upstarts ubiome

Curious about your health? Jessica Richman thinks you should be.

Richman is co-founder and CEO of uBiome, a San Francisco-based startup that analyzes the bacteria that lives on and inside you.

Like 23andMe, which analyzes a person's DNA, uBiome looks at a person's microbiome, which can help uncover the root causes of things like anxiety, diabetes and heart disease.

"We can change the way science is being done by involving the public," said Richman.

The startup, which has raised $6.5 million from investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator, has run two successful crowdfunding campaigns. For $79, people could purchase uBiome kits to test bacteria in the body and mouth. uBiome then analyzes the kits and lets people review their data and compare it to general public.

uBiome also works with partners like HelloFlo and PillPack on joint studies. The hope is to eventually "take the data and turn it into something."

First published June 24, 2015: 8:14 AM ET

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