STAY JUNGLE

What STAY JUNGLE does

STAY JUNGLE (legal entity (주) 스테이정글 / Stayjungle Co., Ltd.) is a South Korean foodtech startup founded as a concept in 2016 and incorporated in November 2020, headquartered at the Gwacheon Startup Support Center in Gyeonggi-do with additional facilities in Seoul (Guro, Yongsan). The company develops MiNE, an ontology-based food database and AI engine that calculates nutritional components, links them to health outcomes, generates and personalizes recipes, and integrates with kitchen robots. MiNE is the technical platform on which the Recipe AI B2B SaaS is sold to restaurant and food service operators for recipe management and menu optimization.

The company monetizes MiNE through four distinct streams. On the B2B side, Recipe AI is offered as a SaaS subscription to food service businesses, and the FoodLab makerspace (designated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups as a Foodtech Specialized Lab) provides equipment access, prototyping support, and startup collaboration services. On the B2C side, the LettUs (렛어스) brand offers a nutrition-curation vegan meal subscription (originally piloted at Seoul National University's Gwanak Campus in March 2023), and the Gangnam Kong (강남콩) brand operates a plant-protein soybean restaurant concept with a Yeoksam flagship opening in 2024 that uses MiNE-derived automated kitchen technology.

The company operates only in South Korea, sources revenue predominantly from subscription and professional services models, and has raised a single disclosed pre-seed round in January 2021 from Nongshim and Future Play via the Pre-TIPS / Nongshim Tech-up Plus Season 3 program. It has accumulated Korean government designations (Venture Company 2022, Agri-Food Venture Nurturing Company 2022, SMB Makerspace Foodtech Specialized Lab 2022, Pre-TIPS 2021, NH Nonghyup Bank Nurturing Startup 2021, Corporate Research Institute 2021), and exhibited at CES 2024 Eureka Park in January 2024.

Name

STAY JUNGLE

Legal name

(주) 스테이정글

Website

https://stayjungle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

STAY JUNGLE is a South Korean foodtech startup that builds the MiNE ontology-based food AI engine, monetizing it via the Recipe AI SaaS for restaurants, the LettUs vegan meal subscription, the Gangnam Kong plant-protein restaurant, and a government-designated FoodLab makerspace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Technology Software

NAICS

Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Chilled/ready-to-heat prepared meals manufacturing (AFAKAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Meal kits & subscription meal components manufacturing (AFAKAHAD)

Keywords

• Food AI software
• Recipe automation SaaS
• Meal subscription service
• Food ontology database
• Restaurant technology platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Seocho

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B SaaS (Recipe AI): SaaS subscription model providing recipe and food service automation solutions to restaurant and food service businesses.
2. Health Food Brand (Letheas): Nutrition curation-based vegan meal subscription service offering daily energy replenishment and sustainable healthy eating habits.
3. Specialized Restaurant Brand (Gangnam Kong): Plant-based protein soybean cuisine specialty restaurant brand utilizing food IT solutions, with automated kitchen solutions planned.
4. Foodlab Maker Space Services: Foodtech maker space operations providing specialized equipment, prototyping support, and collaboration brokerage with foodtech startups.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Stayjungle develops MiNE, an ontology-based food database and AI engine that performs nutritional analysis, generates and personalizes recipes, and integrates with kitchen robots. MiNE powers Recipe AI, a SaaS product sold to restaurants and food service establishments. The company also operates the LettUs vegan meal subscription brand, the Gangnam Kong plant-based protein restaurant concept, and the FoodLab foodtech makerspace for startup collaboration.

Product overview

STAY JUNGLE operates a multi-layered foodtech portfolio centered on its core AI technology MiNE (마인), an ontology-based food database engine that powers recipe generation, nutritional analysis, personalization, and kitchen robot connectivity. MiNE serves as the engine for the SaaS product Recipe AI, which serves restaurant operators. Beyond technology products, the company operates consumer-facing food brands including the LettUs (렛어스) vegan meal subscription and the Gangnam Kong (강남콩) plant-protein restaurant concept. The company also runs FoodLab (푸드랩), a government-designated FoodTech makerspace that incubates foodtech startups and provides physical prototyping facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MiNE: Ontology-based food database and Recipe AI core engine - calculates nutritional components and health relevance, generates and personalizes recipes, integrates with kitchen robots
• Recipe AI
• 렛어스 (LetUs)
• 강남콩 (Gangnam Kong)
• 푸드랩 (FoodLab)

Products and services

• MiNE (마인) Ontology-based food database and AI engine functioning as the core technology platform, performing nutritional component calculation, health correlation analysis, recipe generation and personalization, and integration with kitchen robots.
• Recipe AI SaaS solution for restaurants and food service establishments, powered by the MiNE engine, that assists with recipe management, menu optimization, and operational efficiency through food ontology and AI-driven personalization.
• 렛어스 (LettUs) Nutritional curation-based vegan meal box and raw food subscription brand providing diverse recipes, healthy ingredients, and clinically informed nutritional planning to help subscribers maintain sustainable healthy eating habits.
• 강남콩 (Gangnam Kong) Plant-based protein restaurant brand centered on soy protein cuisine, utilizing customized kitchen automation solutions and foodtech equipment, with the Yeoksam flagship location in Gangnam serving as the first operating site.
• 푸드랩 (FoodLab) Ministry of SMEs and Startups-designated foodtech specialized makerspace providing equipment, prototyping support, and collaborative workspace for foodtech startups, including the Guro campus (opened September 2022) and FoodLab Lounge at the Yongsan campus (opened October 2023).

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Seoul National University (서울대 관악캠퍼스)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Letheas platform pilot operation launched at Seoul National University Gwanak Campus in March 2023.
• Seoul Food Startup Center (서울먹거리창업센터)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2020Selected as FOODTECH startup and admitted to Seoul Food Startup Center in February 2020, providing access to food startup ecosystem and support services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lightspeed Restaurant: Restaurant point-of-sale and commerce platform serving SMBs. Comparable to Stayjungle's Recipe AI as restaurant technology, though broader in scope and focused on POS/commerce rather than recipe intelligence and kitchen automation.
• Toast: Leading US restaurant operating system and SaaS platform. Comparable to Stayjungle's Recipe AI as restaurant technology infrastructure, though broader in scope (POS, payments, online ordering, marketing).
• HelloFresh: Global leader in meal kit subscription services. Comparable to Stayjungle's LettUs subscription model at scale, though at much larger scale, broader geographically, and with more diversified menu offerings.
• Beyond Meat: Global plant-based protein food brand. Comparable to Stayjungle's Gangnam Kong brand in the plant-based food category, though at much larger scale with retail distribution focus rather than restaurant operations.

Direct peers

• Market Kurly: Korean premium grocery and meal kit delivery subscription service. Directly comparable to Stayjungle's LettUs brand in the Korean D2C meal subscription category, with similar emphasis on curated quality and consumer experience.
• Cookat: Korean meal kit subscription company delivering curated meal components to consumers on a subscription basis. Directly comparable to Stayjungle's LettUs subscription model in the same Korean market.
• Spoonacular: Recipe and food API offering recipe generation, nutrition analysis, and meal planning. Directly comparable to Stayjungle's MiNE engine and Recipe AI SaaS for AI-driven food applications aimed at developers and businesses.
• Edamam: Food data API company providing nutritional analysis, recipe parsing, and food intelligence. Directly comparable to Stayjungle's MiNE ontology-based food database as a food intelligence platform serving multiple use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STAY JUNGLE