Seed (company)

Seed Health, popularly known as Seed, is an American health and life science company, most known for developing probiotics. Founded in 2015 by Ara Katz and Raja Dhir, Seed was founded to "use bacteria to improve human and environmental health". The company's main product, the probiotic DS-01, is sold direct to consumer, forgoing traditional brick-and-mortar retail.

Seed Inc
TypePrivate
IndustryLife sciences, Microbiome
Founded2015 (2015)
FounderRaja Dhir, Ara Katz
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, US
Key people
Sarkis Mazmanian; George Church; Jacques Ravel; Dirk Gevers
ProductsDS-01
PDS-08
Number of employees
92 (2022)
Websiteseed.com

In 2021, Seed raised a $40m Series A, allowing expansion into the skin microbiome, oral microbiome, vaginal microbiome, and infant microbiome. Aside from SeedLabs, which develops solutions to environmental challenges, the company develops its products through academic partnerships, currently with: Caltech, Harvard University, MIT, the University of Zurich and Cleveland Clinic.

History

Seed was founded in Los Angeles in 2015 and incorporated as Seed Health, Inc. to operate as a microbial sciences company.[1] CNBC and Bloomberg note their initial focus was to be a microbial sciences company 'using bacteria to improve human and ecological health'.[2][3]

Its founders and Co-CEOs are consumer tech entrepreneur Ara Katz and microbiome entrepreneur Raja Dhir.[4] Katz previously co-founded mobile commerce company, Spring, and was a fellow at the MIT Media Lab.[5][6][7] Dhir led academic collaborations with Primary Investigators from the Human Microbiome Project, alongside developing prior microbiome patents.[8][9]

In February 2021, the company announced it had acquired New York-based Auggi Technologies Inc., using artificial intelligence to track and analyze digestive health.[10] In July 2022, Seed partnered with Axial Therapeutics to "develop probiotics and therapeutics that [...] target anxiety, depression and mental wellbeing".[11]

As of 2022, Seed has 92 employees.[12] The company states its research partners as Caltech, Harvard University, MIT, University of Zurich, Stanford University, Mass General Hospital, and Cleveland Clinic.[13][14]

Leadership structure

Seed is led by Dhir and Katz as co-CEOs, and advised by a Board of Directors of Caltech Microbiology Professor Sarkis Mazmanian and Investor Ernesto Schmitt.[15] In 2022, Seed appointed Dirk Gevers, Former head of J&J's Janssen Human Microbiome Institute, as Chief Scientific Officer.[16][17] Gevers was previously Group Leader of Microbial Systems and Communities at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.[18]

Seed's Scientific Board is led by Dhir and includes George M. Church, The Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, Jacques Ravel, Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland and Kari C. Nadeau, Professor of Allergy and the director of the Sean N Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford.[19]

SeedLabs and others

In 2018, Seed established SeedLabs to 'to develop novel applications of bacteria to enhance biodiversity and recover ecosystems impacted by human activity'.[20] In 2018, SeedLabs was awarded in Time Magazine's 2018 best inventions for a probiotic for honeybees, and as a Fast Company 'World Changing Idea'.[21][22][23][24] SeedLabs is currently working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech and Harvard Medical School to degrade plastics using microbes, including PET plastics in spaceflight.[25]

Funding and revenue

Seed's Series A raised $40m led by The Craftory with participation from Artis Ventures, Founders Fund, Greycroft, Collaborative Fund.[9][26][27] The series A was used to ‘go beyond the gut’. Backers include Cameron Diaz, Jessica Biel and Karlie Kloss.[28][29] In 2021, WWD noted Seed's consumer adoption – '8,948 percent three-year growth rate' by the end of the second quarter 2021.[27][30][31] With the raise, the company was said to be interested in an Asia-Pacific region expansion, where the market was projected to expand 46 percent over five years.[27]

Products and distribution

Seed has two products. Their DS-01 product and their PDS-08 product.[32][33][34] The latter comes in powdered sachet form.[35][36]

Seed sells both products on a 30-day, refillable, supply model.[37][38] In 2021, Seed announced to Fast Company Magazine that they were carbon-negative, and released an 80-page field-guide.[39]

Products
  • DS-01; a 24-strain broad spectrum probiotic (clinical trial on IBS patients under Dr. Anthony Lembo at Harvard Medical School).[40]
  • PDS-08; an 8-strain microbial synbiotic.[41]

Seed's DS-01 underwent clinical trials regarding 'inflammatory cytokines, urolithin production, and recovery after broad-spectrum antibiotics'.[42]

