Seed Co-Founder Ara Katz Wants You to Rethink Probiotics

Co-founder and Co-CEO of Seed Health, Ara Katz has always been fascinated by the microbiome, but it was ultimately her pregnancy and breastfeeding journey that led her to start a modern, science-driven company that’s shaking up the probiotic industry. 

We’re thrilled to have you in our fall issue! What inspired you to create Seed, and what sparked your interest in gut health and microbiome science? Was there a specific experience or gap in the market that motivated you to start Seed?

Though not a scientist, I’ve always had a lifelong fascination with biology, health, and how we care for our bodies. My mom died from pancreatic cancer when I was 16 and ever since, I’ve been obsessed with how science gets translated into the choices and behaviors that shape our well-being.

While I had an early fascination with the microbiome, it was really my first pregnancy and meeting my co-founder, Raja, during that time that really inspired Seed. We met at an interesting moment for the field— the rise of wellness culture had propelled consumer enthusiasm for gut health, the microbiome, and probiotics, resulting in a category riddled with misleading messaging, questionable products, and hyperbolic claims. And while the science of probiotics is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing areas of research today, we found most ‘probiotics’ and probiotic products (especially in the U.S.) were not grounded in science at all.

Today, we have built a company known for our science, our collaborations with leading scientists in the field and products like our flagship DS-01® Daily Synbiotic and our newly launched vaginal health innovation, VS-01™, that have impacted the health of over one million people.

Seed has a reputation for being science-backed, but you’re shaking things up, making science more modern and fun. Can you tell us how Seed ensures that products meet high scientific standards?

At Seed, we take a biopharmaceutical approach to everyday health, applying the same rigorous scientific methods used in drug development to create next-generation biotics.

This encompasses our methodology for development, clinical research, testing and even new standards of safety. Probiotics are a very precise science and this approach has ensured not only the efficacy of our products but also forced a higher bar in the industry.

Gut health has become a buzzword, but Seed seems to approach it with more depth and education. What sets Seed apart in such a crowded wellness space?

In today’s internet climate, social media has destigmatized prevalent issues related to the microbiome and gut health (see movements like #GutTok and #BloatTok on TikTok), but with the rise in awareness and consumer demand has come an increase in misinformation and it has become even more difficult for consumers to discern what is actually science-based.

As a brand, we believe science isn’t finished until it’s communicated. We consider education to be as important as the products we develop. We are always dreaming up new ways to trojan horse science into culture and the channels where people are already consuming content.

From our award-winning SeedUniversity influencer program to our learn-to-earn drop system, we have developed an anti-marketing strategy that employs unconventional methods to educate (about bacteria, the microbiome, human biology, and health), often using satire, parody, or direct opposition to typical strategies.

Acknowledging that the medium is the message, this approach empowers us to view every medium, including advertising, as a canvas for storytelling and platform to provoke discourse. This allows people to actively participate in science (like many did in our award-winning #GiveAShit for Science campaign) and helps bridge the gap between science and real people.

What’s a common misconception about probiotics, microbiomes, or gut health that you wish more people understood?

Most people refer to the microbiome interchangeably with ‘gut health’, but microbes actually co-evolved with us to live in and on various body sites and organ systems—not just the gut—to perform functions critical to our health. Scientists have identified distinct communities of microorganisms in our mouth, eyes, nose, lungs, bladder, urethra, skin, armpits, ears, and scalp. The penis, testes, vagina, nipple, and even breast milk also harbor their own unique microbiome. And there are likely many more we have yet to uncover.

But perhaps the area of greatest misconception is the field of probiotics. Its rise in popularity has ushered in ‘gut mania’ where there’s widespread, obsessive interest with gut-and microbiome-friendly foods, beverages, cosmetics, and other household items. Walk into a grocery store or pharmacy, and in addition to probiotic supplements, you will find ‘probiotic’ tortilla chips, chocolate, home cleaning products, skincare, shampoos, and yes, even pillow cases.

One of the biggest controversies within the field is actually whether or not fermented foods and beverages like yogurt, kombucha, and kimchi are probiotics. Scientifically speaking, probiotics are live microorganisms (often bacteria) that have been studied in specific amounts to carry out specific actions for the host (you). This means that a strain (not just a species) of bacteria must demonstrate efficacy in a human clinical study to be scientifically viable as a probiotic.

And unlike some clinically studied probiotics (e.g. DS-01®), most ‘probiotic’ food or beverages have not been subjected to controlled studies in humans to demonstrate a health benefit beyond the food or beverage itself. The health benefit must, at least in part, be due to the live microorganisms and must extend beyond any nutritional benefit of the fermented food. For these reasons, the terms ‘fermented food’ and ‘probiotics’ cannot always be used interchangeably.

How do you see Seed’s role in changing the way people think about their bodies and overall health?

First, we need to understand that living in and on us is a community of 76 trillion microorganisms (mostly bacteria) that make up our microbiome— nearly 50% of our cell count. Once we understand the scale of our microbiome and that microbes are involved in nearly every biological function or organ system of the body, we can re-see ourselves as an interconnected ecosystem, much like a coral reef. 

Unlike our genome, the microbiome is dynamic and ever-changing. It is an actionable lever of health that is responsive to new inputs like diet and exercise, but also interventions like probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics. Nurture your microbiome, nurture you. 

When we see the microbiome as a radical new pathway for well-being, we can completely transform our approach to health and empower better choices every day.

The Vaginal Synbiotic has attracted a lot of attention lately. What led you to develop a product specifically for vaginal health, and why now? How does this product address gaps in women’s health?

The vaginal microbiome is a critical ecosystem and foundation of gynecological, urogenital, and reproductive health. It shifts regularly and is easily disrupted by everyday factors like sex, menstruation, exercise, swimming, and major life moments like giving birth, leaving the vagina susceptible to imbalances and unwanted issues.

Historically, the importance and nuances of the vaginal microbiome have not been wholly understood and integrated into our approach to vaginal and reproductive health. This oversight has left many urogenital and reproductive conditions inadequately addressed, leading to gaps in both medical interventions and consumer health solutions. 

Today, the vast majority of vaginal health issues are related to a disturbance in the vaginal microbiome, yet most available solutions target only the symptoms in ways that further disturb this delicate ecosystem. As a microbiome science company, we felt compelled to create a clinically-validated solution that empowers women to take back control of their health— especially at a time when it feels like we’re moving backwards. 

Inspired by the data gaps and unmet needs in vaginal health, we’ve leveraged nearly two decades of breakthrough vaginal microbiome research to develop VS-01™— the first vaginal synbiotic clinically validated to rapidly establish an optimal vaginal microbiome dominated by L. crispatus, the vagina’s most protective bacteria. VS-01™ is the antidote to a legacy of harsh, reactive solutions— a sustainable approach that addresses the source, not just the symptoms.

Sustainability seems to be a core value at Seed, with a focus on sustainable packaging. Can you talk about why this is important to you and how Seed approaches environmental responsibility?

We work under the One Health ethos, which honors the interconnectedness of human, environmental, and animal health, meaning that what benefits the planet benefits us all. This principle is at the core of our DNA.

This means sustainability goes way beyond typical business practices like sustainable packaging or carbon offsets for us. In addition to our biomaterials initiatives for packaging and unique carbon program, we focus on long-term, solutions-oriented initiatives with real implications for the climate crisis through SeedLabs, our environmental research initiative that we founded to advance emergent research and microbial innovations that can enhance and restore ecologies impacted by human activity and climate change.

By example, we recently launched a new partnership with The Two Frontiers Project, a non-profit research organization dedicated to studying life in extreme environments, to explore microbes’ potential in enhancing carbon sequestration, restoring vital ecosystems, and transforming CO₂ into sustainable products. Other SeedLabs projects include microbial innovations for honey bee preservation, coral reef regeneration, and plastic waste management. 

By focusing on these wider, solutions-oriented projects, we aim to make a lasting impact, not just on our company but on the broader health of the planet.

What have been the most rewarding aspects of building Seed, both personally and professionally?

Cultivating our brand for Seed has been one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on. I’ve always felt like it was the culmination of so many ideas I’ve had over the years, the synthesis of worlds and concepts I’ve always wanted to connect, and a reflection of the world I’d like to live in— one that deeply understands systems, the interconnectedness of all life on Earth, challenges the status-quo, evokes first principles and re-frames science and bacteria into a beautiful lens. Science has historically been so cold and clinical and our brand was the opportunity to shift that perception and break through the noise. From our visual language to our industrial design to the language we speak, it’s a project that continues to reveal itself and the evolution (and the people I get to do that work with) is equally inspiring.

If I had to pick just one moment, it would be the time when we stepped up in solidarity with Swehl and Molly Baz to donate our ad space in Times Square when her own billboard across the street was censored and taken down. It was an act of support that highlights the ongoing societal double standards that accept sexualized images of women while censoring natural representations of motherhood. It was personally meaningful to me as it was my own pregnancy and breastfeeding journey that ultimately led me to co-found Seed.

