How does Throne's technology work?

Throne uses computer vision analysis to turn camera data into health metrics. The startup uses a pipeline of a dozen different computer vision models, some trained by practicing gastroenterologists, to analyze characteristics of stool and urine.

What is the Gut Health AI coach?

Throne introduced a beta version of its Gut Health AI coach earlier this month that lets users ask questions about their data and receive personalized feedback. The tool uses large language models to interview users after episodes of poor gut health to understand relevant factors, and over time identifies which factors are most commonly associated with poor or good gut health outcomes.

What are Throne's plans for the future?

Throne's longer-term goal is to build an at-home system capable of identifying early warning signs of colorectal cancer, bladder, and kidney cancers—a capability that remains under development and is not currently offered. The company is also running validation studies with researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago.

AI in HealthcareAI Business & IndustryCrunchbase News AIJul 28, 2026Jul 28, 2026, 22:00 JST

Throne Science raises $10M for AI toilet camera tracking gut health

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3 Key Points

What happened
Throne Science, which makes an AI-powered toilet camera to track gut health and hydration, raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Will Ventures. The round brings the startup's total funding to nearly $18 million since its 2023 inception. The company was founded by CEO Scott Hickle and former Whoop co-founder and CTO John Capodilupo.
Why it matters
Throne uses computer vision analysis and multiple AI models trained by gastroenterologists to measure health metrics from stool and urine. The company recently launched a beta Gut Health AI coach that uses large language models to conduct conversational interviews with users after episodes of poor gut health, helping identify patterns between diet, lifestyle, and digestive outcomes—a capability Capodilupo views as central to the product's value because longitudinal data on individual users is what enables personalized insights.
What to watch
Throne's longer-term goal is to develop an at-home system capable of identifying early warning signs of colorectal cancer, bladder, and kidney cancers (a capability still under development and not yet offered). The company is running validation studies with researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago, and has been accepted to present its first academic abstract showing its visual AI assesses stool form with accuracy on par with board-certified gastroenterologists.

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Context & Analysis

Throne Science enters a market where passive health tracking has become mainstream. Will Ventures partner Ben Gardner notes that roughly 80% of consumers now adopt at least one gut-health targeting behavior, yet no existing medium provides continuous tracking of gut health markers—a gap Throne aims to fill. The company faces direct competition from Kohler, which recently introduced its Dekoda toilet-mounted health tracker; Throne differentiates on usability, battery performance, and software capabilities. Throne's two co-founders bring complementary expertise: CEO Scott Hickle brings product management experience, while John Capodilupo, the former Whoop co-founder and CTO, brings both technical credibility and personal motivation—he has ulcerative colitis. Capodilupo's emphasis on longitudinal data reflects lessons from Whoop, where tracking the same person over time created a product that felt personalized and advanced the underlying science. Throne is pursuing a multi-channel go-to-market strategy: direct-to-consumer sales, partnerships with functional-medicine practitioners, and academic/pharmaceutical research collaborations that could provide researchers with objective, consistent data replacing patient self-reporting.

FAQ

How does Throne's technology work?: Throne uses computer vision analysis to turn camera data into health metrics. The startup uses a pipeline of a dozen different computer vision models, some trained by practicing gastroenterologists, to analyze characteristics of stool and urine.
What is the Gut Health AI coach?: Throne introduced a beta version of its Gut Health AI coach earlier this month that lets users ask questions about their data and receive personalized feedback. The tool uses large language models to interview users after episodes of poor gut health to understand relevant factors, and over time identifies which factors are most commonly associated with poor or good gut health outcomes.
What are Throne's plans for the future?: Throne's longer-term goal is to build an at-home system capable of identifying early warning signs of colorectal cancer, bladder, and kidney cancers—a capability that remains under development and is not currently offered. The company is also running validation studies with researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago.

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