. The company is developing functional food and cosmetic ingredients based on its proprietary probiotic strain, “DH24.”

DH24 is a functional probiotic strain for reducing body fat, discovered by CEO Jo Gyeong-won, who has developed hit products such as Lactofit. The company operates the “Diet Helper 24” brand, which utilizes this strain.

K-BioCateway plans to allocate the investment funds toward expanding its R&D and production capabilities for DH24-based products. The funds will also be used to pursue global clinical trials and regulatory approvals.

Build Corporation, Operator of a Comprehensive Construction Equipment Trading Platform Build Corporation,

which operates the comprehensive construction equipment

trading platform

“VUILDER,” has secured new investment from CNT Tech. CNT Tech supported Build Corporation in refining its business model and enhancing its investment capabilities through the “Smart Construction Startup Acceleration and Open Innovation” program, which is managed by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT). This investment was made as an extension of that support. The investment amount has not been disclosed.

Build Corporation was established in July 2024. It develops and operates “VUILDER,” a comprehensive construction equipment platform that digitizes the entire transaction process—from quotes and contracts to settlement. VUILDER operates on a commission-based model, charging a percentage of the transaction amount. Both construction companies and rental firms can use the platform without any separate initial setup costs.

“Builder” is a B2B transaction service that handles the entire transaction process—from construction equipment quote requests to contracts and payment settlements—on a single platform. It allows users to compare quotes from multiple rental companies at once. According to Build Corporation, the service has reduced decision-making time and minimized the potential for disputes by maintaining a digital record of contract details.

Build Corporation will use this investment to further enhance its domestic platform. It also plans to expand its cross-border trading business for used construction equipment, focusing on Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam.