SEATTLE — Viome, a health care start-up, has entered into an agreement to acquire personalized nutrition company Habit from the Campbell Soup Co. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Both businesses offer home testing kits. Viome collects stool samples from consumers and uses artificial intelligence to provide personalized food recommendations based on an individual’s biology and gut microbiome. Habit collects blood samples and uses proprietary testing methodologies to provide personal nutrition guidance.
The merger is expected to create a comprehensive solution for providing personalized nutrition recommendations and engagement tools.
“With Habit now part of Viome, we have the perfect articulation of personalized health,” said Naveen Jain, founder and chief executive officer of Viome. “I have always admired Habit’s ability to engage and motivate the consumer. Combined with Viome’s deep insights from the microbiome, we are able to see the complete story our body is telling us about our overall health.”
Campbell Soup Co. has been Habit’s sole strategic investor and majority shareholder since its inception. Neil Grimmer, the founder of Plum Organics baby food, founded Habit in 2015.
“With the advent of big data and computational biology, I believe it’s possible to provide everyone in this country and around the world a personalized blueprint to achieve their health and wellness goals,” Mr. Grimmer said. “Viome analyzes the gut microbiome at a molecular level with advanced technology from the Los Alamos National Lab, which is a great competitive advantage and great foundation for creating the ultimate whole-body nutrition solution.”