Viome, a company selling microbiome products and health diagnostics, announced Tuesday that it raised $25 million from investors and hired Kal Raman as its chief operating officer.
The Bellevue, Wash.-based startup plans to ramp up its diagnostic division, and Raman will help lead that effort. Raman’s past roles include senior vice president at Amazon and chief digital officer for Samsung.
Viome has developed CancerDetect, a test for oral and throat cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the technology a breakthrough device designation, enabling it to receive expedited assessment in pursuit of FDA approval. CancerDetect has a 90% sensitivity rate and a 95% specificity rate in detecting cancer, according to the company.
The cancer technology is one of the key reasons Raman joined the company. He lost a brother to oral cancer that was discovered after it had metastasized.
“By the time we detected it, it was too late. And we did everything we could,” Raman said.
Viome is interested in developing other diagnostics, including for health conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
CEO Naveen Jain founded Viome in 2016. Jain is best known as the founder and former CEO of InfoSpace, and also co-founded public records firm Intelius. Viome is his seventh venture.
In addition to its diagnostic tests, Viome sells microbiome products that are individually tailored for customers based on the results of saliva, stool and blood samples. The company provides customized dietary supplements, biotics to support helpful gut microorganisms, and food recommendations in the pursuit of improved health.
The estimated value of the microbiome health market varies widely among sources, but experts agree it’s growing.
Some scientists and researchers remain wary of microbiome kit companies, criticizing a lack of scientific rigor and regulation.
Viome has a handful of peer-reviewed studies, though some researchers have questioned the company’s methodology.
Viome has launched some unexpected partnerships and products. That includes a past deal with Nordstrom to sell its at-home stool sample kits for biome analysis; the announcement of socialite Paris Hilton as an investor and brand ambassador; and the sale of a personalized toothpaste.
The new funding, which is a Series D round, comes from existing investors including Khosla Ventures, Bold Capital WRG Ventures, Marc Benioff of Salesforce, and others. Viome has raised $200 million to date.
https://ift.tt/m7W8nTF September 10, 2024 at 01:00PM GeekWire
Post a Comment
0Comments