Seed Health Closes $40 Million in Series A Financing to Launch New Categories, Accelerate Global Distribution and Expand Clinical Research

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Apr 21, 2021, 08:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Seed Health, a microbial sciences company developing next-generation probiotic applications and live biotherapeutics, today announced the close of a $40 million Series A financing led by impact investor, The Craftory, alongside TechBio investor ARTIS Ventures and life science investor GISEV, with participation from existing investors, Founders Fund and 8VC.

Credit: BioArt by Tal Danino. Bacteria image by Soonhee Moon.

This funding will support the Company's rapid growth and power upcoming category launches, clinical research, digital health initiatives, microbial stabilization technologies, and international expansion.

"Advances in research reveal the vast potential of microbes to transform how we live and care for ourselves, our children, and our environment. We are inspired to steward this next generation of probiotics and microbiome-based innovations that will disrupt and forever change the global categories of health, hygiene, diet and self-care," said Ara Katz, Seed Health co-founder and co-CEO.

With the Company's Scientific Board of leading microbiome researchers, clinicians and academic partners, Seed Health has assembled an Intellectual Property estate and Master Cell Bank (MCB) with microbial applications across gastroenterology, dermatology, oral hygiene, pediatrics, women's health, and nutrition.

"We are converging advances in sequencing technologies, metabolomics, and functional strain characterization to gain insight into microbial communities and develop interventions that are effective across a heterogeneous population or personalized," said Raja Dhir, Seed Health co-founder and co-CEO. "These proceeds accelerate our multi-platform, multi-technology approach to efficiently take breakthrough research from discovery to market across ecosystems of the body at various life stages, developmental windows, and health conditions."

Seed Health Expands Clinical Roadmap

Seed Health's flagship DS-01™, a 24-strain broad spectrum probiotic, recently received IND authorization for a clinical trial in IBS patients with Dr. Anthony Lembo at Harvard Medical School. It is also under study in four additional clinical trials to evaluate efficacy in endpoints related to constipation, post-alcohol gut microbiota restoration, urolithin production, and recovery after broad-spectrum antibiotics.

The clinical pipeline includes a slate of randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trials evaluating the Company's interventions and characterizing distinct microbiomes on and within the human body.

"We are inspired to support Seed Health's bold vision to realize the potential of microbes to impact health, sustain life on our planet and revolutionize how we live," said Ernesto Schmitt, Craftory co-founder. "Their commitment to rigor and transparency goes beyond exceptional science and probiotic innovation. They have quickly become industry leaders in their field and stewards of a new standard in science communication and global brand-building in consumer health. Their education and sustainability-first ethos reflects our mission to invest in challenger companies and founders with conviction."

Beyond the consumer health roadmap, Seed Health's first live biotherapeutic will enter FDA and EMA (European Medicines Agency) trials this year for recurrent Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) with renowned vaginal microbiome researcher, Dr. Jacques Ravel, in partnership with LUCA Biologics.

"We are incredibly impressed with Seed Health's decentralized model in microbiome, which enables them to efficiently advance breakthrough research from discovery to development, validation, clinical research, and scale up. Their combination of scientific rigor, human-centered design and omni-channel expertise, uniquely positions them in the fast-growing global field of probiotics and live biotherapeutics," stated ARTIS Ventures' Managing Partner, Stuart Peterson.

Establishes SeedLabs to Address Environmental Health

Beyond human health, the Company established SeedLabs to develop microbial applications for pressing ecological and environmental challenges. The first innovation was a probiotic for honey bees (Time's 'Best Inventions,' Fast Company's 'World Changing Ideas'). The next initiatives will focus on coral regeneration, biomaterial development, and space, and will be announced later this year.

"I am inspired by Seed's bold vision to ferment the future, using microbes to rethink health," stated George Church, PhD, SeedLabs Advisor and Head of Synthetic Biology at Harvard Wyss Institute.

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The universe in size is hard to fathom
When composed in a region small as a single atom
One billionth the size the point of a pen
Microscopic, on a macro level within
GZA, The Spark¹

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About Seed Health
Seed Health is a microbial sciences company pioneering applications of microbes for human and planetary health. In collaboration with leading academic researchers, we advance breakthrough discoveries in microbial science across a pipeline of novel therapeutics, consumer health innovations and environmental solutions. All consumer innovations in probiotics are commercialized under Seed®. seedhealth.com / seed.com

Scientific Board
Seed Health Scientific Board includes James Versalovic, MD, PhD, Jacques Ravel, PhD, Sarkis Mazmanian, PhD, Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, Martin Blaser, MD, George Church, PhD, Maurizio Fava, MD, Gregor Reid, PhD, MBA, Belinda Tan, MD, PhD, Alessio Fasano, MD, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, PhD, Greg Sieczkiewicz, JD, PhD, Steve Horvath, PhD, Shruti Naik, PhD, Jan Claesen PhD, John Ryals, PhD, Azza Gadir, PhD, Nini Tran, DDS, PhD, Joseph Petrosino, PhD, and Janet Jansson, PhD.