Dog longevity startup Loyal raises $27 million

Techcrunch reports that over the past year, Loyal has grown its team from 3 to 30 people. With the funding, the company will build out a bigger computation biology team to continue focusing on its products: one aimed at expanding the life of large breed animals, which are known to have shorter lifespans than their small breed counterparts, and one for improving cognitive function.

“Both of these will go into clinical studies next year, working toward U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval”, CEO Celine Halioua told Techcrunch.

After it can show that its drugs are doing what it says they can (help dogs live longer and healthier lives), the company will build a direct-to-consumer brand and sell to veterinarians.

“Our next steps are to build out our biology team and data over time so we can take on the gnarly problem of quantifying the aging process,” she added. “There is an opportunity to build a pharmaceutical brand that people love versus being confused by it. These are drugs meant for something happy — giving more years to a dog.”

Alexander Morgan, M.D. Ph.D., partner at lead investor Khosla Ventures: “Due to dogs being a good model for human health, many studies on human diseases are done on dogs. However, there is a challenge in knowing if the drug is actually beneficial. Loyal is approaching longevity with a narrow mechanism. They are differentiated by focusing on overall lifespan and healthspan. Healthspan is important because you don’t want to tack on years of unhealthy life.”