REDEFINING YOUTH EYE HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE WITH POCO

Executive Summary

Redefining Youth Eye Healthcare Through a Trinity Approach: Technological Innovation + Product Experience Innovation + Psychological Market Opportunity.

Chinese youth aged 5-17 are facing a growing range of eye health issues, including dry eye syndrome and night blindness. Yet traditional solutions—such as pills and carrots—are widely rejected by those consumers due to outdated design and poor user experience. There is an immediate market opportunity for innovative products that are both scientifically-grounded and psychologically appealing to consumers.

Our brand POCO is the first fun-seeking healthcare youth brand targeting 5-17-year-old youth. Using efficient β-carotene production via synthetic biology, we deploy a dual-track strategy: “personal care and snack first, health supplements follow.”

Beyond selling products, we are building a culture-integrating health concepts into trendy, fun, and sustainable products that resonate with youth.

We won’t let the wait for health product approvals go to waste-we’re using that time to capture mindshare first, build early awareness and user loyalty.

POCO isn’t just another supplement brand; we’re making protecting eye health fun for 200 million Chinese youth.

We are seeking $2M in seed funding to accelerate R&D, marketing, and supply chain development. Our model starts with high-margin personal care (e.g., lip balm with 78% gross margin) to generate strong cash flow, then expands into health supplements (with 60% repeat purchase rate). We project profitability by Year 3 and revenue exceeding $57M by Year 5, positioning POCO as the defining brand in youth wellness.

Market Research

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the youth eye care market, POCO conducted multi-level, multi-dimensional market research. We systematically reviewed domestic and international academic literature and national statistical data, and collected 201 valid questionnaires from adolescents aged 10-18 and their parents across 19 provinces and cities in China, covering both offline settings such as schools and youth communities, as well as online audiences interested in science-based personal care products.

Furthermore, the team conducted in-depth interviews to full coverage

for all players on the value chain, from diverse backgrounds including academia, translational medicine, biotech entrepreneurship, policy regulation, chemical synthesis, game development, law, and investment. A leading early-stage healthcare investor commented: “It is a very interesting FMCG approach, since the market size could be huge and the unmet psychological needs are convincingly there. Besides, the phasing strategy to launch personal care product first, snack second, then the healthcare products, to fulfill the compliance needs without delaying the overall project proceeding timeline, and the related brand building tactics are indeed entrepreneurial and impressive.”

Market Pain Points

We recognize that the challenge in the youth healthcare market isn’t a lack of need, but a failure of engagement. Young consumers resist traditional methods not because they dislike being healthy, but because they find them preachy and dull.

Our total solution addresses this gap head-on by combining scientific innovation with compelling product design and marketing that resonates, positioning POCO to dominate this untapped segment.

Soaring Myopia Rates

Nearly 3 out of every 5 youth are nearsighted and high school myopia rate exceeds 81% (2022)

Widely Spread Dry Eye Problem among Youth

Surging dry-eye rates among under-18s is about 20% and 30-40% of those dry eye patients lack vitamin A, showing night vision decline and corneal staining.

Widespread Vitamin A Deficiency

70%+ of 5-17 y.o. youth have inadequate dietary VA intake.

Traditional Solutions Have Completely Failed

5-17 y.o. segment has unique product and psychological needs currently unmet, such as fun-based attitude and eco-friendly ideology;

89.7% of students reject carrots & traditional formats;

Only 7% of youth aged 5-17 consistently take traditional pills/capsules.

Core Pain Points - They Don’t Reject Wellness, They Just Reject the Boring Way

Food/snack formats are preferred over capsules. Students are willing to pay more for drinks than for capsules;

Bio-synthesized products are more accepted than chemically synthesized ones;

Misconceptions persist, but interest in gamified education is high.

Total solution: leveraging scientific innovation and product & marketing innovation to take this above opportunity currently in the Chinese youth healthcare category.

Key Customers

Primary Users

Urban youth aged 5-17

from Tier 1-3 cities；

Digital natives | 4-6 hrs daily screen time | >80% myopia rate；

Demand: aesthetics, social currency, sustainability, and zero shame.

