Stratum Biosciences has secured $2 million in seed funding to accelerate development of its AI-powered skin biology discovery platform and expand research and development partnerships. The round was backed by Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York and Skin Angels, a network of early-stage dermatology investors.
Founded in 2024 by dermatologist Dr. Ross Lane Pearlman and dermatopathologist Dr. Buu Duong, the company operates at the intersection of artificial intelligence and dermatology. The funding will support scaling of its proprietary platform, which analyzes more than 200,000 real skin samples to uncover new biological insights and translate them into product development.
The company is leveraging participation in NVIDIA’s Inception program to access advanced computing resources, enabling faster analysis of its skin biopsy database. Through this effort, Stratum aims to identify novel biomarkers and uncover mechanisms that have traditionally been difficult to detect using conventional research methods.
Its SkinSync platform has already generated insights into skin structure and function that challenge long-standing assumptions about the skin barrier. Over the past year, the company has also partnered with global consumer packaged goods companies to develop new active ingredients and formulations with improved delivery systems and bioavailability.
With the new capital, Stratum plans to deepen collaborations focused on skin biology discovery and the development of new ingredient technologies targeting key areas such as hyperpigmentation and skin longevity. The company is currently based at Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS incubator in New York.
KEY QUOTES
“As a dermatologist, I see every day that the biggest gap in skin innovation is our limited understanding of skin biology. With modern AI, we can finally uncover the mechanisms hidden within skin that can translate into entirely new solutions to skin health.”
Dr. Ross Lane Pearlman, CEO And Co-Founder, Stratum Biosciences
“Our skin is a window to our bodies, and Stratum’s biobank holds the keys to new, undiscovered targets for anti-aging and beyond. We now have the tools to unlock these insights and build solutions at scale. Beyond observational research, we are now decoding the skin’s biological language to redefine how the industry approaches longevity and health.”
Dr. Buu Duong, President And Co-Founder, Stratum Biosciences
“The scientific progress this team has been able to make in such a short amount of time has been remarkable. It’s exciting to take my career experience and use the platform and methodology created by Stratum to rewrite our understanding of dermatology and fundamentally improve human skin care.”
Dr. David Osborne, Chief Scientific Officer, Stratum Biosciences
