Philip Strandwitz

Originally from Wisconsin, Phil is a microbiome scientist turned first-time entrepreneur, and the inventor of many of the key technologies powering Holobiome. An expert in the human microbiome with a special focus on the gut-brain axis, he was supported by one of the first grants in the Human Microbiome Project and earned his PhD in Biology from Northeastern University in 2016, where his work led to publications in top journals including Nature, Nature Microbiology, and Microbiome. Today he leads Holobiome, a platform biotech company mapping how our microbes shape our biology and turning that knowledge into consumer products and drugs. Under his leadership, Holobiome won a landmark award from ARPA-H, the U.S. federal health-innovation agency modeled on DARPA, to run one of the largest microbiome trials ever attempted, and has also earned grants from the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. He has raised over $20 million in venture financing and secured multiple corporate partnerships, and is a Termeer Fellow, part of a mentorship network founded by Genzyme's founding CEO, Henri Termeer.

Phil believes we are here today because of our microbes, and that our best future will be empowered by them.