K-beauty skincare brand Yepoda, which Sephora perfumeries have recently begun to sell in Europe, has announced it has completed a new funding round with Belgian investment firm Verlinvest, whose brand portfolio includes Oatly and Vita Coco. The value of the operation, in which existing investors V3 Ventures and JamJar Investments were also involved, has not been disclosed. Yepoda’s founders remain majority shareholders.
Products by Yepoda – DR
“The new funding will enable Yepoda to accelerate its growth, notably through the recent European deployment via Sephora, and to support its launch in the USA, while remaining committed to product innovation,” said Yepoda in a press release.
Yepoda was founded in April 2020 in Berlin by Veronika Strotmann and her husband Sander Joonyoung, as a brand inspired by the principles of South Korean cosmetics. Joonyoung is German-Korean, and is well-versed in the Asian country’s culture.
Yepoda is a participant in the ‘1% for the Planet’ initiative, through which brands pledge to support environmental associations by donating at least 1% of their revenue. Yepoda has enjoyed quick market success through products developed with minimalist formulas and natural ingredients, and thanks to well thought-out marketing actions.
The company turned a profit after two years in business. It currently employs 85 people, and in 2024 it recorded revenue of €65 million, up nearly 130%.
At the end of 2022, Yepoda carried out a first funding round with V3 Ventures, a venture capital fund backed by Verlinvest, whose advisers include Chris Good, former president of the Estée Lauder group in North America.
The brand’s second long-standing investor is JamJar Investments, the investment fund set up by the creators of Innocent drinks, whose brand portfolio includes Deliveroo and Wild Cosmetics.
