Tiny Health raises $33M Series B to make microbiome testing routine
What's the deal? Tiny Health, which sells at-home gut and vaginal microbiome tests, has raised $33 million in an oversubscribed Series B round led by B Capital. The company aims to make microbiome testing a standard part of personal and clinical healthcare.
Who's in: New and existing investors joined, including Spero VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, TheVentureCityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Overwater VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Black Opal VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Denver VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Pave Health VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Alumni Ventures, Gaingels, and Pari Passu VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The round brings total funding to $46 million. Nick Whitehead, a senior principal at B Capital, has joined the board.
By the numbers: Tiny Health has crossed eight figures in revenue and is at least doubling annually. Revenue is split roughly evenly between its direct-to-consumer business and its business arm, Powered by Tiny, which grew fourfold over the past year. Adult testing now outpaces pediatric testing by volume.
What's the endgame? Founder and chief executive officer Cheryl Sew Hoy started the company after worrying about her colicky baby, but her ambitions are broader. "Tiny doesn't mean tiny babies necessarily," she says, noting the name refers to "tiny invisible microbes in your gut that are so essential for health."
Why now? The prospective market is large. In 2023, 76.4% of US adults reported at least one of 12 chronic conditions, per a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, while 31% of children aged 3 to 17 had at least one tracked chronic condition. Sew Hoy estimates 70% of adult customers arrive trying to learn about a chronic condition such as eczema.
Backing the science: Tiny Health is putting $5 million toward a microbiome research program that lets doctors and academic institutions apply for support. It has been involved in four published studies, including a trial of 54 C-section-born infants that found those receiving its testing and coaching had 83% lower odds of developing eczema. A follow-up trial with 150 infants has finished recruiting, and research is expanding into IBD, menopause, GLP-1s, and oncology drug response.
What's the competition? Tiny Health sits in a growing field of at-home testing companies. Viome, Zoe, and OmbreDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → sell gut tests, while Evvy and Juno BioDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → focus on the vaginal microbiome. On September 15, Evvy announced an oversubscribed $40 million Series B, taking its total funding to roughly $60 million.
The signal: Tiny Health's raise ranks near the top for US wellness and beauty Series B rounds over the past four years, sitting in the 92nd percentile among 74 comparable deals. As chronic conditions stay widespread and rivals raise at pace, investors are betting the microbiome shifts from consumer curiosity to clinical tool.
Read more: beautyindependent.com
Image credit: IBM Research
