Tiny Health is a health technology company specializing in at-home microbiome testing for individuals and families across all life stages—from infancy through adulthood. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Tiny Health founder and CEO Cheryl Sew Hoy to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Cheryl Sew Hoy’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Sew Hoy said:
“I’m Cheryl Sew Hoy, the founder and CEO of Tiny Health, the first and only precision microbiome wellness platform designed for lifelong health — from the first 1,000 days to the last. We launched in 2022 with the first at-home gut test for moms and babies, powered by shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Since then, we’ve expanded to serve people at every stage of life, from newborns to adults focused on chronic conditions, performance, and longevity.”
“Before Tiny Health, I founded Reclip.It, which was acquired by Walmart Labs, and went on to lead brand and growth at Hack Reactor and Flexiroam. I also served as the CEO of MaGIC, a $30M government-backed initiative to grow Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem.”
“I’ve raised $34M across multiple ventures, and I love helping other founders build and scale companies that matter. I hold a master’s in Engineering Management & Data Mining and a bachelor’s in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering from Cornell, both on full scholarships.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Sew Hoy shared:
“My daughter had eczema and food sensitivities as a baby, and I couldn’t find answers through conventional care. I wanted to get to the root cause, and my research led me to the microbiome. I found study after study showing that a child’s gut health in the first 1,000 days shapes their lifelong immune health.”
“At the time, there were no gut health tests available for babies, so I decided to create one. I started Tiny Health one week after giving birth to my second child. I pulled together a team of scientists, clinicians, and engineers, and we spent two years in development before launching our Baby Gut Health Test.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Sew Hoy explained:
“We offer at-home gut tests for babies, children, and adults, vaginal health tests, as well as clinical-grade PRO Gut Health Tests available through licensed practitioners. Our products are available as standalone tests or as memberships that support proactive health management through ongoing testing, coaching, and education.”
“Our platform uses shotgun metagenomic sequencing—the gold standard in microbiome research—and a proprietary bioinformatics pipeline. We analyze species diversity and functional markers like gut inflammation, fiber fermentation capacity, and digestive function. We pair this with personalized recommendations powered by the latest scientific research.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Sew Hoy acknowledged:
“One of the biggest challenges has been educating both families and practitioners on the value of proactive microbiome testing.”
“If chronic conditions begin early, then early intervention — even during pregnancy — should be the default. In the beginning, we focused our efforts on supporting gut health before any imbalances had a chance to develop, targeting expecting parents and infants under six months.”
“But the audience we set out to serve wasn’t searching for prevention or “baby gut health”. They were awake at 2 a.m. googling “eczema treatment” or “why my baby can’t sleep.” We realized that many people don’t engage until a problem feels urgent.”
“That insight reshaped our approach, messaging, and tools. We broadened our offerings to include support for immediate symptom management, while maintaining our core focus on addressing underlying gut microbiome imbalances.”
“We’ve since extended that model to older children and adults, combining microbiome insights with actionable steps people can take today.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Sew Hoy noted:
“We started with a singular focus on the infant gut microbiome and continue to be the market leader in that space. This year, we launched a Gut Maturation Index for ages 0-3, which translates complex microbial data into a developmental timeline, highlighting whether a child’s gut is maturing on track. We’ve also built the largest longitudinal dataset on maternal-infant microbiomes in the world, fueling insights that improve early detection of microbiome imbalances and guide targeted interventions.”
“Today, we’ve evolved to apply these insights to adult health, introducing novel metrics like Gut Resilience, Inflammation Index, GABA production, and Urolithin A capacity markers to inform precision interventions. Our technology detects early microbial risk signatures that precede conditions like eczema, allergies, IBS, menopause, thyroid disease, and metabolic decline. And now our reports show serotonin, melatonin, and GLP-1 production in the gut.”