References
  1. "Seed Health". CNBC. 12 Nov 2019. Retrieved 14 Jul 2022.
  2. "Seed Health Inc". Bloomberg L.P. p. 1. Seed Health, Inc. operates as a microbial sciences company. The Company focuses on discoveries in microbial sciences across a pipeline of novel therapeutics, consumer health innovations, and environmental solutions. Seed Health serves customers in the United States.
  3. Spiegel, David (12 November 2019). "100 of the world's most promising start-ups to watch in 2019". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  4. "Microbiome Company Seed™ Launches to Disrupt Probiotics, Set New Industry Standards". Bloomberg.com. 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  5. Staff (2016-02-12). "Spring App Co-Founder Ara Katz's Abbot Kinney Loft (Photos)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  6. Stanger, Maya Kosoff, Emmie Martin, Melissa. "SILICON ALLEY 100: Meet the most inspiring and influential people in New York tech right now". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-07-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Ryan, Emily. "Ara Katz Suggests You Listen to Your Gut". DuJour Media.
  8. Quaglia, Sofia. "How your microbiome can improve your health". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  9. DeAngelis, Allison. "See the presentation microbiome startup Seed Health used to raise $40 million". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  10. "Cornell Tech - Auggi Acquired by Seed Health". Cornell Tech. 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  11. nutraingredients.com (13 July 2022). "Seed Health partners with Axial Therapeutics for gut-brain program". nutraingredients.com. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  12. "Seed Health". Craft Co.
  13. "Seed Health Appoints Former Head of J&J's Janssen Human Microbiome Institute, Dirk Gevers, as Chief Scientific Officer". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  14. "Center for Computational and Integrative Biology". ccib.mgh.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  15. "Summit News | Ara Katz is Using Microbes to Improve Human and Planetary Health". summit.co. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  16. Health, Seed. "Seed Health Appoints Former Head of J&J's Janssen Human Microbiome Institute, Dirk Gevers, as Chief Scientific Officer". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  17. "Seed Health Taps Former Head of J&J's Janssen Human Microbiome Institute To Lead R&D". HAPPI. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  18. "Dirk Gevers". PharmTech Focus. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  19. Gross, Rachel E. (2022-04-27). "Can Probiotics Boost Vaginal Health?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  20. "Seed • SeedLabs". seed.com. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  21. "Health Food for Sick Bees: Honorable Mention on Best Inventions of 2018". Time. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  22. Peters, Adele (2018-08-27). "These probiotics for bees are designed to boost insect immune systems". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  23. Peters, Adele (2022-05-03). "How healthy bacteria could protect coral reefs from climate change". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  24. "Bloomberg Quicktake "Take the Lead" Full Show (11/08/21)". www.bloomberg.com. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-15. 21:45 minutes in
  25. "Project Overview ‹ MicroPET : Investigation of Biodegradation of PET Plastics in Spaceflight". MIT Media Lab. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  26. "Seed Investment Page". The Craftory. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  27. "Seed Health Secures $40 Million in Series A Funding". finance.yahoo.com. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-14. The first area of interest is the Asia-Pacific region, where the market is projected to have a 46 percent global growth rate in the next five years, according to the company.
  28. Strick, Katie (2019-08-19). "Seed is the new probiotic backed by Cameron Diaz and Jessica Biel". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  29. Brodwin, Erin. "A new kind of probiotic could change the $38 billion market by using real science". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  30. Chikhoune, Ryma (2021-04-21). "Seed Health Secures $40 Million in Series A Funding". WWD. Retrieved 2022-07-14. The probiotics market is worth an estimated $57.2 billion, according to Seed Health, which is "on track" for a 8,948 percent three-year growth rate by the end of the second quarter this year.
  31. "Seed's New $40M in Funding Will Let It 'Go Beyond the Gut'". dot.LA. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  32. Media, Our Partners at Verma (2022-05-10). "19 Best Probiotics for Women In 2022 Los Angeles Magazine". Lamag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  33. "Reinforce Your Gut Health With Science-Backed Probiotics". Futurism. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  34. "What the ELLE Canada Team Is Loving Right Now". Elle Canada. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  35. "The Bedtime Essentials and Rituals of 24 Beauty and Wellness Experts". Architectural Digest. 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  36. Group, Blue Ribbon (2022-06-10). "The 5 Best Probiotic Supplements In 2022: Top 5 Gut Health Supplements". D Magazine. Retrieved 2022-07-14. The brand produced PSD-08 Pediatric Daily Synbiotic for kids and teenagers. The formulation is made into powder form and packed in sachets.
  37. Wilson, Angelica (2022-02-04). "This Daily Synbiotic Helped Me Get My Sh*t Together". POPSUGAR Fitness. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  38. "Seed Makes An Impact On Human & Planetary Health". www.thedieline.com. Retrieved 2022-07-14. sustainable refill system
  39. Toussaint, Kristin (2021-04-30). "This field guide teaches companies how they can go carbon negative". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  40. Lembo, Anthony (2020-10-30). "A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-controlled Study to Evaluate the Impact of a Multi-strain Synbiotic on Fecal Metagenomic Stability, Gut Barrier Integrity, and Metabolic Output of the Gut Microbiota". Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Seed Health. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  41. Seed Health (2021-08-17). "A 12-week Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Tolerability and Gastrointestinal Response of a Novel, Multi-Strain Synbiotic (PDS-08) in Children Ages 3-17". Curebase, Inc. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  42. "On the hunt for bugs outside the gut, Seed Health snares $40M round to advance pipeline with the help of George Church". Endpoints News. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
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