However, the company has faced criticism for its claims and methods. Dr Jonathan Eisen, a professor at University of California, Davis, and a specialist in medical microbiology and genomics, has called the company the "Theranos of Microbiome Studies" and criticized it for making misleading statements. While acknowledging that Viome's diagnostics could potentially be useful for the study of microbiomes, Eisen argued that the company lacks evidence that it can identify what is wrong or right from microbiome data.
Key takeaways:
- Viome, a startup that assesses customers' microbiomes and provides them with supplements and guidance based on the findings, has raised $86.5 million in a Series C funding round co-led by Khosla Ventures and Bold Capital.
- The company plans to use the funding to expand its existing business and break into new areas, including new product lines around mouth and dental health and retail partnerships, such as a deal with CVS.
- Viome's technology, which was originally developed out of research from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, uses AI to analyze and interpret biological data, and the company claims to have the world's largest database of RNA sequencing data.
- Despite its success, Viome has faced criticism from some in the scientific community, such as Dr. Jonathan Eisen, a professor at University of California, Davis, who has accused the company of making misleading statements and not accurately representing the science in the field.