From Cancer Survivor to Seaweed Innovator: How Alissa Miky Is Building the Future of Sustainable Food

tl;dr

• After surviving cancer at 30, Alissa Miky turned her grandmother’s seaweed remedy into Aqua Theon, a marine food‑tech company redefining sustainable nutrition.

• Her flagship product, OoMee, a seaweed‑based beverage powered by agar-agar, is already in 700+ U.S. locations, backed by $13 million in seed funding.

• Alissa’s mission: build a nine‑figure company that creates opportunities for women and reimagines the future of food through the power of the ocean.

The Spark That Started It All

A simple suggestion from Alissa’s 95‑year‑old grandmother, “Drink seaweed” would go on to shape the future of a food technology company.

“I was going through cancer treatment and struggling with my health,” Alissa recalls. “My grandmother told me, ‘You need to drink seaweed.’”

The drink worked, but there was one problem.
“It was honestly disgusting,” she laughs. “Even for someone like me who grew up with Japanese food.”

That moment planted the seed for Aqua Theon, a marine plant‑based company that transforms seaweed into functional food and beverage products designed to support both human health and environmental sustainability.

Today, its flagship product OoMee, a seaweed‑based beverage powered by Seabiotics™, is sold in over 700 locations across the United States.

From Japan to Silicon Valley

Born in the U.S. but raised in Japan, Alissa built her first successful business there early on, earning recognition from Forbes Japan as one of the country’s top young women entrepreneurs.
Later, she launched Misaky Tokyo, a luxury candy brand that grew to more than 1.4 million TikTok followers, with appearances at events during the Oscars and Emmys.

Behind the success, though, her health was deteriorating.
“At 30, I was diagnosed with cancer,” she says. “The treatment was difficult, but what shocked me most was how it changed my body and my mind.”

Within three months, she gained 40 pounds and battled stress and hormonal imbalance.
“That’s when I started asking deeper questions about nutrition and what we put into our bodies.”

Returning to Japan and rediscovering the centuries‑old practice of consuming seaweed sparked the idea that would become Aquatheon.

Building a New Category

Seaweed has long been a staple in Japanese diets, but in Western markets it has remained niche.
Alissa saw its potential to be much more.

“I realized seaweed contains incredible marine fiber and nutrients,” she explains. “But people needed a product that felt approachable.”

That insight led to OoMee, a seaweed beverage that delivers the satiety-supporting benefits of agar-agar (red seaweed) without the fishy taste or tricky texture.
“We wanted it to feel like juice,” she says. “No strange taste, no barriers,  just something people enjoy.”

The early development process was anything but conventional.
“I turned my kitchen into a lab,” Alissa says. “I bought beakers and equipment on Amazon and started experimenting.”

Scaling up required expertise. Experienced food industry leaders joined her mission, helping take Aquatheon from concept to commercial production and into the rapidly growing functional beverage market.

Raising Capital in a New Space

Building a new food category is challenging for any founder. For Alissa, fundraising came with additional hurdles.
While Aqua Theon ultimately raised $13 million in seed funding, the journey was anything but smooth.

“People told me the market wasn’t ready,” she remembers. “They said, ‘You’re an Asian woman, not a native English speaker, and you don’t have a network in the U.S.’”

Some encounters were even more discouraging.
“One investor told me he loved my idea and suggested we continue the conversation in his hotel room,” she says. “Unfortunately, situations like that happen to many women founders.”

Those experiences pushed her to shift her mindset.
“I realized I didn’t need 99 percent of people to believe in me. Just one person can change your life.”

That one person did, an industry leader who opened doors to partnerships, investors, and connections that accelerated Aqua Theon’s growth.

The Power of Ecosystem

Community support became essential as Alissa navigated Silicon Valley.
Programs like Pathway to Silicon Valley helped her refine her story and clarify Aqua Theon’s vision.

“The storytelling was a huge shift for me,” she explains. “A strong pitch isn’t just about technology,  it’s about helping people understand the story behind it.”

The program also introduced her to investors and ecosystem leaders who helped expand the company’s reach.

“Women supporting women is incredibly powerful,” she says. “Many communities in the Bay Area are actively creating space for female founders.”

Paying It Forward

As Aqua Theon grows, Alissa is committed to supporting the next generation of women and immigrant entrepreneurs.
She frequently speaks on panels about leadership and fundraising, sharing lessons from her own experience.

“Women founders, especially immigrants, often face triple the challenges,” she says. “That’s why I try to share everything I’ve learned.”

Inside Aqua Theon, she’s building a culture that reflects those values.
Today, 60% of the executive team are women, and women make up the majority of the organization.
“We want to build a company where women have real opportunities to lead,” Alissa says.

Looking ahead to 2026, Alissa sees a powerful shift in how women founders scale globally.

“Access to capital is still uneven,” she says, “but the ecosystem is transforming, more global, more collaborative, and more science-driven.”

She believes that as more programs, networks, and investors back women-led innovation, the next generation of female founders will lead some of the world’s most meaningful breakthroughs.

The Future of Seaweed

While Aqua Theon’s growth is still in its early stages, Alissa believes the market is finally catching up.
As the global food system searches for sustainable alternatives to traditional agriculture, marine‑based ingredients are gaining serious attention.

“Now the market is ready,” she says. “People are starting to understand the power of seaweed.”

Her vision: make Aquatheon a nine‑figure company that creates opportunity, sustainability, and well‑being.
“My dream is to build not just for success, but so we can hire more women and bring sustainable food to more people,” she says.

For Alissa Miky, the mission remains deeply personal.
“I want to make people healthier and happier through food.”

And if her journey is any indication, the future of food just might come from the ocean.