Ombre raises US$3M in seed funding amid continued focus on gut health

02 Nov 2021 --- Personalized self-care company Ombre has raised US$3 million in seed round funding. The US-based business, previously known as Thryve, has also revealed a rebrand and an upcoming “evolution” in its microbiome products.

“We believe the future of self-care is built around the concept of the quantified self. Every individual’s microbiome is unique, and we see ongoing consumer interest in knowing how to use their individual bioinformatics to take actions that improve their well-being,” says Ombre CEO Elise Contarsy.

Ombre will focus on improving its existing products, supply chain, services, as well as its home tests, gut health reports, probiotic formulations and the in-app experience.

The company offers a personalized gut health test in which consumers can test their own microbiome. Based on the results, consumers can receive personalized food recommendations and strain-specific probiotic subscriptions through an app. 

“In modulating the gut biome with researched backed strains, our probiotic design targets microbial imbalances while encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria that contribute to overall health,” explains Kimberly Griffith, microbiome specialist at Ombre.Consumers can test their own microbiome using a DIY kit, as personalized care is becoming a growing industry.

Probiotics: A billion-dollar industry
The lead investor for the funding was PivotNorth Capital, with participation from Trail Mix Ventures, Shanda Group, Unilever Ventures, Social Starts’ funds Joyance Partners, and Unpopular Ventures.

Ombre has now raised US$9.5 million in funds to date, and is set to continue its focus on probiotics. It expects the global over-the-counter probiotic supplements industry to reach US$80 billion by 2027. 

The growth of the probiotics market is a reflection of consumers’ increasing focus on their wellness and understanding of the microbiome’s influence on overall health, the company notes. 

Personalized health rapidly expands 
Within the nutrition space, the industry is seeing a range of tailored gut testing to gene testing and wearable technology. 

In September, consumer-facing personalized performance and nutrition system company InsideTracker said the science is not yet developed enough to personalize nutrition based on gut microbiome testing, but answers could be available within the next decade.

Personalized nutrition is a trend quickly spreading across the industry, which Innova Market Insights has noted “Tailored to Fit” as the Top 3 Trend for 2021.

Earlier this year, nutrition industry consultancy Qina launched a B2B company directory platform with personalized nutrition at its core, informing subscribers of the various nutrition ingredient companies currently active in the personalization space and how their services might meet the subscribers’ needs.

Edited by Andria Kades