Surviving Mold

What Surviving Mold does

Surviving Mold is a private, US-based online platform founded by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, MD, dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) caused by biotoxin exposure from water-damaged buildings. The company operates the Surviving Mold website as a centralized hub for the Shoemaker Protocol, a 12-step diagnostic and treatment methodology, and distributes proprietary diagnostic tools including the Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) online screening test (92% accuracy), HERTSMI-2 building safety scoring, ERMI DNA-based mold testing (via EnviroBiomics), and NeuroQuant brain volume analysis (via Virginia Institute of Neuropsychiatry). The platform also provides practitioner training through the Proficiency Partners certification program ($1,500, 27 modules), continuing education via conferences, memberships, and educational content such as the book "Mold Illness: Surviving and Thriving" and GENIE lessons.

The business generates revenue through a diversified mix of one-time and recurring streams: VCS test packages ($15-$75), practitioner certification ($1,500 plus $50/month listing), membership subscriptions, conference tickets and replays, book sales, and specialized lessons ($10). Distribution occurs primarily through direct e-commerce on the company website using Infusionsoft and Authorize.net payment processing, supplemented by a referral network of certified Shoemaker Protocol practitioners worldwide. The platform serves two primary customer segments: CIRS patients (consumers seeking diagnosis, treatment resources, and building safety guidance) and medical practitioners (physicians, naturopaths, and integrative medicine providers seeking certification and clinical resources). Recent strategic activity includes a UK expansion through partnerships with PD Labs and Compounding Chemist, the 2025 CIRSX Annual Conference in Tempe, Arizona, and new product offerings including VCS APTitude Handheld Kits and the Mold Propensity Index. Dr. Shoemaker remains the sole publicly identified leader, serving as founder and president of Chronic Neurotoxin Incorporated.

Name

Surviving Mold

Legal name

Surviving Mold

Website

https://survivingmold.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Surviving Mold is an online platform founded by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker that distributes the Shoemaker Protocol for diagnosing and treating Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), selling VCS screening tests, practitioner certification courses, and educational resources to CIRS patients and physicians worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mold Illness Diagnostics and Treatment Education

akta.pro primary industry

Radon, Mold & Moisture Risk Assessment/Testing (EDAEAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mold Remediation & Microbial Treatment (HSAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Mold illness treatment
• CIRS protocol training
• Biotoxin illness diagnosis
• Environmental mold testing
• Physician certification course

Headquarters

HQ city

Roswell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Diagnostic Testing Products: Online VCS screening tests sold in individual, 4-test, and 10-test packages. Visual Contrast Sensitivity tests for biotoxin exposure screening.
2. Professional Certification: Online Proficiency Partners Course for physicians and practitioners costing $1,500. Includes 27 modules, 171-multiple choice test, and 6-month website listing. Optional continued listing for $50/month.
3. Membership Subscriptions: Premium content membership providing access to physician resources, academic papers, protocol-related materials, and products for practitioners.
4. Educational Products: Sale of books (Mold Illness: Surviving and Thriving), presentations, videos, conference replays, and educational materials.
5. Specialized Lessons: GENIE test lessons sold for $10, including PDF papers and video presentations by Dr. Shoemaker.
6. Conference Revenue: Annual CIRS conferences with registration fees. 2016 conference replay sold for $199 (original price $747). Professional tier subscribers receive free viewing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Surviving Mold is a health-education and medical-resource platform that commercializes Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's Shoemaker Protocol for diagnosing and treating Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) caused by exposure to water-damaged buildings. The company sells online screening tests (VCS), books, and educational content directly to patients, while also certifying physicians worldwide through the Proficiency Partners course and providing a referral directory of certified practitioners.

Product overview

Surviving Mold is a health education and medical resource platform built around Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's Shoemaker Protocol for treating Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). The platform offers a suite of diagnostic products including the Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) Screening test (online), NeuroQuant brain volume analysis, HERTSMI-2 and ERMI mold testing services, and comprehensive lab testing. Educational offerings include the Proficiency Partners certification course, conference replays, the GENIE lessons series, and the 'Mold Illness: Surviving and Thriving' book. The platform also provides support services through membership programs, support groups, coaching, and the Surviving Mold Podcast. All offerings are designed to support patients and practitioners in implementing the multi-step Shoemaker Protocol from diagnosis through recovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shoemaker Protocol: A multi-step protocol for diagnosing, testing, and treating Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and biotoxin illness.
• Proficiency Partners