Purchasing Decision-Makers

Young parents (30-50 yrs) from Tier 1-3 cities;

Mid-high income | ≥¥8,000 monthly disposable income;

Value health + emotional benefits | trust in “clean ingredient” brands & domestic fun Labels

Market Size

Total Addressable Market is about 200 million: the population of total eye-care consumption potential among all 5-17 year-olds in China

Serviceable Addressable Market is about 80M potential users:

• Tier 1-2 cities + major Tier 3 cities (80%)
• 5-17 years old with eye health concerns and inadequate dietary VA intake. (60+%)
• Families willing to try innovative products according to survey results (80+%)

Covered Population = 200M × 80% × 60% × 80% = 76.8M

Serviceable Obtainable Market is about 64M USD:

• POCO’s realistically obtainable share in 3 years:
• Target penetration rate: 5% & Estimated annual spend per user: ¥120

SOM = 76.8M × 5% × ¥120 = ¥460.8M CNY / $64M USD

Business Model Canvas

Products and USP

Phase 1: Lifestyle-Infused Wellness: We transform daily routines into enjoyable rituals with our β-carotene-enriched essentials—making β-carotene intake effortless, stylish, and integrated into everyday life.

Phase 2: Experiential Tech-Driven Supplements: We then introduce thoughtfully designed supplements, co-developed with leading game IPs and enhanced with interactive VR features—turning nutrition into an immersive and shareable experience.

Tech Advantages

The foundation of this business plan is our innovative approach to optimize β-carotene synthesis: our project aims to develop a lipid droplet (LD)-targeted toolkit to greatly boosts β-carotene accumulation and this toolkit can be easily adapted for other hydrophobic compounds such as triterpenoids and terpenes. Combined with our self-designed color-based monitoring device, it enables real-time visualization and automated control in large-scale fermentation processes.

We engineer Saccharomyces cerevisiae into an efficient, safe, and cost-effective cellular factory for β-carotene production, creating a strong technical moat and competitive advantage.

High Efficiency

10-day production cycle & >1.8g/L yield—far faster and more productive than agricultural extraction.

Safe & Natural

Uses GRAS-certified yeast; produces natural, chemical-free β-carotene identical to plant-derived versions.

Low Cost

Fermentation uses cheap feedstocks like glucose, costs 40% lower than chemical synthesis

Sustainable

Marketing Plan

From Campus to the Whole Network: Building a Fun Brand for 5-17-year-old youth, and a Trusted Brand for Parents.

Price: priced 15% above traditional snacks, personal care or supplements but with interesting interactions, gifts, themed kits to increase average order value.

Product: instagrammable Design: created with potential customers and our business partner - a popular youth personal care brand. Cute and stylish packaging made for social sharing with engaging experience: Fun, talk-worthy formats that encourage organic sharing.

Place: 1) online: Tmall, JD, Douyin E-commerce, WeChat Mini-Program; 2) offline: Partnerships with schools (like campus retail stores), stationery chains (e.g., M&G), trendy retailers, and eye clinics; 3) co-branding: Limited editions with popular brands, game/anime/kids’ IPs.

Promotion: leverage our business partner’s influencer network—with a combined reach of 20M+ followers—to deploy a targeted KOL matrix and engaging content that directly connects with both parents and youth. Offline and online experiential campaigns & precision ads

Roadmap and Project Progression

POCO has established a clear 5-year roadmap, beginning with microbial strain optimization and personal care product launch in the first two years, followed by health supplement certification and global expansion by year five.

The project is currently 30% through its preparatory phases—with technology, market validation, and partnerships already in place—and is now focused on product optimization, certification, and commercial rollout.

Financial Projection

POCO demonstrates strong growth potential, with revenue projected to increase from $7.1 million to $56.7 million over three years, representing a CAGR of 105%, while maintaining gross margins above 60% and achieving a net margin of 17% by year three. The revenue mix is dominated by high-margin personal care products (74%), supported by snacks and health products, with a clear cost structure and partner channel advantages providing solid foundation for profitability.

Now we are seeking $2 million in seed funding to advance product development, accelerate market expansion, and develop our supply chain.