Israeli Gut Microbiome-Analysis Startup DayTwo Sets Up $5 Million Lab

Tel Aviv-based startup DayTwo Ltd. is setting up a $5 million lab for DNA analysis of gut microbiome, the company announced Monday. The company cited an increase in its client base in the past year and intention to enter the U.S. market as its motivations for the move.

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In a statement, the company said it has signed a 14-year lease on a 500-square-meter space in Rehovot, a town in central Israel, and is planning to begin operating the lab, capable of processing over 100,000 feces samples a year, in February. The lab will be situated in the vicinity of the Weizmann Institute of Science, one of Israel’s top research universities, which is working in collaboration with DayTwo on microbiome research.

Founded in 2015, DayTwo offers a home kit in which customers can deposit a sample of their feces for analysis, and receive personalized nutrition optimization suggestions based on their unique microbiome. 

In August, DayTwo announced it has signed a partnership agreement with Clalit, one of Israel’s four health maintenance organizations.

The company has raised $17 million to date from investors including Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. co-founder Marius Nacht and Israeli basketball player Omri Casspi, who last played for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.