Sun Genomics Announces Close of Series A Financing and Growth With New Talent and Scientific Advisor

Sun Genomics, the direct-to-consumer custom probiotics and gut health company, announced today the close of $9.25 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Pangaea Ventures with new investments from Orion Fund, managed by K3 Ventures, and Emerging Technologies Partners. Additional investors include Danone Manifesto Ventures, SOSV, Human Longevity, and Nascita Ventures.

“Among the scientific and general community, the awareness and understanding of the gut microflora's important impact on a person’s overall health and well-being is growing rapidly,” said MX Kuok, managing partner of K3 Ventures. “We are proud to support Sun Genomics' scientifically rigorous approach to microbiome sequencing and customized probiotics, which has already improved lives in a quantifiable, measurable way."

K3 Ventures invests in early-stage and late-stage technology startups with companies such as Palantir, Airbnb, SpaceX, Planet Labs, and TikTok in its portfolio.

Sun Genomics will use this round of funding to support its growth in the custom probiotics market, scale delivery across the U.S., enter international markets, and propel the publication of its studies in partnership with leading academic institutions.

“Despite the many challenges and setbacks the pandemic has had on businesses and individuals, we’re proud of the momentum we’ve built this year from this new financing, to a prestigious academic collaboration, and the launch of our innovative immunity-health supplement, Floré Defense,” said Sunny Jain, CEO and founder of Sun Genomics.

In addition to the Series A close, Sun Genomics announces Dr. Jack Gilbert, PhD, as medical and scientific advisor, and Mayank Goel as vice president of growth.

At the University of California, San Diego Center of Microbiome Innovation, Dr. Gilbert uses molecular analysis to test fundamental hypotheses in microbial ecology. He has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on metagenomics and approaches to ecosystem ecology. Prior to Sun Genomics, Goel led growth marketing and analytics at two successfully acquired travel startups – HotelTonight (acquired by Airbnb) and Pillow (acquired by Vrbo, Expedia Group). He has created data-driven personalized services leading to growing user retention and revenues. Goel brings a unique combination of growth strategy and data analytics to help Sun Genomics become the leader in custom probiotics. Sun Genomics was founded in 2016 with the release of its flagship product Floré, a microbiome test and gut probiotics solution that utilizes whole-genome sequencing to evaluate different digestive system data points and ensure that customers receive a completely personalized product that is based on their unique gut profiles. As part of its growing line of gut health products, Sun Genomics launched Floré Defense in July 2020, an all-natural formula to boost immunity and respiratory health.

"I'm excited to work with the innovative leaders at Sun Genomics as they continue to study and educate consumers and companies on the ecology of the gut microbiome to improve overall health," said Dr. Gilbert, medical and scientific advisor. "Gut testing will soon be standard of care for preventative health and I look forward to collaborating with Sun Genomics as they grow the production of scientifically credible solutions and research."

About Sun GenomicsSun Genomics is a first-of-its-kind, custom probiotics startup with the mission to improve gut health through personalized science. The company’s first consumer product, Floré, allows consumers to analyze the microflora of their stool and uses the results to craft a custom probiotic. Through DNA sequencing, Floré formulates the right probiotics for each customer’s specific needs and delivers it directly to their door. Sun Genomics has created the first feedback loop to allow customers to see their probiotics show up on their report, through a retest, and allows customers to improve their microflora over time. For more information, visit www.sungenomics.com or follow on Twitter: @SunGenomics.

Contact:Emily Webb