Dentsu Inc. Ventures invests in U.S.-based Ubiome, Inc., which provides human microbiome testing services.

The text of the Dentsu Inc. news release distributed on October 29 is as follows.

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October 29, 2018

Dentsu Ventures 1 Global Fund (hereinafter "Dentsu Ventures"), a corporate venture capital fund operated by Dentsu Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Toshihiro Yamamoto), has invested in uBiome, Inc. (Headquarters: San Francisco; CEO: Jessica Richman; hereinafter "uBiome"), a U.S. company providing human microbiome testing services. CEO: Jessica Richman, hereinafter "uBiome") based in San Francisco, USA.

uBiome currently offers both physician-ordered and consumer-direct testing kits and is building one of the world's largest human microbiome libraries.

Moving forward, the company plans to leverage this library to expand its business beyond testing services into a wide range of areas, including drug discovery.

Meanwhile, Dentsu Inc. Ventures will support uBiome's business growth by connecting the company with various enterprises to promote new business and product development utilizing its human microbiome analysis technology and library.

*The human microbiome refers to the ecosystem of microorganisms residing inside and on the surface of the human body. It performs various functions such as digestion and vitamin synthesis, and also influences human mood, behavior, and health status.

 

The following outlines Ubiome and Dentsu Inc. Ventures.

＜uBiome Overview＞
Company Name: uBiome, Inc.
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA
Date Established: October 15, 2012
Representative: Jessica Richman (CEO)
Business Description: Provision of human microbiome analysis services and library construction
URL:https://ubiome.com/

<OVERVIEW of Dentsu Ventures>
Name: Dentsu Ventures Global Fund I
Total Fund Size: ¥10 billion
Fund Formation Date: April 2015
Operation Period: Planned for 10 years until March 2025
Investment Regions: Global investments including the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Asia
Investment Stage: Primarily seed/early stage, while also including mid/late stage for a broad, balanced investment approach
Investment Areas:
(1) Areas with the potential to transform the broader marketing/communications business
(2) Innovative, high-potential new domains, even if not fitting the above
URL:http://dentsu-v.com/

End