Products and services

• Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) Screening Test Online self-administered Visual Contrast Sensitivity screening test that measures neurologic function affected by biotoxin/CIRS exposure, delivering pass/fail results in minutes with a stated 92% accuracy rate; sold in 1-test ($15), 4-test ($40), and 10-test ($75) packages for patients and practitioners.
• Proficiency Partners Online Training Course Online certification course for physicians and practitioners covering the Shoemaker Protocol for CIRS diagnosis, testing, and therapy; includes 27 modules, a 171-question certification test, a 6-month website listing upon completion, and an optional continuing directory listing at $50/month for a $1,500 one-time fee.
• Surviving Mold Membership Program Recurring premium content subscription providing access to physician resources, the Shoemaker Protocol, academic papers, protocol-related resources, member-only products, and conference replays for patients and certified practitioners.
• Mold Illness: Surviving and Thriving (Book) Recovery manual for patients and families impacted by CIRS that explains the Shoemaker Protocol, testing procedures, remediation, travel, and day-to-day management of mold illness.
• 2016 Third Annual CIRS Conference Replay On-demand video replay of the Third Annual State of the Art in CIRS Cutting Edge Conference covering NeuroQuant, MARCoNS, and CIRS diagnosis and treatment; original price $747, sold at $199 with free access included for Professional Tier members.
• Lessons from GENIE (Educational Lessons) Downloadable educational product on the GENIE test including a 5-page PDF paper and video presentations narrated by Dr. Shoemaker (24 and 34 minutes), sold as a three-lesson bundle for $10.
• ERMI DNA Mold Testing (via EnviroBiomics) DNA-based indoor mold testing using MSQPCR technology to identify and quantify 36 mold species in dust samples, differentiating water-damaged-building-associated molds from common environmental molds; performed by EnviroBiomics (San Antonio, TX) under license, with discounts for IEPs and practitioners.

Quantifiable outcome

• VCS test has 92% accuracy rate based on tens of thousands of tests
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PD LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPD Labs, a 25-year leader in US precision-compounded medicine, is partnering with Surviving Mold to bring treatments for mould-related illness to British patients through Compounding Chemist of the United Kingdom. This collaboration combines PD Labs' advanced formulations with Compounding Chemist's London pharmacy dispensing capabilities.
• Compounding Chemist of the United KingdomcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK-based pharmacy partner dispensing PD Labs' advanced precision-compounded medications for mould-related illness directly from their London pharmacy to British patients. This partnership enables treatment availability on both sides of the Atlantic.
• EnviroBiomicscoreTechnology or IntegrationEnviroBiomics laboratory applies MSQPCR and NGS technology for microbial testing. They offer ERMI testing services under license at competitive rates, with discounts offered to IEPs and Practitioners. Located in San Antonio, Texas.
• AirOasisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirOasis produces specialized air purifiers designed to target molds and biotoxins for CIRS patients. Referenced as a recommended solution for remediation and maintaining air quality in safe rooms.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Everlywell: Everlywell is a direct-to-consumer health testing platform offering online screening panels with home collection kits. It parallels Surviving Mold's VCS testing model of selling consumer-facing diagnostic tools online, though Everlywell operates at much broader scale and across many conditions rather than a single niche protocol.

Direct peers

• EnviroBiomics: EnviroBiomics is actually a Surviving Mold partner, applying MSQPCR and NGS technology for microbial testing. It directly competes in ERMI testing services and could expand into clinical interpretation and practitioner education, overlapping with Surviving Mold's diagnostic ecosystem.
• Aerobiology Laboratory Associates: Aerobiology Laboratory provides mold and microbial testing for indoor environments, including spore trap and PCR-based analyses. It operates in the same mold assessment and testing space as Surviving Mold's ERMI-based diagnostic ecosystem, serving property owners, practitioners, and patients.
• EMSL Analytical: EMSL is one of the largest environmental testing laboratories in North America, offering mold and indoor air quality testing services. Surviving Mold's HERTSMI-2 and ERMI testing ecosystem directly overlaps with EMSL's environmental testing offerings, though EMSL does not bundle results with a clinical treatment protocol.
• Real Time Laboratories: Real Time Laboratories specializes in mold and mycotoxin testing with clinical-grade panels used by integrative and functional medicine practitioners. Like Surviving Mold, it serves the CIRS/biotoxin illness practitioner community with laboratory diagnostics that inform treatment decisions.
• Mycotoxins.com / Great Plains Laboratory: Great Plains Laboratory provides urinary mycotoxin testing widely used by functional medicine practitioners treating mold illness, directly overlapping with Surviving Mold's diagnostic ecosystem. It serves a similar practitioner and patient community addressing biotoxin-related chronic illness.

Broad incumbents

• Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (AIHM): AIHM provides interprofessional integrative medicine education, certification pathways, and conferences for clinicians. Like Surviving Mold's Proficiency Partners, it certifies practitioners in a specific clinical framework with associated membership benefits and continuing education.
• Quest Diagnostics: Quest Diagnostics is one of Surviving Mold's required laboratory partners for C3a and C4a testing, but at scale it offers a broad clinical testing menu that includes many of the biomarkers referenced in the Shoemaker Protocol. It represents both a partner and a potential substitute if it were to launch bundled CIRS panels.
• Institute for Functional Medicine: IFM is the largest organization certifying physicians in functional medicine, offering practitioner training programs and educational content much like Surviving Mold's Proficiency Partners course. While broader in scope (addressing many chronic conditions), it shares the same model of training certifying physicians in a proprietary clinical framework that patients then seek out.
• A4M (American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine): A4M provides practitioner certification, conferences, and educational modules in integrative and anti-aging medicine. Like Surviving Mold, it monetizes through certification courses, conferences, and membership subscriptions, serving physicians seeking to expand into non-mainstream clinical frameworks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SurvivingMold
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4qbqT1qC9zH63q8X8q4T-A
• Facebookfacebook.com/survivingmolddotcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surviving-mold

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Surviving Mold