Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.-based seaweed technology company Aqua Theon, formerly known as Cashi Cake, raised USD 13 million (EUR 11.3 million) in a seed funding round and will invest USD 5 million (EUR 4.3 million) of that funding directly into its marine plant-based drink OoMee.
OoMee was started in 2025 by Aqua Theon Founder and CEO Alissa Miky.
“OoMee is the first red algae-based health drink in the U.S.,” Aqua Theon said.
According to the company’s website, Miky started the company to address personal health concerns and the desire to treat symptoms with “nutrient-rich, marine-based foods” that she had consumed growing up in Japan.
“Seven years ago, when I first decided to build a seaweed technology company, no one believed in the idea,” Miky said in a LinkedIn post. “Raising capital in today’s economic climate was one of the most demanding chapters of my life. I traveled across the U.S., Japan, Singapore, and beyond, pitching relentlessly."
Miky explained that red algae is a delicate plant that grows well under certain marine conditions but can be easily damaged by temperature, marine chemistry, and poor agricultural practices.
“Though agar typically gels when heat-treated, viscous jelly drinks are less popular in the U.S. than in Asia, where agar has been used for centuries,” Aqua Theon said.
Growth concerns have highlighted the need for precision-based production to assist with scaled food manufacturing. Aqua Theon, Miky added, developed the methodology for proprietary technology using agar-agar, which has held up through food manufacturing trials.
An article by Green Queen said the funding round was led by Minato, Japan-based investment asset management firm Sparx Asset Management, and other participants were Beyond Next Ventures and World Innovation Lab. The remaining USD 8 million (6.9 million) will be used for Aqua Theon’s other product, Misaky Tokyo, which is a seaweed-based crystal candy invented in September 2019.
Miky said that OoMee is still open to investment following the seed funding round, with OoMee products having recently hit store shelves.
OoMee’s cans launched in the U.S. in May 2025 with flavors like blueberry-elderflower, strawberry-hibiscus, and peach-lemon. The company has since expanded to include fruit-flavored matcha drinks like lemon-mint, yuzu-passionfruit, and berry. Green Queen reported that Aqua Theon sold over 100,000 units in its first six months and gained listings in more than 700 stores, such as Sprouts Farmers Market, Raley’s, and Bristol Farms.
