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Hello Soju, based in Los Angeles, California, produces premium sparkling soju and ready-to-drink cocktails, blending traditional Korean spirits with California innovation. The company utilizes rice-based spirits, real fruit juice, and natural flavors in varieties such as Lemon Yuzu and Green Grape. In October 2025, Hello Soju released an inaugural premium soju spirit, bottled at 33% ABV and retailing for US$40 SRP in California and Nevada. As a subsidiary of The Hello Group, which operates 16 businesses and has collaborated with K-pop acts like BTS, SuperM, and ITZY, Hello Soju secured a US$6.8 million investment earlier in 2025 to support its spirit launch and production expansion. The brand debuted at major music festivals including Coachella and EDC in 2023. Hello Soju was launched in 2023.
Hello Soju has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round.
Hello Soju has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Hello Soju has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Seed in October 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2024 | $7M Seed | — | Ballistic Ventures, ForgePoint Capital | Announced |
Hello Soju has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Hello Soju's investors include Ballistic Ventures, Forgepoint Capital.
Hello Soju is a Los Angeles-based premium sparkling soju brand launched in 2023 by The Hello Group (THG), an entertainment and media company, offering ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages that blend traditional Korean soju with modern fruit flavors like Lemon Yuzu, Green Grape, Lychee, Asian Pear, and Peach.[1][2][4] It serves soju enthusiasts and a global "next generation" audience seeking stylish, low-sugar alternatives to classic spirits, solving the problem of outdated soju perceptions by providing refreshing, culturally rooted RTD options with real fruit juice and no added sugar.[1][2][4] The brand has shown strong growth momentum, closing a $6.8 million funding round in 2025 led by Ted Schlein of Kleiner Perkins and Ballistic Ventures, enabling production expansion in California, a product relaunch with new packaging and variety packs, and entry into the premium spirits category with a 700ml rice-based soju.[2][3]
Hello Soju emerged from The Hello Group (THG), an award-winning global entertainment firm with 16 businesses in music, live touring, TV/film, marketing, tech, and consumer products, known for working with K-pop acts like BTS, SuperM, and ITZY.[1][4] Co-founders include Nick Schlein and Taylor Jones (chairman), who created the brand to celebrate Korean culture by reimagining the 13th-century distilled spirit—traditionally made from rice, wheat, or barley—for modern tastes, blending Korean heritage with "California cool."[1][3][4] Launched in 2023 as an RTD sparkling soju, it gained early traction as an award-winning product; a pivotal moment came in 2025 with the $6.8m funding round, new CEO Elisabeth Baron (ex-Diageo, LVMH), and board additions like Dan Ginsberg (ex-CEO Red Bull North America) and Sandra ‘Sandey’ Kang (Range Media co-founder).[2][3]
While not a traditional tech company, Hello Soju leverages THG's tech and consumer products arms within its entertainment ecosystem to innovate in the beverage space, riding the global K-culture wave (K-pop, Korean cuisine) and RTD alcohol boom amid rising demand for low-sugar, flavored spirits.[2][4] Timing aligns with post-2023 growth in premium sojus, as seen with Hite-Jinro's overseas expansion, favoring market forces like multicultural consumer shifts and U.S. production scalability.[3][4] It influences the ecosystem by bridging entertainment (K-pop fanbases) with CPG, fostering cultural marketing and community-building in a $100B+ global spirits market increasingly open to Asian innovations.[2][3][4]
Hello Soju is primed for household-name status through its 2025 relaunch, expanded California production, and spirits debut, capitalizing on funding to scale marketing and distribution.[2][3] Trends like RTD premiumization, K-wave globalization, and health-focused beverages (low-sugar, fruit-forward) will propel it, potentially expanding flavors, international markets, or THG-synergized events.[1][2][4] Its influence may evolve by redefining soju for Gen Z/Millennials, blending culture with disruption—echoing its origin as a fresh twist on Korean tradition for California cool.[1][3]
