London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Dec 09, 2023

Silicon Valley is coming for your gut biome

Silicon Valley is coming for your gut biome

Venture capitalists who have made fortunes investing in software and hardware are putting tens of millions of dollars into companies that make probiotic pills.
Cryptocurrency hasn’t worked out so well for tech investors. Neither has the metaverse so far. Self-driving cars have been slow to arrive, and social media doesn’t have the hyper-fast growth that it did a few years ago. 

So where can a savvy tech investor turn these days in search of the next big idea? Two words: dietary supplements.   

Some venture capitalists who have made fortunes investing in software and hardware are putting tens of millions of dollars into companies that make probiotic pills, capsules filled with plant extracts and other nutritional supplements as a potential new frontier. 

As a consumer product, supplements are associated more with the Kardashians or Joe Rogan than with Silicon Valley. The industry is infamous for its lack of regulation under a 1994 federal law that exempts supplements from most Food and Drug Administration oversight, and it has boomed in recent years despite questions about efficacy.

Now, venture capitalists are betting that advances in DNA sequencing and related techniques will usher in a new and more credible wave of supplements, focused especially on gut health. 

Roelof Botha, the managing partner of Sequoia Capital, one of the largest venture capital firms in the world, is among those buying in. He said there’s a “societal reawakening” about the complex biome of the human gut where hundreds of species of bacteria live. 

“Inadvertently, we entered this era where we had an adversarial stance between humans and the rest of nature,” he said. “We overused antibiotics. We overused soaps. And now we’re going back into balance.” 

Botha is best known in the tech industry for early bets on Instagram and YouTube, but he said he became interested in gut health after Sequoia invested in genetics testing companies such as 23andMe. That interest led Sequoia to invest in Pendulum, a San Francisco startup that’s selling probiotic supplements. 

He takes them himself. “There’s nothing like getting live microbes into your system,” he said. 

Sequoia has plenty of company. In 2021, venture capitalists invested $488 million in probiotic companies and other supplement startups worldwide, five times what they invested five years earlier, according to PitchBook, a research firm that tracks startup investments. The money last year went to 99 separate funding deals — a record high for activity, according to Pitchbook. 

The money includes investments from pharmaceutical and food giants, but also from Silicon Valley elite who don’t come from the world of biotech. 

Khosla Ventures, headed by a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, is also an investor in Pendulum. Y Combinator, a well-known tech incubator, has a stake in Persephone Biosciences, a startup researching potential cancer treatments involving gut microbes. Social Capital, another large venture capital firm, invests in a startup called ZBiotics that sells a probiotic drink as a hangover cure. 

It’s a welcome development for some startup founders. 

“Five years ago, the investors were health investors who had a background in health, or food investors who had a background in food,” said Sofia Elizondo, a co-founder of Brightseed, a San Francisco startup that’s developing gut health products. 

“And what we’re finding is a lot of crossover investor interest now, where a lot of capital shares the thesis that precise, molecular-level proactive health is the way of the future,” she said. 

There’s already been one cautionary tale about how a probiotic startup can go wrong. uBiome, a San Francisco startup that promised to give people insight into their microbiome based on tests of fecal matter, attracted tens of millions of dollars in investments including from the venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator. 

But last year, federal prosecutors said uBiome’s tests weren’t scientifically valid and they charged the founders, Zachary Apte and Jessica Richman, with fraud. The two were living in Germany as of last year and have not been extradited to face the charges, The Wall Street Journal reported. Their lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. 

Still, the episode hasn’t soured venture capitalists on the potential of “nutraceuticals,” which fit in with a certain strain of Silicon Valley self-improvement culture known as biohacking.

As a business, probiotics and other supplements have at least two advantages that venture capitalists typically look for. One is steady recurring revenue, which comes from people taking pills daily or food manufacturers using them as additives to control insulin, improve digestion or attempt weight-loss. 

The other is a lack of strict regulation. The ingredients must be generally regarded as safe and the manufacturers can’t market supplements as more effective than the research shows, but supplements don’t need to go through the same rigorous approval process as pharmaceuticals. 

Botha, from Sequoia Capital, said he believes genetics research has similar potential to microchips a generation ago, when microchip power was expected to double every two years under a principle called Moore’s Law. 

DNA sequencing has “progressed faster than Moore’s law,” he said. And that, he added, is what makes the sector a good target for Silicon Valley. “It’s about understanding biology as an information science.” 

Elisa Marroquín, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Texas Christian University, said that the science around the new wave of supplements is still new, but she said at least some tech startups seem to be on the right track. She said she doesn’t have a financial relationship with any startups, though she has spoken with them about obtaining samples for research.

