ZBiotics 2023 Year in Review

Dear ZBiotics Community,

It’s been a huge year at ZBiotics! As we look back, we wanted to share some of the things we’re most proud of in 2023.

We grew our team

This year, we were excited to welcome seven new “ZBioneers” (what we call our team members). Every department grew, including Research & Development, Product Management, Customer Support, Marketing, and Operations. Each new person brought their unique skills, perspective, and personality to the team, and we’ve all been better for it.

We operate as a hybrid team, with folks spread out across the US. But we were able to come together for two memorable in-person offsites in Northern California, close to our lab headquarters. Witnessing the evolution of ZBiotics from two founders to a team of 20+ has been remarkable and makes us even more excited for the future.

But our growth journey in 2023 went beyond just the numbers. It also meant more opportunities to deepen our commitment to our core values. This past year, we’ve intensified our focus on the needs of our community. We launched a ZBiotics Volunteer Day, publicly renewed and augmented our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and increased our charitable giving activity.

We made major strides in product innovation

We’ve always had a vision for the company: to create a new category through genetically engineered probiotics – each enhancing daily life in an exciting new way.

This year, we took major steps toward that vision by putting in motion the launch of our next product. While we’re keeping it under wraps for now, our whole team is extremely excited to release this second product, and we will be announcing it soon. It’s going to be special.

But that’s not all. We’ve also accelerated development of our product pipeline: new engineered probiotics, each with their own unique purpose, deliberately engineered to be useful and powerful. We can’t wait to introduce them all to you.

We continued to build the ZBiotics community

The community surrounding ZBiotics has been the foundation of our success, going back to the very beginning. It's your stories and feedback that guide us, tell us when to change course, and ultimately help us build better products and serve you better. This year, we've seen incredible engagement and growth in our community. Here are some highlights:

• Wedding Celebrations: This autumn’s wedding season was booming, and we were thrilled to play a role in the big days of many. This included many of our subscribers, who received a special ZBiotics gift in the month of October to help them celebrate in style.

   

• Sponsoring Tailgates: We were thrilled to see groups come together as they cheered on their favorite team, with a little help from ZBiotics along the way!

  

• Affiliate Events: Our dedicated community of affiliates continued to grow, and we loved getting to meet some of you in-person in San Francisco and New York. We’re hoping to come say hi in more cities next year.

  

• Microbiology Conferences: Our scientists spoke at conferences like Microbiome Movement, the International Conference on Microbiome Engineering, and SynBioBeta, sparking conversation and continuing to build our vision within the scientific community. We’re frequently asked to speak on the topic of genetic engineering, and we’ve made particular efforts to use these events to talk about how we and others can use this technology safely and responsibly as we continue to develop exciting new applications and lay the foundations for a whole new category. We look forward to continuing the conversation around these absolutely critical topics in the coming year.

  

• Our Favorite ZBiotics Customer Moments: Your stories of taking ZBiotics across the globe have been nothing short of inspiring. Seeing you travel with ZBiotics in hand, showcased at your gatherings, and shared with your friends gives us big ideas for the future!

  

A highlight of our work has always been when you’ve reached out to share how ZBiotics fits into your lives, whether for big occasions or intimate gatherings. Thank you for continuing to share your ZBiotics moments.

We fostered multiple partnerships

We were also thankful to have forged some great new partnerships this year. While not all-encompassing, some of our key collaborations included:

• Sports & Fitness: The New York Gay Football League, Marina Run Club, Minnesota Womxn’s Broomball Program, and Berkeley Rugby Football Club are helping their communities stay active and have fun. Through sponsorships, we were happy to participate in getting people out on the field, track, and court – today and tomorrow morning.
• Podcast and Video: Did you hear ZBiotics team members being interviewed by your favorite podcasters and YouTubers? We love getting to share more about our vision and technology. You can check out some of our favorites here and here!
• Neoplants: We envision a future in which there are many choices of direct-to-consumer companies building products with genetic engineering. That’s why we were so excited to partner with Neoplants this year to elevate the conversation around our shared missions of using genetic engineering for good. Check out our interview with Neoplants here.
• Beyond Online: ZBiotics partnered with the brilliant team at Cote NYC to help make the experience of their guests even better. And we continued to partner with gyms, spas, and wellness shops to help you stay ready for whatever the night brings.

Looking Ahead

Everything we’ve accomplished, shared, and celebrated this past year makes us even more energized and excited about what lies ahead for ZBiotics. But in reflecting on the journey to date, the two of us continue to feel like we’re only at the beginning.

There’s a lot coming up in the year ahead with big, exciting changes for ZBiotics that we can’t wait to tell you about. Looking ahead, the future is bright!

Thank you for being part of our journey. Your trust and support mean the world to us. We promise to keep working tirelessly to maintain that trust and to continue making your mornings better.

Cheers to a healthy and prosperous 2024!

Zack Abbott and Stephen Lamb, on behalf of the ZBiotics Team