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Persephone

Founded 2017 · 16 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors

Find your way into Persephone

159 people in our graph share verified history with the Persephone team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Shaun Maguireunlockedknows Stephanie Culler · together at Caltech (overlapped)
×4knows the team · via UC San Diego
×4knows the team · via Caltech
knows the team · via Persephone
knows the team · via UCSD Medical Center, Stein Institute for Research on Aging
knows the team · via Genomatica

Persephone develops a synbiotic supplement for infants that combines probiotics (keystone Bifidobacterium strains) with prebiotics found in human breast milk to replenish gut bacteria linked to digestion, immunity, and development. The product was developed by microbiome scientists and pediatricians and validated in a clinical study.

BiotechConsumerDigital Health

Founders & leadership

Persephone was founded in 2017 by Stephanie Culler and Steve Van Dien.

SCStephanie Culler
Stephanie CullerinCEO & Co-FounderStephanie Culler holds a doctorate in molecular biology and has completed postdoctoral work in embryonic stem cell systems biology; her background spans synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and systems biology, with prior experience in biotechnology and academia developing engineered microorganisms and biotechnologies.
SVSteve Van Dien
Steve Van DienCTO & Co-Founder

Investors · 4

First Bight Ventures✓ verifiedHouston · $1M – $2M
Propel Bio Partners✓ verifiedLos Angeles
Fifty YearsreportedSan Francisco · $250K – $2M
Y CombinatorreportedSan Francisco · $500K

Founder mafia

2 people who came through Persephone went on to found or lead other companies.

Leen KawasMember Board Of DirectorsFounded LeonaBioStephanie CullerCEO & Co-FounderFounded Persephone Biosciences

Competitors · 3

by search overlap
People Science4 shared keywordsPeople Science runs real-world clinical research for the health and wellness industry, offering a decentralized clinical trial platform (Chloe Clinical) and a real-world data collection tool (Chloe LiveLab) alongside clinical research services. It serves wellness product companies and innovators seeking evidence for their products through trials, biomarker sampling, and wearables integration.
Persephone Biosciences4 shared keywordsPersephone Biosciences develops a synbiotic (probiotic and prebiotic combination) supplement for infants designed to replenish key beneficial gut bacteria. The product targets parents seeking to support their babies' digestive health, immune development, and overall microbiome health.
Nutraceuticalsworld4 shared keywordsNutraceuticals World is a trade media outlet publishing industry news, market analysis, feature articles, research, and supplier information for the nutraceutical and dietary supplement sector. It also provides resources such as buyer's guides, whitepapers, eBooks, webinars, videos, and event coverage for industry professionals.

Companies competing with Persephone for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

In the news

Inside Persephone’s Strategy: Unlocking the Microbiome for Scalable Precision Therapeutics -biotechmetro.com · Jul 2025Persephone Biosciences Secures $15M Seed Round to Transform Engineered Cell Therapeutics for Healthier Human Ecosystems | SignalBasetrysignalbase.com · Apr 2025"Seeking Persephone" novel is in the process of becoming a filmfox13now.com · Oct 2023Persephone rakes in $15M to support country’s biggest cancer microbiome study - MedCity Newsmedcitynews.com · Jul 2022Persephone Biosciences Closes $15M Seed Financing - FinSMEsfinsmes.com · Jul 2022

Frequently asked questions

What does Persephone do?
Persephone develops a synbiotic supplement for infants that combines probiotics (keystone Bifidobacterium strains) with prebiotics found in human breast milk to replenish gut bacteria linked to digestion, immunity, and development. The product was developed by microbiome scientists and pediatricians and validated in a clinical study.
Who founded Persephone?
Persephone was founded by Stephanie Culler, Steve Van Dien in 2017.
Who are Persephone's investors?
Persephone's investors include First Bight Ventures, Propel Bio Partners, Fifty Years, Y Combinator.