“We’re still very early in the understanding of these bacterial species,” Marroquín said. She co-wrote a review of the science this year, and said future probiotic supplements have promise compared to supplements that have been available for decades. 

“I do believe they’re going to have stronger effects on our health than the current probiotics that are on the market,” she said. 

But part of the challenge for the new wave of supplements startups is to change the perception of their industry as unscientific or as a kind of Northern California witchcraft. 

Among certain scientists, “probiotics are definitely this voodoo,” said Colleen Cutcliffe, a co-founder of Pendulum and its CEO. She has a doctorate in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University, and her two co-founders also have doctorates. 

“In fact, in the first eight years of our company, I didn’t let anyone use the p-word to discuss our product,” she said, referring to probiotics. “I said, ‘This is a microbiotic intervention.’”

Pendulum sells a few products so far, including a supplement with akkermansia muciniphila, a gut bacteria that it markets as a “next generation probiotic” linked to controlling diet-induced obesity. The bacteria is difficult to manufacture alive because it can die when it comes into contact with oxygen, Cutcliffe said, so Pendulum has built a proprietary process that keeps oxygen out. 

Cutcliffe said there are tens of thousands of gut bacteria strains still to be studied, with a $60 billion global probiotic industry waiting for new products — which is what has caught investors’ eyes. 

“What appealed to these folks was the idea of category creation, and an already existing huge market that hadn’t had any innovation in a long time,” she said.
Comments

Oh ya 347 days ago
Or you can just eat fermented foods and not buy there overpriced pills

Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
Close
0:00
0:00
"New Beginnings: Greece and Turkey Agree to Repair Relations
You Are So Beautiful
Finland's Supreme Court Prevents Extradition of Russian Terrorism Suspect to Ukraine
Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
UK Proposes Streamlined Financial Advice to Reduce Costs for Consumers
An old French tune (by Georges Brassens) Pomplamoose ft. John Schroeder
UK's Labour Party Conducts Review of Financial Services to Boost City's Growth Potential
Sattahip Motor Show 20
London City Hall Condemns Blast Targeting Clean Air Zone Camera
SONATE AU CLAIR DE LUNE - Moonlight sonata
Venezuela Steps Up Claim on Guyana's Essequibo Region
A kiss to build a dream on
Spain's First AI Model Earns Up to $10,000 Monthly
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Spotify Plans Workforce Reduction of Nearly 20% Despite Reporting £55 Million Profit
Mean Blues
Former President Restricted from Leaving Ukraine Amid Alleged Plan to Meet Hungary's Viktor Orban
La Chansonnette
Ikea Commits £10 Million for 2024 Pay Raises for UK Employees
Pattaya Addicts
Ant and Dec, our favorite jungle jesters, have thrown a curveball. They're suggesting a 'politician-free' season of 'I'm A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here!'
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum - Love Dream
Trump’s lawyers say he did not take an oath ‘to support the Constitution’
Dream a little dream of me
Henry Kissinger, the influential American diplomat, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and former Secretary of State, passed away at 100 at his Connecticut home.
Unchained Melody sung like you've NEVER heard!
Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Parnpreeb Commends ICRC's Role in Hostage Release
Dave Brubeck - Take Five
Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the crypto exchange FTX who was convicted of fraud earlier this month, is adjusting to his new life in the detention center where he awaits sentencing.
Édith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (Sofie)
Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the crypto exchange FTX who was convicted of fraud earlier this month, is adjusting to his new life in the detention center where he awaits sentencing.
Rondo Alla Turca
The political network founded by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch has endorsed Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential nominating contest
Kiss of fire
Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's longtime investing partner, dies at 99
Tom Jones - I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 1967, 1989, 2001
Robert De Niro told an awards ceremony a speech he was reading had been edited without his knowledge, removing critical comments about Donald Trump
Israel Cachao López - Guajira Clásica
Standard Chartered is in the early stages of a search for its next chair as the bank prepares for the departure of Jose Vinals, who’s entering his eighth year in the role
Edward Maya - Stereo Love (feat. Vika Jigulina) (Extended Mix)
Eurostar to Suspend Amsterdam to London Service for 6 Months
Strauss - Radetzky March - Karajan
California is not considered a racist place. Or so it seems.
La vie en rose
Sam Altman's return to OpenAI marks a significant turn of events for Microsoft and its relationship with the AI giant.
The Temptations - My Girl (Smokey Robinson Tribute) 2006 Kennedy Cent
Radical immigrants set on fire police cars and loot shops in Dublin.
Orlando Cachaito Lopez Redencion
The BBC Caught Again with Questionable Journalistic Standards, as Ugly Facts Undermine Its Attractive Yet Flawed Arguments
Edith Piaf - NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN
This video reveals that Target's Black Friday promotions are entirely fake, with no actual discounts. The prices before and after are identical!
RADETZKY MARCH-2008-Wien, New Year Concert
Israel's Spokesperson Mark Regev's Response to Comparisons Between Palestinian Teenage Terrorists and Young Innocent Victims of Hamas Captivity
Only you (And you alone)
Here is a video showing the moment of the release of the captives by the terrorist organization Hamas and their transfer to the Red Cross on their way back to the State of Israel.
Strangers In The Night
Here is a video showing the moment of the release of the captives by the terrorist organization Hamas and their transfer to the Red Cross on their way back to the State of Israel.
Charles Aznavour - La Boheme
Bill Gates Envisions a Possible 3-Day Work Week with AI
Summer time
Viktor Orban's Provocative Assertions and Their Significance in Europe
Sting and Stevie Wonder - Fragile (from Sting's 60th birthday concert)
Orban's Blunt Challenge to Brussels: Embracing National Sovereignty in Migration Policy
Aux Champs Elysees
OpenAI Staff Rebellion: 500 Employees Demand Board Resignation in Dramatic Standoff
Stand By Me - Ben E. King (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
OpenAI Staff Rebellion: 500 Employees Demand Board Resignation in Dramatic Standoff
La Mer (Beyond the Sea) – Avalon Jazz Band
Over 200 Convicted in Italy's 'Ndrangheta Mafia Trial
She
In a scandalous revelation at the COVID-19 inquiry, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under fire for an alleged remark that suggests a chilling indifference to human life during the pandemic
Nathalie Song by Enzo Petrachi Stjepan Hauser Cello
Abu Dhabi-Backed Fund Poised to Assume Control of UK's Telegraph Media Group
Shape of My Heart - Sting (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Sam Altman and Greg Brockman Join Microsoft Amidst OpenAI Developments
Radiohead - Creep
Reporters Without Borders Unveils News Platform to Counter Russian Propaganda
Quizás,Quizás,Quizás - Andrea Bocelli - Jennifer Lopez
Singer Shakira will pay a fine of eight million euros after being accused of evading taxes worth 14.5 million euros during the years 2012-2014.
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Multi-Couples
Hungary's Orbán Asserts Ukraine Is Far from EU Membership
Pentatonix Havana
Racial Bias in AI Leads to Wrongful Arrest Due to False Recognition
Paula Cole - Autumn Leaves
Orban Stresses Hungary's Need to Reform the EU Rather Than Exiting It
Oscar Benton Bensonhurst Blues
Biden Advocates for Palestinian Authority to Govern Gaza and West Bank
OH NANANA vs ABUSADAMENTE
Brigitte Macron Opens Up About Her Marriage to Younger President Emmanuel Macron
Nina Simone - ”I Put A Spell On You”. Vezi aici cum cântă Jeremy Ragsd
Apple and Disney Halt Ads on X Following Elon Musk's Antisemitic Post, US Reacts
NIGHTWISH - The Phantom Of The Opera
Finland Shuts Four Crossing Points on Russia Border
