20 companies innovating in the gut and metabolic health space
Blog post written by Jessica Hobbis, edited for clarity by Anja Streicher
Metabolic health is hugely important in our lives, influencing sleep, energy levels, and overall wellness. Yet this topic is hugely under-researched – with many only now recognising the individuality and importance of the gut microbiome. With only 12% of all Americans being actually metabolically healthy, and 40% of people globally now suffering from gastrointestinal disorders (such as IBS and colitis); there is great scope for companies to expand into this space and help millions of people reach their full potential.
Gut health can also be life-threatening, influencing the presence and prevalence of both diabetes and colon cancer. 1 in 3 Americans (88 million people) has pre-diabetes, with 34 million Americans having diabetes, equating to over 10% of the population. Further, colon cancer is the second greatest cause of cancer deaths in the US, yet is beatable in 90% of cases when detected early. If this doesn’t highlight the importance of knowing what we should put into our bodies then nothing will!
The list below contains a few examples of interesting companies that are innovating in this space – but if you feel that we have missed any out please do not hesitate to contact us!
1. Her One
Her One is a female-owned holistic health company focussing on scientifically formulated, nutritional support for well-being from within. With their high-quality products, they want to help women to tackle their problems from within. The purity and durability of their products are particularly important to them – relying exclusively on natural ingredients without any artificial or harmful substances.
Talking about digestion, gut health, and female health is still considered taboo by many. That is why Her One’s team is working on changing this. A central part of their philosophy is creating awareness surrounding women’s health topics and offering natural, clean and effective solutions.
Her One offers a range of products from drinkable digestion boosts, hormonal balance capsules, and PMS relief, fruit bites, and lots more to help address female gut health.
WeTheTrillions aims to re-engineer preventative healthcare with evidence-based research, microbiome science, algorithms, and exquisite food. They make delicious customised meals that you can build habits around – for each of your health needs including; fertility, menopause, IBS, and diabetes. They offer a free assessment to learn more about your unique health needs, lifestyle, and preferences which they take into consideration when designing your custom recipes. Their website also contains lots of information about the guy microbiome and how to harness this to help your overall health.
3. DayTwo
DayTwo is using microbiome data to change the outlook of chronic disease – starting with type 2 diabetes. Every gut microbiome is unique. That’s why even identical twins respond to the same food differently. DayTwo has been studying the complex ecosystem inside the gut for years. Now we have the knowledge to make food recommendations based on this personal data. The result? A plan tailored to your unique biology.
Using their patented AI, they can predict blood sugar responses before the first bite. This is because their data goes very deep on the individual level and also very wide across one of the largest microbiome databases in the world.
The Gut Stuff was set up by Alana and Lisa Mac, a set of twins, who have become passionate about bringing information about the gut to everyone after discovering that they only shared 30-40% of the same microbiota. Together, they have grown an expert team of scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, and doctors to help expand their website.
After travelling the world talking about the gut, in 2020 the Mac twins decided to set in motion the plans to launch their own food product range, create ‘at home’ gut health kits and write a book with the top experts in the world. However, their website currently only offers high fibre bars – which provide you with 1/3 of the daily recommended fibre intake.
Iterative Scopes is a pioneer in the application of artificial intelligence-based precision medicine to gastroenterology with the aim of establishing a new standard of care for the detection, and ultimately, the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Its powerful, proprietary artificial intelligence and computer vision technologies are designed with the goal of improving the accuracy and consistency of endoscopy readings.
SKOUT, the company’s automated polyp detection tool, is an AI-driven medical device that aims to improve and standardise insights from endoscopic videos. It can potentially assist gastroenterologists in identifying precancerous lesions to improve their clinical decision-making.
6. ZOE
ZOE means life in Greek and they are committed to helping people live to their fullest. They are a health science company founded by Tim, Jonathon, and George. ZOE is running the largest in-depth nutrition study in the world, the largest COVID science project with over 4 million participants.
ZOE believes that nothing is more important than the food we eat. Their journey started 25 years ago, when Tim started his study of 13,000 twins, looking at genes, gut microbes, and lifestyle. He was surprised to discover that even identical twins, who share all their genes, have very different responses to the same foods. So, there is no one right way to eat – the key lies in understanding your own biology.
Get Nourished believe that if anything in the world should be personalised; it should be our health and wellness. Nourishing your mind and body with all the nutrients it needs can help to create a more balanced way of life, whilst vitalising our appearance and wellbeing. Nourished offers a variety of health benefits, including the better gut and digestive health – with this being one of the options you can prioritise when you create your own personal stack. After a consultation, they recommend 7 nutrients best suited to your goals and lifestyle and delivered straight to your door.
8. Aguulp
Aguulp argues that conventional hard supplements may have lower absorption rates than the figure you see on the pack, with some vitamins requiring fat for absorption and some vitamins interacting with each other, promoting or hindering absorption. This is where Aguulp’s liposomal technology changes the game. At Aguulp, they believe that liquids, liposomes, and legitimate absorption is how you make good supplements easy and accessible for everyone – with a sachet of Aguulp delivering 8 times more vitamins and nutrients compared to traditional tablets.
Aguulp has a range of products; including ‘for gut’, ‘for the brain’, and ‘for immune defense’. They have also introduced a Daily Synbiotic – a prebiotic and probiotic supplement with 50 billion friendly bacteria.
9. MyMicroZoo
Using state-of-the-art DNA analysis technology MyMicroZoo can show you which bacteria live in your gut. This provides you with valuable information on how your microbiome is composed. The gut microbiome has a lot of ways that it influences your body. Getting to know more about it can possibly help you to improve your health complaints, and sports achievements or help you optimize your food intake.
