At last year's Berlin Marathon. In the thick of competition among global sports supplement brands, a Korean startup's product sold out in two days. This is the story of Ultimate Potential, run by AscentSports.
Shin Ha-jong, CEO of AscentSports, said in a recent written interview with ChosunBiz, "What mattered most was that it was chosen for the product itself, not because it was a Korean brand," and recalled, "It was the moment we confirmed that the product strength and data we built in Korea translate directly to overseas runners as well." Shin earned a master's in physical education from Korea University, operated a training center in 2017, and founded AscentSports in 2020.
Ultimate Potential designs ingredients tailored to the sport, training goal, and exercise type, based on papers from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). The core is a "circular structure." After intake, performance data feed back into product development, and as this cycle repeats, the products become increasingly refined.
This approach showed immediate effects in the field. Shin said, "In many cases, the cause of athletes' performance decline wasn't training but intake strategy," adding, "Adjusting only the products and timing changed their times."
AscentSports currently holds data on about 70,000 customers and more than 68 teams and institutions at home and abroad. Shin emphasized, "As data accumulates, 'optimal intake protocols by individual goal' are created," and said, "This isn't an area others can catch up to just by making the same products."
AscentSports' data-driven strategy is also recognized in professional sports. Four national soccer teams across four countries and numerous pro clubs currently use Ultimate Potential. The company said excluding doping risks from the raw material stage and securing global certifications led to trust.
Pro references mean more than just results. When regular customers choose products, the fact that a "national team uses the brand" serves as strong grounds for trust.
The effect is even greater overseas. Shin said, "Especially in Southeast Asia, it's hard to secure a premium position just because it's a 'Korean brand,'" adding, "But being a brand used by national teams is a completely different story."
The Southeast Asian market is AscentSports' future growth pillar. The company recently partnered with CALX, a local wellness brand in Thailand. CALX will handle local distribution, marketing, and sponsorships, while AscentSports will supply products and performance data. The plan is to quickly establish a foothold in the market by combining the local partner's execution with the company's technology.
Starting with Thailand, the company also segmented strategies by country. Singapore will serve as a premium product base and Asia hub; Indonesia is a market to scale sales using large distribution networks; and Malaysia will act as a bridgehead for entering the Muslim market based on halal certification.
The expansion strategy will proceed in stages. This year, the company will stabilize distribution networks in four Southeast Asian countries and, by 2028, secure halal certification to enter the Middle East. After that, it plans to move into global sports event venues, including North America.
Shin explained the backdrop: "If the existing market centered on protein products for bodybuilding, now endurance sports such as running, cycling, and triathlon are growing rapidly," adding, "There aren't many brands in Asia with lineups specialized for endurance."
AscentSports' ultimate goal is to transition into a data-driven performance platform. The company said that when wearable, training, and intake data are combined, it can deliver integrated services from intake plans tailored to individual conditions and schedules to injury prevention and recovery management.
Shin said, "At that stage, customers won't be buying products; they'll be subscribing to performance care," adding, "The revenue structure will also shift from single-item sales to recurring service-centered."
Shin added, "When the point at which overseas sales surpass domestic sales overlaps with the point at which the share of data-driven service sales grows meaningfully, the company will hit an inflection point."
AscentSports posted sales of 900 million won in 2023, 1.4 billion won in 2024, and 1.6 billion won last year. After shifting to in-house manufacturing in 2024, the company also turned a profit last year. This year, it is targeting 5 billion won in domestic sales and 1 billion won overseas, and next year it plans to expand to 20 billion won and seek Series B investment.
Shin said, "There are overseas brands that come to mind when you think of 'sports nutrition' now, but five or 10 years from now, when people say 'that company that started in Asia,' I hope AscentSports comes to mind."