Persephone Biosciences

What Persephone Biosciences does

Persephone Biosciences is a San Diego-based microbiome science company founded in 2017 by synthetic biologists Stephanie Culler, PhD and Steve Van Dien, PhD. The company's research platform is anchored by the My Baby Biome study, which analyzed gut microbiomes of 412+ U.S. infants and found that approximately 9 out of 10 babies lack keystone Bifidobacterium strains associated with healthy immune, digestive, and metabolic development. Using AI-enabled analysis of this dataset, Persephone selected four proprietary Bifidobacterium strains (PB-01 through PB-04) and paired them with a precision-matched four-HMO prebiotic blend (2'-Fucosyllactose, Lacto-N-tetraose, 6'-Sialyllactose, 3'-Sialyllactose) and 400 IU of Vitamin D to create two flagship consumer products: Bloom (infants 0–12 months) and Thrive (toddlers 12–36 months), both marketed under a daily synergistic synbiotic positioning.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model via Shopify with a subscription-first pricing structure ($64.95/month for Bloom; one-time purchases at $74.95 plus shipping). GTM combines content marketing, a healthcare practitioner referral program, and earned media placements in Scientific American, Gizmodo, Nature Biology, Healio, and Axios. Persephone also runs an expanding clinical research program — ARTEMIS (infant synbiotic RCT), AMBROSIA (546-participant colorectal cancer nutrition study with Kroger Health), Argonaut, and the Poop for the Cure research arm — which feeds back into product development and provides scientific credibility. Third-party testing is performed by Eurofins/Light Labs, and products carry Clean Label Project First 1,000 Days certification, Non-GMO verification, GRAS-classified ingredients, and GMP manufacturing.

Persephone is venture-backed, having closed a $15 million seed round in July 2022 led by First Bight Ventures and Propel Bio Partners, with participation from Y Combinator, Susa Ventures, ZhenFund, Ocampo Capital, BrightEdge, Fifty Years, Pioneer Fund, North South Ventures, and others. Strategic or financial backers include Johnson & Johnson and the American Cancer Society. The company employs 11–50 people and remains privately held, with no public listing, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed. The board is chaired by Daniel Bradbury with additional directors Paul Grint, MD, Leen Kawas, PhD (Propel Bio Partners), and Veronica Breckenridge (First Bight Ventures); operational leadership includes CBO/Board Member Veronique Riethuisen, Chief Medical Advisor Richard Insel, MD, and heads of Marketing, Product Development, and Computational Biology.

Name

Persephone Biosciences

Legal name

Persephone Biosciences

Website

https://www.persephonebiosciences.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Persephone Biosciences is a San Diego microbiome company that develops and sells Bloom and Thrive, proprietary daily synergistic synbiotics for infants and toddlers combining four Bifidobacterium strains with a precision-matched HMO blend, distributed via DTC subscription e-commerce with a healthcare practitioner channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Synbiotic Supplements

NAICS

Food (Health) Supplement Retailers (456191)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Baby Feeding Supplements & Fortifiers (Probiotics, DHA/ARA, Vitamins) (CRADAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Vitamins & Supplements (CRADAGAJ), Probiotics (Strains, Spore-Formers, Synbiotic Components) (AFAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Infant synbiotic supplements
• Probiotic prebiotic blends
• Pediatric nutritional products
• Microbiome gut health
• HMO infant formulas

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Subscription: Monthly subscription model for synbiotic products with discounted pricing and free shipping. Recurring revenue from subscription deliveries of infant and toddler synbiotics.
2. One-Time Product Sales: Single purchase option for non-subscribers at standard retail pricing with shipping fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Persephone Biosciences manufactures and sells two powdered synergistic synbiotic products — Bloom (for infants 0–12 months) and Thrive (for toddlers 12–36 months) — combining four proprietary Bifidobacterium strains with a precision-matched four-HMO prebiotic blend and Vitamin D. Products are sold directly to parents via the company's e-commerce website with subscription and one-time purchase options, and are supported by clinical research from the My Baby Biome, ARTEMIS, and AMBROSIA studies.

Product overview

Persephone Biosciences offers two core products — Bloom and Thrive — which are both Daily Synergistic Synbiotic formulations designed for different life stages. Bloom targets infants aged 0–12 months, while Thrive serves toddlers aged 12–36 months. Both products share the same proprietary four-strain probiotic blend (Bifidobacterium infantis PB-01 and PB-02, B. longum PB-03, B. breve PB-04) paired with an identical four-HMO prebiotic blend (2'-Fucosyllactose, Lacto-N-tetraose, 6'-Sialyllactose, 3'-Sialyllactose) and Vitamin D, differing primarily in probiotic potency (1 Billion AFU for infants vs. 5 Billion AFU for toddlers). The company also runs clinical research programs — My Baby Biome, ARTEMIS, AMBROSIA, Argonaut, and Poop for the Cure® — that serve as its research and discovery platform, informing product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bloom: Infant synbiotic product for babies 0-12 months
• Thrive
• Poop for the Cure

