Austin-based startup secures seed funding for AI-powered gut health monitoring device, with notable figures like Lance Armstrong participating in the investment.
A smart toilet company that started as a joke at a poker table has secured $4 million in seed funding. Throne, an Austin-based startup, recently announced the completion of its seed round, led by Moxxie Ventures founder Katie Jacobs Stanton. Notable investors such as former cycling champion Lance Armstrong, Rupa Health co-founder Tara Viswanathan, and TrueMed founder Justin Mares also participated.
Product Technology and Market Positioning
Throne is not your ordinary toilet but an intelligent device installed on the toilet seat. The product combines computer vision technology, using cameras and AI software to analyze users' excrement, monitoring intestinal health and chronic disease indicators. The system features comprehensive privacy protection functions, including anonymizing image data sent to researchers.
Co-founder and CEO Scott Hickle stated that the device is currently in the pre-production working prototype stage and plans to officially launch in January 2026. The company also announced the appointment of John Capodilupo, co-founder and former CTO of WHOOP smartwatch, as Chief Product Officer, bringing rich hardware manufacturing experience to product development.
From Joke to Reality: The Startup Journey
This seemingly absurd startup story began at a poker game in Austin in 2021. Mechanical engineer Hickle and full-stack software engineer and current CTO Tim Blumberg were discussing various creative startup ideas with friends when Blumberg jokingly proposed the "smart toilet" concept, and Hickle immediately thought of the perfect company name, "Throne."
In 2023, after the failure of their nurse recruitment software startup, an investor unexpectedly mentioned the idea of a smart toilet, making them realize it might be a real opportunity. After market research, they discovered that fecal analysis indeed holds significant medical value, useful for monitoring conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer, chronic kidney disease, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Unusual Adventures on the Funding Path
The funding process for Throne was filled with dramatic coincidences. One of the most memorable moments occurred at Lance Armstrong's home—the former cycling champion, who had battled testicular cancer, wrote a check on the spot after testing the product prototype. Founders described the experience of standing outside Armstrong's bathroom door waiting for judgment as "surreal."
The chance encounter with major investor Jacobs Stanton was equally serendipitous. Hickle and Viswanathan from Rupa Health have been friends since high school, and it was she who facilitated this key introduction. More accidental meetings allowed the company to establish collaborations with research teams from the University of Washington and the University of Chicago, which are crucial for validating the product's effectiveness.
A friend met a urology researcher on a plane, leading to collaboration with the University of Washington; another friend’s gastroenterologist uncle—precisely a world-renowned expert and director of the Crohn's Foundation—opened the door to the University of Chicago.
Market Prospects and Investment Significance
Facing a series of "lucky" coincidences, founders often joke about how "luck matters more than ability." However, Hickle believes this smooth momentum indicates that "the whole world wants us to do this."
As the son of two doctors, Hickle knows the importance of preventing chronic disease outbreaks and early detection of fatal cancers. Despite initial strong opposition and refund requests from investors, the team eventually found more supporters.
Other seed round investors include Accomplice, Long Journey Ventures, V1.VC, Night Capital, Retron VC, and Myelin Ventures. With the rapid development of the home health monitoring equipment market, Throne's AI-driven intestinal health monitoring technology is expected to provide users with convenient and private health management solutions.
The company plans to use this financing round to improve product development, advance academic institution collaborative research, and prepare for the official market launch in 2026.