Growing demand for evidence-backed fiber drives Myota’s $4.5m funding round

Myota develops fiber blends designed to improve short-chain fatty acid production across different gut microbiomes. The company will use the funding to grow its B2B sales teams in the US and Europe, scale its direct-to-consumer business and advance clinical research . “Fiber is one of the most powerful and overlooked levers for human health, and for years the products on shelves haven’t done it justice,” Kat Stennett, co-founder and CEO of Myota, said. “What’s been missing is fiber that works across real, varied microbiomes and stands up to clinical scrutiny. That is what we’ve built, and it’s why companies across F&B, food service, and wellness, are coming to us to put genuine, claimable benefits into their products. This round lets us meet that demand at scale.” Yoni Glickman, managing partner at PeakBridge, told NutraIngredients that consumer signals made it clear that now was the right time to invest in scaling validated fibers. “Fiber is the biggest dietary gap in the Western diet; around 95% of adults in Western countries don’t eat the minimum recommended fiber intake,” she said. “That’s been true for decades, but the sea change is that over 60% of consumers are now attempting to increase fiber intake, and many of them will do it through supplementation.” Glickman noted that as consumers increasingly link gut health to tangible health outcomes, regulators and retailers are applying greater scrutiny to health claims made by food and nutrition companies. “The bar for evidence is rising and companies like Myota that invested in clinical work early can really compete on proof and outcomes,” she said. Glickman added that scientific evidence is increasingly distinguishing fiber ingredients from commodity products, noting that advances in microbiome research and more accessible testing have enabled companies to demonstrate health effects, while manufacturers and consumers are placing greater emphasis on clinically validated ingredients. “Broad label claims don’t separate one product from the next on the shelf, so companies that invested in clinical work early can now compete on proof and outcomes rather than on price,” she said. “That is the line we hold when we invest, and Myota is a good example.” Matthias de Kock, principal at PeakBridge, added that growing microbiome awareness is a key enabler for the fiber category. “People now understand and accept that gut health sits underneath immunity, mood and metabolism, and are actively looking for products that act on it, with focus on evidence rather than good marketing,” he told NI. “GLP-1 drugs are definitely adding a second source of pull. These are on track to become the biggest drug class in history, and they create demand for satiety, for GI tolerability, and for nutrient density in much smaller portion sizes, which is exactly the kind of need Myota’s fiber is positioned to serve.” De Kock expects advanced fiber solutions to achieve the fastest commercial scale through B2B ingredient supply. “Myota is already live with repeat orders through Joe & The Juice, and that kind of account doubles as a shop window, since it proves the ingredient works in a real product,” he said. “Myota’s direct-to-customer business tripled in the UK last year, and we expect it to keep growing.” He did add that regulatory requirements and long commercial timelines will be the main barriers to wider adoption. “Health-claim approval is fragmented across markets, with EFSA in Europe and the FDA in the US, and the route from clinical evidence to an approved on-pack claim is long,” de Kock said. “Until the category matures, companies lean on ingredient-content claims, which limit how hard they can push a message to consumers.” However, thanks to its clinical work, he noted Myota will be able to support structure and function claims in the supplement space. And while long B2B sales cycles and product reformulation can slow adoption, de Kock noted that Myota reduces these barriers by developing fiber blends that work at lower inclusion levels, making them easier to incorporate into a wider range of products.