Kevin Lee (immi co-founder)

He is the only child of Taiwanese immigrant parents who, he said, arrived “with no money and no social capital.” He is a first-generation immigrant; his father worked in Taiwan to support him and his mother in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States is a federal country in North America made up of 50 states, the District of Columbia as the seat of government, and territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam; its capital is Washington, D.C. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 2020 census (April 1, 2020) counted a resident population of 331,449,281, and the 435 seats of the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states on the basis of the census.Open the full entry, and he wrote his college application essay about how his father’s example taught him to put family over business. His parents, he said, “really sacrificed a lot to allow me to be able to even get into a place like BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is a campus of the University of California system; the University of California was founded in 1868 through a merger of two institutions and moved to Berkeley, California, in 1873.Open the full entry.”⁠[1][2]

In an article on immi’s website he wrote that his grandparents farmed rose apples in Taiwan and that he spent most of his childhood between the United States and Taiwan, helping his grandparents harvest and package the fruit for sale at markets; Food Business News writes that as a child he ate noodle soup for breakfast at his grandparents’ rose apple farm. In that article he said that his grandmother is pre-diabetic and that both his parents have taken blood pressure medication for many years, that both founders’ immediate families had gone through chronic health conditions, and that the two saw an opportunity to build a healthier Asian American food brand.⁠[3][4]

He recalled that in high school he focused on the guitar club rather than AP classes and took personal finance and discrete math instead of the physics his teachers recommended.⁠[2]

He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2012 from the Haas School of Business. By his own account he was academically “a horrible example of a business student,” concentrating on internships and student organizations; he was president of the Asian Business Association (now Berkeley ABA), which had high attrition when he took over, and he and his fellow officers turned it around and formed lifelong friendships with several of them, some of whom were later groomsmen at his wedding. He joined the Social Sector Solutions program of Haas’ Center for Social Sector Leadership, working with McKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & Company is a management consulting firm headquartered in New York, United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey and, after Marvin Bower established its “professional service” principles, grew into one of the largest pure consulting firms in the world; as of October 2026 it has more than 100 offices in over 50 countries and about 40,000 employees. It has also repeatedly faced regulatory investigations and public criticism over episodes such as its work with Enron, a former leader’s insider trading case, and its consulting for opioid manufacturers.Open the full entry consultants to support nonprofits, and received the Cal Alumni Association’s Leadership Award.⁠[2]

His maker biography on Product HuntProduct HuntProduct Hunt is a product-discovery and launch community founded by Ryan Hoover in 2013 and operated by Product Hunt, Inc. Makers present new products, while users vote, comment and review them and discover tools through categories, forums and AI search. AngelList announced its acquisition in 2016; as of November 2026, its official website lists Rajiv Ayyangar as CEO.Open the full entry states that before entering tech he worked in finance as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch; he then worked as a senior product manager at the mobile gaming company Kabam in San Francisco, Vancouver and Beijing, helped grow a product into the company’s third-largest revenue generator, and is the author or co-author of more than 10 gaming patents.⁠[5]

Entrepreneur writes that he and Kevin Chanthasiriphan met in 2013 as product managers at Kabam and bonded over regular breakfast noodles. In a 2019 article on immi’s website he wrote that the two had been close friends for about eight years, first as roommates and then as co-workers; a 2021 TechCrunchTechCrunchTechCrunch is an American technology news outlet founded in 2005 by Michael Arrington and Keith Teare and headquartered in San Francisco; it mainly covers technology companies, startups, and venture capital, and hosts events such as TechCrunch Disrupt. Its ownership passed successively through AOL, Verizon, and Yahoo, and in 2025 Regent announced its acquisition.Open the full entry article says they met about a decade earlier while working at the same tech company; Food Business News writes that they met while working at a tech company in San Francisco and bonded over their shared love of noodles.⁠[6][3][7][4]

In 2014 he started Product Manager HQ, a community for product managers: The Jungle Gym described it in 2021 as the 8,000-member SlackSlackSlack is a team communication and collaboration platform developed from an internal tool at Tiny Speck. It organizes work through channels, direct messages, searchable history and integrations, with features including Huddles, Clips, Canvas and AI assistance. Its paid service launched in February 2014, and Salesforce completed its acquisition in July 2021.Open the full entry community he started in 2014, and his Product Hunt biography states that he teaches the fundamentals of product management through Product Manager HQ and organized the world’s largest Slack community for product managers to support it. A 2024 Cal Alumni Association article states that he co-founded Product HQ, an online education company that trains product managers, in 2014, and that he kept a full-time job while building Product HQ and immi so as to have a steady income.⁠[1][5][2]

