GEM is a Los Angeles-based wellness company that reimagines the daily multivitamin as a whole-food bite rather than a pill or gummy. Founded in 2018 by Sara Cullen, GEM packs 20+ vitamins, minerals, superfoods, prebiotics, probiotics and microalgae into a single real-food chew, sold mainly through a subscription model plus retail and Amazon. Its pitch is 'food is medicine' - transparent, plant-based, and traceable nutrition for people who distrust synthetic supplements.
Hume Supernatural is a San Diego-based clean personal care company making plant-, mineral-, and probiotic-based products - led by an aluminum-free deodorant - that support the skin microbiome while controlling odor. Founded in 2020 by an attorney, a Sun Bum veteran, and a cosmetic chemist, the brand rejects the trade-off between 'natural' and 'effective,' formulating from scratch with proprietary biotech ingredients. It sells direct-to-consumer, on Amazon, and through retailers including Whole Foods, Sprouts, and CVS, and has grown into one of the fastest-growing natural deodorants in the U.S. natural retail channel.
Primal Health is a Minneapolis-based molecular biotechnology company reinventing oral care by rebalancing the microbiome instead of nuking it. Founded by Berkeley-trained microbiologist Dr. Emily Stein, the company uses its patented SMMRT (Selective Microbial Metabolism Regulation Technology) to put harmful mouth bacteria on a 'keto diet' - blocking their ability to feed on sugars while feeding the beneficial ones. Its two brands, Daily Dental Care for people and TEEF for Life for pets, deliver clinically studied lozenges and prebiotic powders that support gum health, fresher breath and a healthier oral ecosystem for humans and animals alike.
Jeremy Horowitz is the CEO and co-founder of Hume Supernatural, a San Diego based clean personal care brand best known for its microbiome-supporting, plant-and-probiotic deodorant. A former corporate lawyer who spent 16 years inside the San Diego Padres and later ran investments at Selby Venture Partners, he traded contracts and box seats for prebiotics and skin barriers, launching Hume digitally in March 2020. Under his lead the brand became the fastest-growing natural deodorant in the natural retail channel, landing in Whole Foods, Sprouts and CVS and drawing investors including Lupita Nyong'o and Alex Morgan.
Emily Stein is a microbiologist turned founder and CEO of Primal Health, the Minneapolis life-sciences company behind Daily Dental Care for people and TEEF for Life for pets. Trained at UC Berkeley and Stanford, she spent more than a decade building SMMRT (Selective Microbial Metabolism Regulation Technology), a 'carrot and stick' approach that starves harmful mouth bacteria and feeds the helpful ones instead of nuking everything. Holder of 18 patents and a five-time startup founder, Stein pivoted from humans to dogs when dentists balked, a move she says saved the company. Her stated goal: to be in every mouth at least once a day.
resbiotic is a physician-founded microbiome health company building clinically tested probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and bioactive botanicals around its Gut-X Axis platform - the idea that the gut talks to the rest of the body. Its flagship resB Lung Support is positioned as the first clinically tested probiotic targeting the gut-lung axis for respiratory health. Founded in 2020 by physician-scientist Dr. C. Vivek Lal out of microbiome research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the company sells direct-to-consumer and through retail including Walmart and GNC, and has raised roughly $20.6M to date.
OLIPOP is a prebiotic soda company that turned the soft drink industry on its head by proving that soda can be both delicious and good for your gut. Founded in 2018 by Ben Goodwin and David Lester, the Oakland-based company combines nostalgic flavors with functional ingredients - each can delivers 6-9 grams of prebiotic fiber from plant-based sources like cassava root, chicory root, and nopal cactus. After reaching $400 million in revenue and profitability in 2024, OLIPOP closed a $50 million Series C at a $1.85 billion valuation in 2025, making it the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beverage brand in the United States.