Motorshow 2016 Tanjay Negros Oriental
Viktor Orbán Welcomes Cameron's Political Return
Monica Bellucci - Ti Amo
The UK’s Supreme Court, in a move that surprised no one who respects international law and human rights, has just delivered a landmark ruling against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s immigration strategy.
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Milena The Voice France 2018
YouTube has introduced an AI feature named Dream Track that can mimic the voices of celebrities such as Demi Lovato and John Legend, enabling users to compose brief songs by specifying lyrics and mood
Michael Buble (Help Me Make It Through The Night) feat Loren Allred
Memories Canon In D - Maroon 5 (Boyce Avenue piano acoustic cover)
Matteo Simoni - Marina
Maroon 5 - One More Night
Maroon 5 - Memories
Mark Knopfler - Brothers In Arms (Berlin 2007 Live)
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Romeo And Juliet (Real Live Roadrunni
Marina, Marina - The LUCKY DUCKIES intimist live concert at Guimarães
Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On Mauranne The Voice France 2016
Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet - Joslin - Henri Mancini, Nino Rota
LoLa & Hauser - Love Story
Linkin Park Jay-Z - Numb Encore (Live 8 2005)
Hallelujah Mennel Ibtissem, The Voice France Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love
Leonard Cohen & Natasha Rostova - Dance me to the end of love
La casa de papel - Bella Ciao
La Camisa Negra
L'italiano (Toto Cutugno) - The Gypsy Queens
Juanes - La Camisa Negra
Jonathan and Charlotte - Britain's Got Talent 2012 Live Semi Final - U
John Powell - Assassin's Tango
Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On (LIVE in Dortmund)
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart 2002 Live
Joe Cocker - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Jay Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind LIVE
Jason Mraz - Im Yours (live)
Jarrod Radnich - Bohemian Rhapsody - Virtuosic Piano Solo
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
James Blunt - You're Beautiful & Bonfire Heart (Live at The Nobel Peac)
If You Go Away - Helen Merrill & Stan Getz (Tribute to Virna Lisi)
I'LL BE MISSING YOU
I Say a Little Prayer
Hotel California ( Eagles ) 1994 Live
Historia de un amor - Luz Casal. Vezi interpretarea Biancăi Sumanariu
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover) on Spot
Heart - Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin - Kennedy Center Honors
HAVANA by Camila Cabello Zumba Pre Cooldown TML Crew Kramer Pastra
HAUSER and Señorita - I Will Always Love You
HAUSER - Waka Waka
HAUSER - Sway
HAUSER - Lambada
HAUSER - Historia de un Amor
HAUSER - Despacito
Great Pretender
Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice Samba to 'Volare' - Strictly Come
Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues
GIPSY KINGS VOLARE Penelope Cruz
Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
French Latino - Historia de un Amor
For A Few Dollars More The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Live)
Flashdance • What a Feeling • Irene Cara
Filip Rudan - “Someone You Loved” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sez
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Enya - Only Time
Enrique Iglesias - Bailando (English Version) ft. Sean Paul
Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos
Elena Yerevan Historia de un amor
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You (Official Music Video)
Ed Sheeran - Perfect Symphony [with Andrea Bocelli]
Ed Sheeran - Perfect (Official Music Video)
Easy On Me - Adele (Boyce Avenue 90’s style piano acoustic cover) on S
ERA - Ameno
ELENA YEREVAN- Cancion Del Mariachi-IN STUDIO-2017 DPR
Dust In The Wind - Kansas (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Despacito x Shape Of You - Pentatonix
Deep Purple - Child In Time - Live (1970)
David Foster When A Man Loves A WomanIt's A Mans World (SealMichael Bo
Dance me to the end of Love ( Pi-Air Design )
Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) [Official Music Video]
Conquest Of Paradise (Vangelis), played on Böhm Emporio organ
Cielito Lindo
Chico & The Gypsies - Bamboleo
Canción Del Mariachi - Antonio Banderas, Los Lobos • Desperado
Camila Cabello - Havana (Audio) ft. Young Thug
Camila Cabello - Havana ( cover by J.Fla )
California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas José Feliciano (Boyce Ave
Buster Benton - Money Is The Name of The Game
Hallelujah Pentatonix
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy (Official Music Video)
Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Emilia The Voice Kids France
Besame Mucho - Cesaria Evora
Ben E. King - Stand by Me Sax Cover Alexandra Ilieva Thomann
Bella Ciao
Bella Ciao - INSTRUMENTAL
Beautiful in White x Canon in D (Piano Cover by Riyandi Kusuma)
Bad Romance - Vintage 1920's Gatsby Style Lady Gaga Cover ft. Ariana Savalas & Sarah Reich(1)
BELLA CIAO 2020 - KARAOKE ITALIANO
BAMBOLEO - Gipsy Kings • Antonio Banderas, Katya Virshilas
BAILANDO (original)
Awesome Ukrainian yodeler - SOFIA SHKIDCHENKO (with English subtitles)
Avicii - The Nights
Atom - The Great Gig in the Sky
Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Official Ly
Antonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi (Desperado)
André Rieu - Zorba's Dance (Sirtaki)
André Rieu - Can't Help Falling In Love
André Rieu & Mirusia - Ave Maria
Andrew Reyes Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down The Voice 2020 (
Andreas Kümmert Whiter Shade Of Pale The Voice of Germany 2013 Showd
And I Love You So
All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
Alan Walker - Faded (Piano Cover)
Ain't No Sunshine -- Bill Withers (cover by Canen 12 y.o.)
African music
Adriana Vidović - “Creep” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
Adriana Vidović - “Believer” Nokaut 3 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
A Fistful of Dollars - The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Tuva
4 Beautiful Soundtracks Relaxing Piano [10min]
2CELLOS - Whole Lotta Love vs. Beethoven 5th Symphony [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
2CELLOS - Smooth Criminal (Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo)
2CELLOS - Smells Like Teen Spirit [Live at Sydney Opera House]
2CELLOS - Despacito [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
13 Year Old Girl Playing Il Silenzio (The Silence) - André Rieu
094.All About That Bass
00 - SADNESS PART 1
(Ghost) Riders In the Sky (American Outlaws Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (Boyce Avenue ft. Conn
What a wonderful world
Moon river
×