Persephone collects and sequences stool samples to catalog human gut microbes, trains machine-learning models on that data combined with health records, and identifies high-value “superhero” strains. Its core product path includes a consumer probiotic supplement derived from modern human microbiota and therapeutics that could augment immunotherapy. In the near term the company plans a pediatric-targeted, shelf-stable liquid probiotic and a nationwide infant study in partnership with an unnamed infant-health partner. In parallel it is pursuing clinical applications in oncology, aiming to enter the clinic for lung cancer by 2024 and exploring broader indications such as IBS and inflammation. Persephone has collaborations with Ginkgo Bioworks and a large ARGONAUT study with Johnson & Johnson on the gut-immune axis. The company raised a $15M seed round to scale its infrastructure and research and previously got initial funding through Y Combinator in 2018 to build sample-collection systems.

Total raised

$15M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Jul 2022