Radicle Science 🧪

Opening Remarks

This week, I had a fascinating conversation about how most AI models are trained on English text—and what that means for the rest of the world.

There are thousands of languages spoken globally, but when it comes to AI, English is quietly becoming the operating system of the future. It's a strange twist: the more global tech becomes, the more dominant English gets.

I’ll be diving deeper into this in an upcoming LinkedIn post (follow me to catch it). In the meantime, if you have thoughts on language and AI, hit reply and let me know. Now, onto this week’s feature:

Bulletpitch’s publication covers the hottest early-stage startup before being picked up by larger media outlets. If that’s you, apply here.  

Setting the Scene

• Many big brands selling supplements, beverages, or wellness products face no real barrier to claiming their product “supports mood” or “boosts energy.”

• Most wellness claims aren’t required to be fully proven — and because clinical validation is slow and expensive, few brands invest in it, opting for vague, one-size-fits-all statements.

• But consumers are catching on, regulators are tightening up, and the old playbook is looking riskier by the day.

• This week’s company gives brands a way to develop and validate product claims through D2C trials — all at unprecedented cost and speed.

In a Sentence

Radicle Science is a proof-as-a-service company, enabling brands to develop and validate their products through large-scale, AI-powered, D2C clinical trials.

• Proof-as-a-Service: Radicle is vertically integrated and runs fully automated, end-to-end trials — from design and recruitment to data collection and analysis — giving brands bonafide claims and precision insights into how their products impact specific consumer segments. 

• Trials: Trials are faster, cheaper, and more diverse–making them more efficient than what big pharma has access to.

The Basics

• Industry: Healthtech, Data

• Headquarters: San Diego, CA

• Year Founded: 2020

• Employee Count: 24 FTEs, 5 full-time contractors, 7 part-time contractors

• Investors: Lightspeed, Mesa Verde, Social Impact Capital, Untapped, Humain, Everywhere Ventures

• Amount Raised: $14M

• Business Model: B2B SaaS + Clinical Services + IP generation

• Early Traction: Serving 3 of the world’s largest 5 consumer companies, consecutive annual revenue growth since founding, and studied >70,000 diverse Americans

Sponsored Content**

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

• Mercury believes that when banking* can do more, your business can do more.

• You can stay current with vendors with the help of bill pay that helps you prioritize AP. 

• You can watch your hard work become revenue with every invoice you create and send.

• You can unlock the ad spend you need to grow with access to credit cards designed for startups. 

• The best part is, you can do all this and more with a single product that feels extraordinary to use.

Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

Weekly Feature Continued

Due Diligence

WHAT WE LIKE

• Market Opportunity: The global wellness economy tops $6 trillion, with the average American spending over $6,000 a year on wellness — making it clear why brands are leaning hard into wellness positioning, even without the proof to support it.

• Data Ownership: Radicle retains rights to the data it generates, and now has the world’s largest wellness clinical dataset — a long-term strategic moat with compounding value over time.

• IP Generation: Brands are now engaging Radicle to develop some of history’s most proven and personalized wellness products–at 1/1000th the cost and 1/20th the time of pharma drug development. 

POTENTIAL RISKS

• Regulatory Ambiguity: While Radicle aligns with FDA/FTC standards, the wellness industry still lacks consistent enforcement for health claims.

• Brand Education Gap: Some CPG companies may balk at validation when marketing puffery and generically targeting all segments has worked just fine — until consumer pressure or legal exposure forces a shift.

• New Category Risk: Radicle’s IP development for brands is new and it’s unknown if the resultant products will see commercial success and significant licensing revenue. 

Founder Profile

• Jeff Chen, CEO: Life science entrepreneur & executive, physician & scientist, founded and led UCLA natural products research center.

• Pelin Thorogood, Exec Chair: Serial tech entrepreneur & executive with multiple exits, Trustee & Vice Chair UCSD Foundation, INC 200 Female Founder.

Comps

• Reputable Health: Backed by Outlier Ventures.

• Pruvn:  Backed by GrowthXCapital, VC 414, gBeta, gener8tor, Cox Enterprises, and others.

• Evidation:  Backed by OMERS Private Equity, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, B Capital, and others.

• Science 37: Backed by BlackRock, Lux Capital, Casdin Capital, and others.

Event Board

• Tech Carnival NYC: On June 3rd, we’re bringing our famous Tech Carnival to NYC. A bigger announcement is coming soon—but early birds can sign up HERE.

• Founding GPs Dinner NYC: On June 5th, we’re co-hosting a curated and intimate dinner for founding GPs and emerging managers. A bigger announcement is coming soon—but early birds can sign up HERE.

Note: Spots are limited for dinners. If you apply and aren’t approved for a dinner, we will try to get you to a future event.

Cast Your Vote

Last Week Today

• The Results Are In: Voltaic Marine, offering dual-use, scalable battery technology and manufacturing capacity for the marine industry, was favored in last week’s poll.

• Subscriber Feedback: “Voltaic Marine has a huge opportunity to make a splash. I’m a fan of any company shifting towards electric, and hope Voltaic Marine is able to revolutionize their respective industry.”