AUSTIN, Texas, March 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tiny Health, the first at-home gut microbiome test developed for babies, today announced a $8.5 million Series A round led by Spero Ventures, bringing the company’s total funding to $13 million to further gut health innovation. Other partners who participated in the round included TheVentureCity, Overwater Ventures, Next Coast Ventures, and Peterson Ventures, along with investment from longtime Tiny Health customers and angels at Parenthood Ventures. The partnership enables Tiny Health to continue trailblazing the gut health testing category and avert the pediatric chronic conditions crisis.
More than 40 percent of children in the U.S. have at least one chronic health condition, and that number is rising. Families are facing a pediatric chronic conditions crisis, with increasing rates of eczema, asthma, diabetes, obesity, food allergies, ADHD, autoimmune diseases, and more. Science shows that early detection of gut microbiome imbalances – primarily in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life – can help prevent and even reverse chronic illness, since 80 percent of our immune system lies in the gut.
“I was told my child would grow out of their eczema and allergies, but that wasn’t the case. From microbiome research I learned that I could improve my child’s conditions by healing the gut, which was a game-changer,” says Cheryl Sew Hoy, CEO and founder of Tiny Health.
“However, there were no infant gut tests available to help detect imbalances and make corrections during the first 1,000 days of life, which is a crucial time for gut development. I founded Tiny Health to bridge the gap in the market, help address the pediatric chronic conditions crisis, and empower families to take a proactive approach to their lifelong health. Our investors are helping us chart new territory for evidence-based gut testing and improve health outcomes for future generations, and the participation from Tiny Health families is further validation of our impact and a testament to our mission.”
“While Tiny Health’s starting point is infant gut health, the company has grown to offer whole family testing, as well as vaginal microbiome testing to help expectant mothers understand what beneficial microbes they will pass along to their babies,” says Sara Eshelman, General Partner at Spero Ventures and Board Member at Tiny Health. “With this latest funding round, the company will expand its platform to better support growing families across pediatrics, women’s health, metabolic health, adult chronic conditions, and beyond in a way that minimizes risk and maximizes health.”
Tiny Health was founded in 2020 by a mother on a mission to heal her child’s gut microbiome after suffering with eczema and food intolerances. Developed by a team of microbiologists, pediatric physicians and scientists, Tiny Health uses state-of-the-art sequencing technology to provide comprehensive gut and vaginal microbiome analyses combined with actionable recommendations to restore imbalances and optimize overall health.
Since its inception, Tiny Health has pioneered the family gut testing category including:
- Established the first, at-home gut microbiome test for babies. Tiny Health is the first-ever stool test for babies that uses shotgun metagenomics sequencing for comprehensive detection of over 120,000 bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea and parasites in the gut. Families receive detailed insights along with individualized, evidence-based recommendations from scientific experts to help improve gut health.
- Helping thousands of families and growing rapidly. Tiny Health has helped over 25,000 families take control of their microbiome health. The company has grown 25% month-over-month since its launch in 2022 and has expanded its suite of tests to include adults, children (ages 3-17) and vaginal health to address the microbiome at all stages of life.
- Pioneering strain-tracking technology. Today, Tiny Health announced new probiotic strain-tracking capabilities for its gut and vaginal tests. The groundbreaking feature detects the potential colonization of probiotic strains in the gut or vaginal microbiome, providing insight into how the supplements we take impact our health.
- Launched B2B arm (poweredbytiny.com) and continues to expand its partnership ecosystem. Powered by Tiny is a B2B platform dedicated to expanding microbiome-based solutions, a milestone in advancing human microbial sciences. Through clinical trials, co-branded gut and vaginal testing kits, practitioner and research partnerships, Tiny Health is propelling the industry forward and revolutionizing the landscape of microbiome research and application.
- Conducting IRB-approved clinical studies to show improved health outcomes of its own microbiome tests for the maternal-infant population. Given the strong evidence that early-life gut imbalances are linked to chronic immune conditions, Tiny Health research focuses on solving the pediatric chronic condition crisis that currently affects nearly 30 million U.S. children, and almost half of the adult population in the U.S., who suffer from eczema, allergies, asthma, constipation, and other digestive and behavioral issues.
“It’s important that, as parents, we have access to evidence-based gut microbiome technology that can meaningfully change health outcomes for our children,” says Jason Jenks and Yeelin Tan, Tiny Health customers who participated in the round. “That’s why we’re excited to invest in Tiny Health, a company that has opened our eyes to the power of restoring gut health and has helped change our child’s life for the better.”
To learn more or to explore Tiny Health’s suite of family microbiome testing products, visit tinyhealth.com.
About Tiny Health
Founded in 2020, Tiny Health is the first-ever at-home gut microbiome test developed for babies and moms, empowering families to take control of their gut health to improve long-term health outcomes. Built by a team of microbiome scientists and early-life scientific experts, our innovative tests are intended to educate consumers about the microbes in the body and provide evidence-based insights on how to improve gut health to optimize overall well-being. Serving more than 25,000+ families across the U.S., Tiny Health offers microbiome testing for every stage of life – from womb through adulthood. For more information and to try out Tiny Health, visit https://www.tinyhealth.com/.
Media Contact
LaunchSquad for Tiny Health
tinyhealth@launchsquad.com
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