uBiome Valuation, Funding & Investors

uBiome is valued at $298M as of September 2018.

Last uBiome valuation

$298M

Series C · Sep 2018

Last uBiome funding round

$83M

Series C · Sep 2018

Cumulative funding uBiome raised

$110M

across 3 funding rounds

Key investors in uBiome

  • Y Combinator
  • 8VC
  • Tuesday Capital
  • OS Fund
  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • ZhenFund

uBiome Overview

About uBiome

uBiome is a San Francisco-based biotechnology company offering at-home gut microbiome testing kits, clinical diagnostics, and probiotic supplements. Services include SmartGut analysis sequencing 20,000+ bacterial species, citizen science projects like Global Gut, and therapeutic discoveries in personalized nutrition. uBiome partners with healthcare providers for microbiome-informed treatments targeting digestive health and chronic conditions.


Founded

2012

HQ

United StatesSan Francisco, CA

Website

ubiome.com

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2C & B2B

Revenue model

Product sales

Valuation

$298M (Sep 2018)

uBiome Valuation

uBiome is currently valued at $298M, based on its Series C in September 2018.

The $83M round was led by OS Fund, with participation from Y Combinator, 8VC, DNA Capital and Dentsu.

uBiome valuation by funding round

uBiome valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
Sep 2018Series C$298M

uBiome Funding History

uBiome has raised a total of $110M across 3 funding rounds.

uBiome's first fundraising round was a $5M seed round in June 2014. The most recent completed round was a $83M Series C in September 2018.

uBiome funding rounds

uBiome funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Sep 2018Series COS Fund (lead); Y Combinator; 8VC; DNA Capital; Dentsu$83M$298MuBiome, a San Francisco-based microbial genomics company, raised $83 million in a Series C funding round on September 21, 2018, led by OS Fund with participation from 8VC, Y Combinator, Dentsu Ventures, and other new and existing investors. This brought the company's total funding to $105 million. The proceeds were earmarked to expand into drug research and development using its patented microbiome assets, enhance its product portfolio, accelerate commercialization of clinical tests like SmartGut and SmartJane, and begin developing biopharma molecules and live biotherapeutics, with an initial focus on oncology, autoimmune disorders, obesity, and metabolic disorders. The company appointed former Novartis CEO Joseph Jimenez to its board and planned to open a therapeutics headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. uBiome leveraged its proprietary precision sequencing, machine learning, and AI to develop wellness products, clinical tests, and therapeutic targets. It held over 200 patent assets, including seven issued U.S. patents related to sample collection, lab automation, computational methods, molecular techniques, diagnostic signatures, and therapeutic targets. At the time, uBiome maintained the world's largest human microbiome database with over 250,000 samples—claimed to be 25 times larger than competitors—and projected growth to over one million samples in 2019. The company had published over 30 peer-reviewed papers, partnered with institutions like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the CDC, and evolved from consumer wellness products like Explorer to clinical lab testing since 2015. The round supported uBiome's pivot toward therapeutics commercialization, avoiding data sales in favor of IP mining and industry collaborations. This expansion positioned uBiome in the growing drug discovery market, projected to reach nearly $86 billion by 2022, by addressing logistics and accelerating research-to-market timelines.
Nov 2016Series B8VC (lead); ZhenFund; CSC Upshot; Slow Ventures; Tuesday Capital; StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund)$22M-uBiome, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company founded in 2012 by Jessica Richman, Zachary Apte, and Will Ludington, specialized in microbial genomics, sequencing the human microbiome through consumer gut tests and clinical laboratory testing. The company originated as a crowdfunded citizen science project, raising $350,000 in November 2012, and received early support from Y Combinator. It expanded into venture-backed operations with funding from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and 8VC, while offering grants like a $1 million program for microbiome research in 2015. The funding supported growth in its wellness and clinical products amid rising interest in microbiome health insights for conditions like cancer and autoimmune diseases. uBiome continued raising capital, achieving later valuations of $298 million in September 2018 (Series C, $83 million led by OS Fund with 8VC participation) and reportedly $600 million overall in 2018 from top VCs. However, the company faced scrutiny over billing practices, insurer reimbursements, and revenue quality. It filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after an FBI raid investigating potential Medicare fraud, with patents sold for $7 million in 2020—less than 1% of its peak value. Founders Richman and Apte were charged in 2021 with fraud and money laundering, becoming FBI fugitives.
Jun 2014SeedAndreessen Horowitz (lead); Daniel Curran; 10x Group; Y Combinator; Linden Mobile Ventures; Kapor Capital; Tuesday Capital; Starlight Ventures; David Spector; Farzad Nazem; OS Fund; Bill Tai$5M-uBiome, founded in 2012, developed technology to sequence the human microbiome and began as a citizen science project before pursuing clinical testing. The company received early funding including a November 2012 crowdfunding campaign that generated $350,000 and mentoring from Y Combinator. In August 2014, uBiome raised $4.5 million, comprising $1.5 million from angel investors including 10x Group, Bill Tai, Daniel Curran, David Spector, Farzad Nazem, Kapor Capital, Linden Mobile Ventures, OS Fund, Starlight Ventures, and Tuesday Capital, plus $3 million from Andreessen Horowitz. No post-money valuation or use of funds details were specified for this round. Later, by end of 2014, uBiome achieved regulatory lab certification and continued raising capital, reaching a $600 million valuation with investors like Andreessen Horowitz and 8VC, culminating in $105 million total funding before its 2019 bankruptcy amid fraud investigations.

