Viome Life Sciences announced a $25 million internal Series D and the appointment of its new chief operating officer, Kal Raman.

Khosla Ventures, Marc Benioff, Bold Capital WRG Ventures and others participated in the round. 

Raman joins Viome as COO after previously holding the position of senior vice president of non-media business, marketing and retail technology at Amazon and chief digital officer at Samsung. He also formerly worked as chief operating officer at Groupon.

WHAT IT DOES

The Washington-based company offers a total body intelligence test for users to obtain food recommendations and create custom-formulated supplements and probiotics, which Viome also develops and distributes. 

It also offers an oral health intelligence test with its VRx My·Biotics Oral Lozenges targeted at evaluating and improving one's oral bacteria. 

Viome will use the funds to bring Raman on as COO to spearhead the expansion of the company's offerings and launch its diagnostic division. 

"Armed with the world's largest database of human and microbial RNA (gene expression) and employing advanced AI technology, Viome stands at the forefront of early diagnosis of life-threatening and debilitating chronic diseases and cancers. By unraveling the complexities of microbial activity and its interactions with the human immune system, we are pioneering new ways to understand health at its core," Naveen Jain, founder and CEO of Viome, told MobiHealthNews in an email. 

"With over 30 predictive models already developed, our diagnostics division is poised to pioneer further innovations aimed at early detection of cancer, autoimmune disorders, and metabolic conditions. This recent infusion of funds propels us forward, accelerating our research and elevating the standards of preventative healthcare."

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Last year, Viome closed a $86.5 million oversubscribed Series C funding round, bringing its total raise to $175 million. The company also announced the launch of its Gut Intelligence Test in 200 CVS locations. 

The funding came just two years after the company raised $54 million in a pre-Series C convertible round. It scored $56 million in Series B funding in 2019 and $15 million in August 2017.  

In 2021, Viome received FDA breakthrough device designation for its mRNA-analysis technology and AI platform, which detects early signs of oral and throat cancer through user saliva samples.

The same year, the company announced it was expanding its partnership with global pharma company GlaxoSmithKline to research and potentially develop interventions for some cancers and autoimmune diseases.

The collaboration aimed to allow the companies to study the connection between the gut microbiome and some chronic diseases, like autoimmune disorders.

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