Gut Microbiome Nutrition Pioneer DayTwo Raises US$37M For Metabolic Diseases Solution

Israeli precision nutrition startup DayTwo has raised US$37 million to continue developing its gut microbiome sequencing AI technology that makes dietary recommendations for people with diabetes and other metabolic illnesses. DayTwo says the funds will also contribute to its ongoing research on the link between individual gut bacteria and other diseases to create new precision nutrition solutions. 

DayTwo has raised US$37 million in its latest round of financing, which saw participation from existing investors Israeli venture capital 10D, California-based Cathay Innovation Ventures and Israeli healthtech investors aMoon Fund. New investors joining the round included Poalim Capital Markets, La’maison Fund and Micron Ventures. 

The proceeds from this round, which brings DayTwo’s total financing to date to US$85 million, will be used to grow the company’s existing product – an app that uses AI to enable the sequencing of gut microbiomes and other clinical factors to develop precision nutrition food prescriptions to help users with diabetes or metabolic diseases balance their blood sugar levels after a meal. 

DayTwo’s approach to health is based on the growing body of scientific evidence that every individual’s gut microbiome is unique, meaning that there exists no “one-size-fits-all” approach to nutrition and dietary advice. 

To date, the app is available in Israel and the U.S. and boasts around 70,000 users who use it to accurately predict their own glycemic response to different foods and food combinations. 

The capital raised will fund continuation of the research into the links between the bacteria in our bodies and other diseases, and the development of new algorithms.

Adi Lev, VP of R&D, DayTwo

DayTwo says that the funding will also enable further research into the connection between gut microbiome and other diseases, potentially opening up the pathway for the startup to develop new precision nutrition products suited for other diseases. 

“DayTwo has the largest microbiome database in the world containing medical, nutritional, behavioural data and deep genetic sequencing of the intestinal bacteria of tens of thousands of people,” said Adi Lev, vice president of R&D at DayTwo. 

“The capital raised will fund continuation of the research into the links between the bacteria in our bodies and other diseases, and the development of new algorithms, in order to provide new scientific discoveries, which will have proven clinical outcomes.”

The news comes shortly after the startup announced significant clinical impact of its program in the U.S., proving that its precision nutrition recommendations can increase blood sugar levels and prescription medication costs. It is now working with healthcare plans such as Clalit Health Services to provide its solutions to members, and will soon be launching a partnership with Maccabi Health Services.

We will continue to invest resources, expand our development centre in Israel, and bring in expert developers in order to intensify our research on intestinal bacteria and develop additional solutions with real clinical impact.

Lihi Segal, Co-Founder & CEO, DayTwo

“It is very important to show the clinical impact and improved health of users, as well as savings in healthcare costs. Our solution leads to a significant and rapid reduction in healthcare costs due to a reduction in prescription medication, fewer visits to the doctor, fewer complex surgical procedures with accompanying complications in the case of diabetes and metabolic diseases,” explained DayTwo co-founder and CEO Lihi Segal. 

“We will continue to invest resources, expand our development centre in Israel, and bring in expert developers in order to intensify our research on intestinal bacteria and develop additional solutions with real clinical impact.” 

As awareness over the individual nature of health continues to grow, personalised or customised solutions to diet and nutrition have become increasingly popular with consumers, such as apps that tailor grocery shopping lists according to users’ needs or FoodMarble, the digestive breath test device that picks up fermentation levels in users’ GI system and lets people input their food consumption to figure out what could be triggering digestive problems. 

Speaking about the decision to back DayTwo, aMoon founder and managing director Dr. Yair Schindel said: “DayTwo’s ability to provide precision nutrition based on each person’s unique microbiome will continue to have a positive effect on the world of medicine in general, and diabetes and metabolic diseases in particular.”

All images courtesy of DayTwo.