His Product Hunt biography states that he worked in product at AltSchool and was then working in venture capital at FundersClub; an interview page from Hustle Commons likewise lists him as a former product manager at AltSchool and venture capital associate at FundersClub.⁠[5][8]

He then worked as a principal at the early-stage venture firm Pear VC (Pear Ventures), leading its food and beverage investing; his Adweek Challenger Brands 2022 speaker biography adds that he has made angel investments in more than 30 companies, and Entrepreneur writes that after building his product management community he began investing in early-stage consumer technology companies before leading food and beverage investing at Pear. The Hustle Commons interview page states that after the interview was recorded he announced that he would leave Pear VC to focus on other pursuits.⁠[9][10][6][8]

On May 17, 2019 he published “Introducing immi” on immi’s website, presenting the brand he founded with Kevin Chanthasiriphan (known respectively as “KLee” and “KChan”): both grew up in food-focused families and watched relatives suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and stomach cancer; missing instant ramen but finding existing brands unhealthy, they spent more than a year with food science PhDs and chefs developing a lower-carb, higher-protein version. The article says the two lived about ten minutes apart in San Francisco.⁠[3]

A 2021 TechCrunch article states that immi went full time in 2019 and that the founders formulated the first recipes in their own kitchens, although, he said, industry contacts had said that a healthier ramen would be “kind of impossible”; the 2024 Cal Alumni Association article gives 2021 as the year the two founded immi.⁠[7][2]

On July 11, 2020 he launched a personal newsletter on Substack, introducing himself as “building a food CPG company in public” and planning to write about the founder journey, personal development (productivity, learning frameworks, mental models and creativity) and industries such as consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, the future of work and the creator economy; he encouraged readers to become creators.⁠[10]

Food Business News writes that immi’s three flavors (tom yum shrimp, spicy beef and black garlic chicken) were to launch online on January 5 through the brand’s direct-to-consumer site, with 9 grams of net carbs, 31 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber per serving; the founders had no noodle-making experience at the start, learned from YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry videos and downloaded research reports, and tested more than 200 recipes; before launch they posted in low-carb and keto RedditRedditReddit is an online platform that organizes content and discussion around interest-based communities, founded by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian in 2005. Users take part in communities by posting, commenting, and voting; its operating company, Reddit, Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2024.Open the full entry communities and Facebook groups and published recipe videos on YouTube, and by the end of 2020 more than 35,000 people had joined the waiting list. He said: “We both grew up eating a ton of ramen,” adding, “I think that was the first food we learned to make.”⁠[4]

An interview in The Jungle Gym newsletter on February 7, 2021 states that he handled marketing and growth at immi, worked remotely and lived within a 15-minute walk of his co-founder; he used tools including Slack, Notion, Superhuman, Vimcal, Google Drive, Gorgias and Loom, held a weekly review early on Saturday mornings using two questions borrowed from Tim Ferriss, “What is the hardest problem I’m thinking about?” and “What would solving this problem look like if it were easy?”, had a weekly one-on-one with his co-founder, and had moved peer feedback from quarterly to twice a year until more people were hired. He described himself as “pretty good at quickly making friends with people on the internet” and belonged to Slack communities on growth, consumer packaged goods, health and wellness, productivity and product management; he also said: “If you have high anxiety like I do, you might find yourself exaggerating problems.”⁠[1]

On September 14, 2021 immi announced a $3.8 million seed round led by Siddhi Capital, with participation from Palm Tree Crew, Constellation Capital, Animal Capital, Pear VC and Collaborative Fund, and from individuals including Patrick Schwarzenegger, Kat Cole and Nik Sharma and executives of Thrive Market, Caviar, Daring Foods, Madhappy, Twitch, Kettle & Fire, MUD\WTR, Native, Amity Supply, Visionary Music Group, Italic, Tatcha and Casper. TechCrunch writes that the products were plant-based, low in carbohydrates and sodium and high in fiber, with about 22 grams of protein on average, in three flavors, Black Garlic “Chicken,” Tom Yum “Shrimp” and Spicy “Beef”; the first inventory sold out within the first month without any marketing, more than 10,000 orders had shipped across the United States, and about 4,000 community members helped with rapid taste testing; the money was to be split among research and development, hiring and marketing.⁠[7]

TechCrunch writes that immi planned to build infrastructure to expand its lineup, aiming to “launch a new flavor every few months,” including more flavors and noodle types, and to develop other Asian food products with cleaner ingredients, such as snacks and confections; a 2021 reformulation aimed at replicating the broth taste of traditional instant ramen, and the company was gathering customer feedback to improve its flavors. He said the company was “bringing in taste makers of culture, celebrities and TikTok influencers” to broaden consumer interest and bring the brand into the mainstream.⁠[7]