Products and services

• Bloom — Daily Synergistic Synbiotic (Infant Blend) A first-of-its-kind powdered synergistic synbiotic combining four proprietary probiotic strains (Bifidobacterium infantis PB-01, B. infantis PB-02, B. longum PB-03, B. breve PB-04) with a precision-matched blend of four Human Milk Oligosaccharides (2'-Fucosyllactose, Lacto-N-tetraose, 6'-Sialyllactose, 3'-Sialyllactose) and 400 IU of Vitamin D. Designed for infants 0–12 months to restore missing Bifidobacterium and support gut, immune, and brain development.
• Thrive — Daily Synergistic Synbiotic (Toddler Blend) A first-of-its-kind powdered synergistic synbiotic for toddlers 12–36 months, containing the same four proprietary probiotic strains paired with HMOs and 400 IU of Vitamin D, formulated to support continued gut and immune development as children transition to solid foods. Higher potency (5 Billion AFU) than Bloom for toddler needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of U.S. babies missing key Bifidobacterium strains
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kroger HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2023Collaboration to conduct AMBROSIA Food as Medicine study evaluating impact of Medical Nutrition Therapy on gut microbiome and diet quality. Study enrolled 546 participants at high risk of colorectal cancer. Results demonstrated MNT can improve microbiome composition and enable patients to switch enterotypes associated with BMI and diet quality.
• EurofinscoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal leader in independent lab testing providing third-party batch testing for pathogens, heavy metals, allergens, and potency using pharmaceutical-grade standards.
• Light LabscoreTechnology or IntegrationIndependent testing laboratory partner providing batch-level Certificate of Analysis verification. Consumers can access test results for their specific batch through Light Labs lookup tool.
• TruemedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership enabling HSA/FSA payment options for products, expanding accessibility for health-conscious consumers.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the company website and online store operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Infinant Health (formerly Evivo BioSystems): Direct peer — Infinant Health (formerly Evivo) markets an infant synbiotic built around B. infantis EVC001 paired with the HMO 2'-FL, targeting the same modern-infant Bifidobacterium deficiency that Persephone addresses. Closest comparable in category, mechanism, and customer segment.
• BioGaia: Direct peer — Swedish probiotic company with established infant probiotic drops (L. reuteri Protectis) sold globally through retailers and pediatricians. Comparable in targeting infant gut health with clinically validated probiotic products, though narrower in strain focus than Persephone's synbiotic approach.
• Seed Health: Direct peer — DTC synbiotic brand using a strain + prebiotic combination model and direct-to-consumer subscription, with strong scientific positioning and clinical evidence. Comparable in business model, premium positioning, and emphasis on proprietary strain + prebiotic pairing.
• Pendulum Therapeutics: Direct peer — DTC microbiome brand selling clinically validated synbiotic formulations (e.g., for metabolic health), with emphasis on proprietary strains and evidence-based positioning. Comparable in DTC subscription model, scientific rigor, and premium pricing.

Emerging players

• Sun Genomics: Emerging peer — Personalized microbiome testing and custom probiotic formulation company using gut microbiome sequencing. Comparable in DTC microbiome-supplement category and proprietary formulation approach, though focused on personalization rather than a fixed infant formulation.

Broad incumbents

• Culturelle (i-Health): Broad incumbent — One of the most recognized probiotic brands in U.S. retail, including an infant/children's product line. Competes in the same end category but with a single-strain (L. rhamnosus GG) approach versus Persephone's multi-strain + HMO synbiotic.
• Gerber (Nestlé): Broad incumbent — Dominant U.S. baby nutrition brand with probiotics integrated into formula and baby food lines. Represents the scaled incumbent that Persephone competes against for pediatrician mindshare and shelf space.
• Abbott Nutrition (Similac): Broad incumbent — Major infant formula manufacturer (Similac) with HMO-fortified formula products directly competing with Persephone's HMO-based synbiotic positioning. Large-scale distribution and pediatric recommendation network pose competitive threat.

Regional players

• Sobi (Swedish Orphan Biovitrum): Regional player — European specialty biotech with microbiome-adjacent therapies (e.g., for rare diseases involving gut inflammation). Comparable in microbiome-based therapeutic approach but operates in regulated pharma rather than consumer supplements, and primarily outside the U.S. market.

Others

• Chr. Hansen: Others — Global probiotics ingredient supplier producing bacterial strains used by supplement brands (including in infant nutrition). Comparable in probiotic strain expertise and microbiome science, but operates as a B2B ingredient supplier rather than DTC brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/persephone.bio
• Xx.com/persephonebio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/persephone-biome

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Persephone Biosciences