Who has invested in uBiome?

19 investors have backed uBiome across its funding rounds, including Y Combinator, 8VC, Tuesday Capital, OS Fund, Andreessen Horowitz and ZhenFund.

Lead investors include OS Fund, 8VC and Andreessen Horowitz.


uBiome Investors

Investors in uBiome by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Y CombinatorUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantJun 2014
8VCUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2LeadNov 2016
Tuesday CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantJun 2014
OS FundUnited StatesChicago, IL2LeadJun 2014
ZhenFundChinaBeijing1ParticipantNov 2016
CSC UpshotUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantNov 2016
Daniel CurranUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA1ParticipantJun 2014
10x GroupGermanyMunich1ParticipantJun 2014
Linden Mobile VenturesNetherlandsAmsterdam1ParticipantJun 2014
Slow VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantNov 2016
Kapor CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2014
Starlight VenturesUnited StatesMiami, FL1ParticipantJun 2014
Andreessen HorowitzUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1LeadJun 2014

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uBiome Competitors

uBiome competitors include listed companies like CareDx, SOPHiA Genetics, GeneDx and Atrys Health, and private ones like PrognomiQ and MedGenome.

Public and private companies comparable to uBiome
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
PrognomiQUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate--$180M-
MedGenomeIndiaBangalorePrivate--$950M-
CareDxUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$380M($10M)$2.8B5.3x
SOPHiA GeneticsSwitzerlandSwitzerlandPublicly listed$77M($65M)$726M7.5x
GeneDxUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$428M$7M$3.1B6.8x
Atrys HealthSpainSpainPublicly listed$162M($12M)$245M2.1x

uBiome Public Comps

uBiome is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Abclon, Echo IQ, Atrys Health, Tauns Laboratories, ToolGen, Veraxa Biotech, Myriad Genetics, Cogstate, Prenetics Global and Evolent Health.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Abclon$3M($12M)79.2x-(22.2x)-
Echo IQ$65K($13M)4656.6x994.2x(23.1x)(26.6x)
Atrys Health$162M($12M)2.3x2.1x(30.2x)14.9x
Tauns Laboratories$120M$58M3.9x5.0x8.1x12.9x
ToolGen$951K($26M)211.6x-(7.8x)-
Veraxa Biotech$29K($79M)7313.2x-(2.6x)-
Myriad Genetics$825M($332M)0.6x0.6x(1.5x)(16.8x)
Cogstate$58M$18M6.3x5.7x20.0x18.9x

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Common questions about uBiome

When was uBiome founded?uBiome was founded in 2012.
Where is uBiome headquartered?uBiome is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States.
Is uBiome publicly listed?No, uBiome is a private, VC-backed company.
What is uBiome's valuation?uBiome was last valued at $298M in its Series C in September 2018.
How much funding has uBiome raised?uBiome has raised $110M across 3 funding rounds.
What was uBiome's last funding round?uBiome's last funding round was a $83M Series C in September 2018, led by OS Fund.
Who are uBiome's investors?uBiome's investors include Y Combinator, 8VC, Tuesday Capital, OS Fund, ZhenFund, CSC Upshot, Daniel Curran, 10x Group, Linden Mobile Ventures, Slow Ventures and 9 others.
Which companies are comparable to uBiome?Companies comparable to uBiome include PrognomiQ, MedGenome, CareDx, SOPHiA Genetics, GeneDx and Atrys Health.

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