Adweek’s Challenger Brands 2022 event, held online on February 22–24, 2022, listed him as co-founder of immi for the session “taste of brandweek: immi.”⁠[9]

An Entrepreneur article posted on May 13, 2022 and printed in its September 2022 issue states that both founders are first-generation immigrants whose parents came to the United States from Taiwan and Thailand, raised with humility, thrift and self-reliance, and that Kevin Chanthasiriphan’s father later opened a noodle restaurant in Los Angeles. immi launched during the pandemic despite supply-chain disruptions and built a private community of about 4,000 brand evangelists; the two set 50/50 goals, put their friendship first, and pulled an ad after a growth consultant’s campaign disparaged an AAPI-founded competitor.⁠[6]

A 2023 TechCrunch article states that immi launched in Whole Foods, Wegmans and The Fresh Market in 2022.⁠[11]

On March 2, 2023 immi announced a $10 million Series A led by Touch Capital, with celebrity investors including Naomi Osaka, Usher, Apolo Ohno, David Grutman, Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew and Gryffin; other investors included Siddhi Capital, Gold House Ventures, Anti VC, Harizury, Lab Capital Advisors, CAA’s co-head of basketball, Lynja, Lauren Kleinman (Dreamday, The Quality Edit), Theresa Kang (Blue Marble Pictures) and the CEOs or co-founders of Fly By Jing, Bokksu, Boba Guys, LMNT, OWYN, Hero Cosmetics, Supply, Rumble Boxing, Worlds, Venice Music, Adgile Media Group and Hyphen Capital. The company had raised about $15 million in total, its revenue had grown more than sixfold year over year, it had sold out seven times since 2021, and its tasting community had grown from about 4,000 people in 2021 to 6,000. The money was to fund nine new flavors, fill out the executive team, expand into nationwide retail and support product development research; another 12 flavors were being considered, the company was exploring products beyond ramen, and noodle improvements in texture, cook times and formats such as cups were planned.⁠[11]

In the TechCrunch article he said that the company had “still been heads down, really focused on the ramen space,” that “there still aren’t any competitors in that low-carb, high-protein, plant-based value prop area,” that its direct-to-consumer audience gave it “excellent velocity right out the gate” in retail, and that its valuation had risen “by a good amount” over the seed round.⁠[11]

A Cal Alumni Association article of April 30, 2024 states that he co-leads immi with Kevin Chanthasiriphan, a UCLA alumnus, and that on the day of the interview immi had just launched immi cups, a cup ramen line; its products were sold in grocery stores, the company hoped to expand to other retailers and college campuses, UCLA was the first college to carry immi ramen, and he hoped Berkeley would be a later stop. The article says the two founded immi after seeing many family and community members develop diabetes and other chronic conditions, aiming to reinvent Asian American comfort foods in a healthier form.⁠[2]

As of November 2026 the “Our Story” page of immi’s website introduces the founders with “We’re Kevin and Kevin,” stating that they grew up working with their families in markets in Taiwan and Thailand and started immi to help their families manage health conditions tied to poor diets, and naming his favorite flavor as Spicy “Beef.” The homepage lists the categories packets, cups, toppings and merchandise, with ramen flavors Black Garlic “Chicken,” Tom Yum “Shrimp,” Spicy “Beef,” Spicy Red Miso and Creamy “Chicken,” each pack containing 28 grams of protein.⁠[12][13]

As of November 2026 the official website of Founders SchoolFounders SchoolFounders School is an entrepreneurship high school program opened by the Alpha School network in Manhattan, New York, covering grades 9 through 12, which welcomed its first students in September 2026. Students complete their academics in the morning with AI learning software and spend the rest of the day running their own companies under the guidance of entrepreneurs; the school has drawn attention for its promise to refund tuition if a student’s business does not reach $1 million in profit and for its $150,000 annual tuition.Open the full entry lists him among its mentors, with immi as his affiliation.⁠[14]

X: Public account: https://x.com/kevinleeme (opens in a new window).⁠[10][1]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinleeme/ (opens in a new window).⁠[15]

Personal newsletter on Substack: https://kevinlee.substack.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[10]

immi: Official website: https://immieats.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[13]

Kabam: Official website: https://kabam.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[16]

Product HQ: Official website: https://producthq.org/ (opens in a new window).⁠[17]

FundersClub: Official website: https://fundersclub.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[18]

Pear VC: Official website: https://pear.vc/ (opens in a new window).⁠[19]

Founders School: Official website: https://founders.school/ (opens in a new window).⁠[14]