Microbiome Foundation

What Microbiome Foundation does

The Microbiome Foundation is a Paris-based non-profit organization (registered under number 752 692251, headquartered at 115 rue de l'abbé Groult, 75015 Paris) dedicated to funding gut microbiota research and conducting public education on microbiome-related health. It was founded in 2018 by Alfred Vericel, who serves as co-founder and president, evolving out of an earlier entity that had hosted microbiota-themed gala dinners since 2011. The foundation operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and sustains itself entirely through donations, which it accepts by credit card, cheque, and in US dollars, with its website offered in both French and English.

Its core 'products' are research grants and educational content rather than commercial goods: the foundation channels donations into scientific programs on the gut microbiome and publishes educational material — including video content produced in partnership with the media outlet Brut. since December 2022 — aimed at broadening public understanding of microbiota-linked health conditions. A representative research output cited by the foundation reports an 80% reduction in gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder patients following microbiota transfer therapy, and in 2025 the foundation launched the 'Autisme et Microbiote' project focused on intestinal microbiota transplantation for ASD. The foundation does not sell products or services; its revenue mechanics are entirely donation-based, with disclosed anchors including Groupe Dassault as a founding partner and a research collaboration with INRAE established in March 2021.

Name

Microbiome Foundation

Legal name

Microbiome Foundation

Website

https://microbiome-foundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Microbiome Foundation is a Paris-based non-profit that funds gut microbiota research and delivers public education on microbiome health, operating through donations and partnerships with INRAE, Groupe Dassault, and Brut.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Microbiome research funding
• Gut microbiota research
• Scientific nonprofit foundation
• Microbiome public awareness
• Intestinal health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Microbiome Foundation is a French non-profit organization that funds scientific research on the gut microbiota and its links to human health and disease, while raising public awareness about the importance of the intestinal microbiome. It channels donations into research projects and produces educational content to inform the general public about microbiome science.

Product overview

Microbiome Foundation is a non-profit research foundation focused on gut microbiota research funding and public awareness. The foundation operates as a single-purpose organization offering research financing for scientific projects (notably the 'Autisme et Microbiote' project), public education initiatives about gut health and diet, scientific watch publications, and educational video content produced in partnership with media organizations like Brut.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gut Microbiota Research Funding Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in gastrointestinal symptoms in ASD patients after microbiota transfer therapy in published research

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Brut.flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 December 2022Brut. and the Microbiome Foundation partnered to create educational videos about gut health, featuring experts like Dr. Megan Rossi and Dr. Pedi Mirdamadi. The partnership has produced multiple videos addressing questions about gut-brain axis, mental health connection, and general microbiome health. The collaboration continued into 2023 with additional video content.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021The Microbiome Foundation and INRAE entered into a major partnership to accelerate research on intestinal microbiota. INRAE is France's national research institute focusing on agriculture, food, and environment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The largest philanthropic grantmaker globally, with significant funding in global health and biomedical research. A broad incumbent that competes for top microbiome research projects and scientific talent.
• Wellcome Trust: Large UK-based global charitable foundation that funds biomedical research including microbiome science. A broad incumbent peer in the health research grantmaking space with very different scale and scope.
• Novo Nordisk Foundation: Danish enterprise foundation with major life-science and microbiome-related grantmaking programs. A broad incumbent peer with much larger grantmaking capacity in overlapping health research domains.
• Fondation de France: One of the largest French grantmaking foundations, distributing funds across health, research, and social causes. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with the Microbiome Foundation's grantmaking function in health research.

Regional players

• European Microbiome Consortium: European-level consortium coordinating microbiome research across member institutions. A regional peer comparable in mission to accelerate microbiome science, with a broader institutional footprint than the Microbiome Foundation.

Emerging players

• Institut Pasteur: French research foundation with growing microbiome research programs and an international donor base. It is an emerging peer that overlaps on the microbiome research-funding front and competes for the same scientific patron and donor mindshare.
• American Microbiome Institute: US-based non-profit focused on microbiome research funding and public education. Comparable as an emerging peer with a similar dual mission of microbiome research support and donor-driven public outreach.
• Center for Microbiome Innovation (UC San Diego): University-based microbiome research center that funds and conducts translational microbiome science. Comparable as an emerging ecosystem player shaping microbiome research priorities, though operating from a US university rather than as an independent charity.

Direct peers

• Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM): Major French non-profit that funds independent biomedical research across France. It is the closest direct comparable as a French grantmaking foundation supporting health/medical research, including microbiome-relevant projects.
• Fondation Bettencourt Schueller: Private French foundation supporting biomedical research and life sciences. A direct peer as a French scientific research grantmaker with similar donor-driven funding model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Microbiome Foundation