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I’m incredibly grateful we get to show up in moments like that and with a brand that has always tried to be the antidote to the traditional, but what’s actually even more meaningful are the stories we hear every day about the life-changing effects our products have. We’ve impacted the health of over one million people to date, and I’m inspired to continue building Seed so we can empower even more people to transform their well-being.

And lastly, there was this one time we were told Kanye used us on his moodboard.

As a founder, how has your understanding of health and wellness evolved since starting Seed?

Because I work in the field of microbiome and have a front row seat to science, I have a unique lens for how I live every day and make choices. From exercise to heat exposure to diet to supplementation, my work informs nearly all of it.

Having created a game-changing product like Seed’s Daily Synbiotic, we’d love to hear about your own daily wellness products. What are we taking? What’s your daily wellness/supplement line-up?

Keep in mind, I am always experimenting and my body is evolving, especially at this stage in life. So, ask me the same question in 6 months and you may get a different answer.

For my diet, I eat a predominantly plant-based, whole food diet with some fatty fishes like salmon, sardines and anchovies. I try to limit caffeine, but I do drink 1.5-3g / matcha every day and a lot of water (often with magnesium or lemon in it).

For supplementation, I am currently taking 4 capsules of DS-01®, 2000mg+ Omega-3 (1000mg+ DHA / 200mg+ EPA), Magnesium Glycinate, Astaxanthin and Red Yeast Rice (a cholesterol experiment) along with early experimentation with 5g creatine per day in capsule form.

Running a company like Seed while also maintaining a balanced lifestyle must be challenging. How do you manage or tend to your own health and well-being as an entrepreneur and mom?

It’s worth noting that men never get asked this question. The simple answer most women don’t honestly give is that unlike too many moms in this country, I can afford childcare. Yes, I have many other productivity hacks to share, but the simple truth is that all of those are made possible because I have the privilege to afford childcare. 

More tactically, I do live by my Google calendar. If it’s not on the calendar, life simply doesn’t work. And the more I plan, the more I can avoid a life dictated by my inbox and the things that need to be reacted to all day. Even my deep work is scheduled. Self-care time— also on the calendar. Time with my children not to be scheduled over— also on the calendar. Who is doing bedtime— even that. Taking time to structure time is the only way I’ve been able to solve the intentional space for what’s most important. 

I’ve never been one to silo all the parts of my life (part of where I think a lot of the tropes of “balancing it all” and the suffering that emerges from feeling like one has to be chosen over another happen), so I have instead cultivated a life integrates much of what I care about, what I want to learn about and where I want to spend my time.

And lastly, I wake up early, very early.

Let’s dive further into your life as a mom. What does your morning routine look like?

As much of our team is based on the East Coast and Europe, I often have to be on 6 a.m. calls at our Venice office. On the days I can be home, I’m up between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m., making breakfast and with my kids until 7 a.m. or so depending on if I am doing school dropoff. Most days, I pick up a matcha and walk .5 miles to our office by 7:15 a.m., getting early sunlight and light cardio before I start work. My exercise starts much later in the day now due to my youngest son so I leave the office at 4 p.m. to do hot yoga and resistance training before heading into the vortex of dinner and bedtime.

We all experience mom guilt from time to time. When do you find mom guilt creeps in for you and how do you deal with it?

I’d be lying if I didn’t answer ‘every single day.’ I have to remind myself that I’m doing my best. I have an amazing partner who is an incredible dad and is able to maintain a steady presence when I’m not. I also remember that it’s important for young boys to see a woman model what it looks like to build something from nothing, to be in the world helping people and to be contributing to her family in this way. Motherhood can shape shift throughout our lifetime and can look so different for each of us at different stages so I try not to sit in judgment of myself but rather notice how it feels and find meaningful ways to connect when I can tell I or them need it most.

What have you found to be the most surprising aspect of motherhood thus far? How about the hardest aspect of motherhood?

The hardest aspect of motherhood for me is co-parenting. I find it’s easy to know what I would do, but no one hands you a manual on how to evolve a romantic relationship into a parenting partnership nor how to do that in a way that models healthy relationships, boundaries, and structure. The figuring it out has given me a lot of empathy for my parents and also been by far the most challenging.

Both you and your husband are entrepreneurs— how wonderful for your kids to watch you both chase dreams and build brands! What do you hope your own entrepreneurial spirits will instill in your kids?

I care that my children know how to generate new ideas and build and create. I want them to learn how to think deeply and how to synthesize— how to connect dots previously unconnected. When you do that, business is just what happens.

This article was excerpted from the Fall 2024 Issue of Mini Magazine.