Outer Biosciences

Outer Biosciences, also known as Outer Bio, is a biotechnology research company that develops novel bioactive compounds for the health and beauty industries. Founded in 2020 by a team including CEO Michael Polansky, Chief Scientist Kyung-Jin Jang, CTO Chris Hinojosa, and Chief Business Officer Stanley King, the company operates at the intersection of biology, artificial intelligence, and dermatology. Entertainer and entrepreneur Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga) also co-founded the company and serves on its board of directors. The company's core technology is its proprietary "Yuna" platform, which maintains full-thickness human skin tissue, sourced ethically from surgical discards, viable in a lab for up to a month. This extended timeframe allows researchers to observe complex biological processes such as collagen remodeling, pigmentation changes, and skin barrier repair, which are not observable in conventional, shorter-duration lab models. Outer Biosciences couples these advanced ex vivo skin models with an AI and machine learning platform. The AI models screen millions of compounds to predict which bioactives may safely produce desired results, and these predictions are then tested on the living skin samples. The resulting data, whether the test is successful or not, is fed back into the system, creating a powerful feedback loop that continually refines future predictions. The firm's business model is not to create a consumer-facing brand, but to operate as a research and development engine for the broader cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. It aims to license or sell its validated, high-efficacy ingredients to other companies, which will then incorporate them into final products like serums and creams. One of its known partners is Lady Gaga's cosmetics brand, Haus Labs. As of late 2026, the company, based near Cambridge, Massachusetts, has raised approximately $23 million in funding from investors including Wing Venture Capital, Initialized Capital, and Sozo Ventures to scale its operations. Keywords: bioactive discovery, skin health, ex vivo skin models, artificial intelligence, machine learning, dermatology, cosmetics ingredients, tissue engineering, multimodal data analysis, preclinical development, Yuna platform, Michael Polansky, Lady Gaga, natural compounds, skincare research, organotypic models, high-throughput screening, computational biology, drug discovery, beauty technology, biotechnology