MyMicroZoo includes scientific 16S profiling analysis of your gut microbiome, an overview of results in an interactive results dashboard or detailed report, advice on how to generally improve your microbiome, and seeing one of their partnered healthcare professionals for more specific advice.
Inside of you, there is an invisible ecosystem of trillions of microbes. Among the most important is a group that Notitia Biotechnologies call the Foundation Guild. The bacteria in your Foundation Guild are central to your overall health – they produce beneficial substances that nurture your body and boost your immunity. Therefore, Notitia Biotechnologies’ Foundation Guild Wellness Program aims to identify, protect, restore and maintain your Foundation Guild, helping you live a longer and healthier life.
Their Wellness Program involves; Guild: Quest Analysis to identify the Foundation Guild bacteria in your gut; Guild: Plus Microbiome Nutrition Powder that contains the necessary nutrients and protectants to support the Foundation Guild bacteria in healthy individuals; and Guild: Save Foundation Guild bio-banking to isolate your Foundation Guild bacteria and put them into long-term storage – so that if your Foundation Guild is lost in the future, they can help you to regain it.
11. Beo Therapeutics
Across the EU, the US, and Japan 10-20% of the population is hyperuricemic. The condition is the underlying metabolic disorder that causes gouty arthritis and is also a causal risk factor for serious metabolic diseases such as hypertension, chronic kidney disease, NAFLD, and diabetes. In today's practice, only a strict diet (no alcohol, no red meat, no seafood) is the available treatment for the hyperuricemic population. Prescription medicine is restricted to patients with expressed gout and, after 1 year just 30-50% of patients are effectively treated. Beo Therapeutics is developing oral microbiome treatments for chronic administration, which compliments diet and drugs.
12. Amulet
Amulet is shining a light on invisible threats in our food system. Amulet has two brands: Allergy Amulet, whose signature wearable alerts people to allergens in their food; and Amulet Scientific, which equips food manufacturers with technology to target toxins and contaminants.
13. Sanno
Founder & CEO Ariadna Maso created Sanno in 2020 out of her own chronic gut issues.
Sanno is formed by a multidisciplinary team and works with a Scientific Board that ensures the latest clinical research and guidelines are embedded into our portal and app. Sanno empowers healthcare professionals to provide personalised care rooted in science.
Their core focus is on gastrointestinal disorders. Why? Because the gut is a key pillar as 70% of the immune system resides in the digestive tract. We also cover other areas such as weight management and women’s health.
14. Sano Genetics
Sano Genetics accelerates precision medicine research into chronic and rare diseases. It’s building a first-of-its-kind digital biobank of ulcerative colitis patients – including genomic, clinical, and patient-reported data – which will be a vital tool for researchers developing treatments and looking to gain a better understanding of the genetics of this inflammatory bowel disease.
Sano, launched in 2017 by three postgraduate students of genomics, matches participants to research, helping researchers recruit for studies and clinical trials. They believe research should be transparent, interactive and beneficial to everyone involved. This is why their platform is designed to be highly engaging – with research feedback and personalised DNA reports for participants – as well as private-by-design.
Sano ran their first study with Owlstone Medical in October 2019. To date they have raised almost $15M in venture capital funding and received several non-dilutive innovation grants, including £350K from Innovate UK to co-develop their platform with Genomics England for use in large-scale rare disease research.
15. Tiny Health
Tiny Health is the first science-based platform that aims to prevent gut imbalances in babies in the critical first 1,000 days that may lead to eczema, allergies, asthma, obesity, and other chronic diseases later in life. Tiny Health’s Gut Health Test is the first-ever at-home gut microbiome test to use shotgun metagenomics sequencing that’s tailored specifically for those trying to conceive, expecting moms and babies 0-3 years of age. The report provides visibility into maternal and infant gut development and generates insights and actionable recommendations.
16. Viome
Viome provides the industry’s only direct-to-consumer healthcare test that analyzes microbial and human gene expressions (mRNA), with technology exclusively licensed from Los Alamos National Lab, in order to provide individuals with health insights and the nutrition they need.
17. Oshi Health
Oshi Health is revolutionizing the management and treatment of digestive health conditions through a patient-centered and value-based care delivery model. They provide fast and convenient access to an integrated, multi-disciplinary care team, along with the support to implement each patient's personalized and whole-person care plan.
18. Levels
Levels helps you see how food affects your health with personalized insights so you can optimize your nutrition and activity. The company provides real-time feedback on how your diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health through biosensors like continuous glucose monitors. With Levels, you can learn exactly how your diet affects your glucose so you can adjust what, when, and how much to eat for better mental clarity and athletic performance.
19. Ritual
Ritual is a direct-to-consumer health brand that believes it’s crucial to know not just what you’re putting into your body, but why you need it in the first place. Their products are simple, effective, and backed by science. Their mission is simple: to empower people to feel their best by turning healthy habits into a ritual.
20. Motilent
Motilent is a technology start-up focused on delivering innovative services for the quantitative investigation of the gut. Motilent champions the use of novel MRI post-processing software as a cheaper and safer biomarker for Gastrointestinal and Bowel Disorders, providing quantitative endpoints for research, drug development, and clinical decision-making.
Join us on November 16 for our FemTech Untapped event “Innovations in gut and metabolic health” to hear and learn from some of these companies.
Jessica Hobbis is a recent graduate from the University of Oxford. In her position working as a Marketing Volunteer for WoW, she has loved the opportunity to learn more about the expanding world of FemTech, while developing a wide array of skills. She has a passion for healthcare, building relationships, and making a positive impact, and is excited to put these to use in her future career.
Anja Streicher is a Chief Marketing Officer at Women of Wearables. Anja is passionate about improving women’s health and wellness and supporting women in business, education, and children’s literature.