“Our platform supports microbiome health across the lifespan — from pregnancy through adulthood — offering unmatched resolution and breadth. We are constantly innovating and developing new metrics and capabilities, from probiotic and pathogen strain tracking and toxin gene detection to building an AI engine for actionable recommendations.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Sew Hoy cited:
“In just 3 years, we’ve helped over 100,000 people understand and improve their microbiome health. 76% of infants tested have increased beneficial bacteria, and 60% improved symptoms after following our recommendations. Capitalizing on the momentum from our $8.5M Series A funding, we launched a B2B platform, Powered by Tiny, and our tests are now being used by a major hospital system, top-tier longevity clinics, luxury wellness centers, and over 2,500 integrative and functional practitioners, including conventional doctors at Kaiser and Mass General. In the past year, we’ve expanded from the U.S. to the EU, Canada, and Mexico. In recognition of this scientific, clinical, and commercial progress, Tiny Health was named NutraIngredients-USA 2025 Start-Up of the Year and the winner of Mira’s Hormone Innovator Award for Integrative Impact.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Sew Hoy about customer success stories, she highlighted:
“Our blog features several case studies from families whose lives were transformed by testing with Tiny Health and addressing microbiome imbalances at the root of their health issues. We’ve helped countless families tackle eczema, colic, and sleep issues, and even adult mental health issues.”
“Our feature in The Washington Post was a big moment for us because it spotlighted the impact our test had on a determined mother who had spent over a year searching for answers through the traditional medical system. Tiny Health helped her get to the root cause of her daughter’s severe food reactions. Outcomes like this, and national recognition for it, validate everything we’re building.”
Funding
When asking Sew Hoy about the company’s funding details, she revealed:
“We’ve raised $13M so far and have secured strong B2B traction through our PoweredByTiny platform. We’re on pace to double revenue (at the 8-digit level) this year, with rapid adoption across both consumer and practitioner markets and over 2,500 practitioners using our tests to guide care.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Sew Hoy affirmed:
“Tiny Health is not your average gut test. From day one, we’ve built our platform on scientific rigor, using shotgun metagenomics for deep, clinical-grade insights that go beyond diversity scores and taxa (which microbes are present or absent). Our proprietary bioinformatics pipeline enables us to analyze microbiome data with unmatched precision, offering deeper functional insights than any other test on the market — detailing gut inflammation, fiber fermentation, and digestive health. Keeping the science in-house has given us the speed and depth to build something no one else in the space has achieved.”
“Unlike competitors who start with adult disease, we began with first 1,000 days of life, giving us a unique prevention-first lens. By mapping gut health from birth to adulthood, we’re redefining approaches to aging, chronic disease, and performance.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Sew Hoy reflected:
“My favorite memory so far was our 2024 team offsite at a ranch outside Austin, Texas. It was our third offsite, and the first time I facilitated the retreat myself. We did a food truck competition where our team had to make up recipes, shop for ingredients, build and decorate a mini food truck, and have their food rated by a panel of judges (my family!). The challenge showcased how creative, talented, brilliant our teammates are — not just their cooking skills, but also artistically. And it reminded me how special our team is and how much intention goes into building not just a company, but a culture.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Sew Hoy assessed:
“We’re tackling the growing preventive health and wellness market, estimated at $2 trillion globally. In the U.S., a reactive healthcare system strained by chronic disease underscores the urgent need for proactive, microbiome-based tools. Nearly half of U.S. children have at least one chronic condition. Among adults, that figure rises to 78%, with 40% of premature deaths linked to preventable diseases.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Sew Hoy emphasized:
“Tiny Health is uniquely positioned to redefine the microbiome as a cornerstone of personalized wellness. Our goals ahead are threefold:
First, we’re continuing to invest in research. We’ve published a paper in Gut Microbes and completed three IRB-approved clinical studies under peer review. Our first randomized controlled trial, published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, found that our 6-month infant microbiome program reduced the odds of developing eczema by 83% in C-section-born infants. We continue to launch additional studies, including our Microbiome Age Research Edition focused on adults aged 60 and older. We currently have 11 research partnerships, including studies on nutrition, prebiotics and probiotics, clinical interests (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation), fertility, and biotherapeutics.
Tiny Health is also expanding its focus on longevity and healthspan with the introduction of new functional and condition-based insights into the microbiome. Among 22 new microbiome metrics we’ve released in the past year, we’ve introduced a Gut Resilience Score, GABA production, Urolithin A potential, and markers for Cardiovascular health and Menopause. These tools offer a more comprehensive look at the microbes influencing healthy aging, stress response, hormones, and microbiome-related disease risk.
Third, we want to shift healthcare from reactive to proactive, starting from birth and continuing through the entire lifespan. To accomplish this, we’re building robust clinical and digital health partnerships, bridging divides between conventional medicine and the consumer at-home testing industry to bring microbiome testing into the standard of care.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you’d like to discuss? Sew Hoy concluded:
“Gut health isn’t just about digestion. It’s foundational to immune health, mental health, chronic disease, and aging. The earlier we intervene, the better our outcomes.”
