What Is Throne?
A passive, continuous health monitor embedded in your toilet seat turns a daily routine into valuable insights for gut health, hydration, and cancer detection. Throne is available today for stool and urine analysis and is designed as the “Whoop for Your Poop” for the 75 million Americans dealing with IBS, IBD, and prostate issues. The future version of Throne, known as the “Smoke Detector for Colon Cancer,” will expand its capabilities to include screening for one of the fastest-growing cancers in the United States.
Deciding to invest in a company usually hinges on two questions: 1) Will the founders find a way to succeed? 2) Is the target market large enough?
Founder Bet
Scott Hickle is a founder who combines three qualities rarely found together: being a talent magnet, an obsession with solving the problem, and deep industry knowledge. His motivation is straightforward — he’s passionate about saving lives and wants the Throne device on every accessible toilet. If you don’t believe us… His social handle is “Poop Guy,” and he gave a TED Talk on the history and significance of poop.
Chasing an introduction to Throne kicked off an organic 18-month relationship before a check was written. We introduced him to multiple investors who then joined this round, connected him with enterprise customers who remain engaged, and brought him before clinicians who initially questioned but ultimately left as believers in his right to win. Scott exemplifies a founder willing to bend reality with passionate intensity to make his business succeed.
His effectiveness is evident in the people he’s assembled. Scott recruited John Capodilupo, co-founder of Whoop and a key technical figure behind the $10B consumer health startup, who personally relates to the problem—living with ulcerative colitis. Scott also persuaded Ben Grynol, who previously led consumer growth at Levels, to join Throne. Scott established a medical advisory board with Dr. David Rubin and Dr. Mark Pimentel, renowned researchers with over 10,000 combined citations in IBS/IBD. Scott attracted an investor syndicate such as Emerson Collective, Will Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, Felix Capital, and Accomplice (an early supporter of Whoop).
Market Bet
In consumer health technology, continuous tracking now covers sleep, heart rate, glucose, and hormones, providing daily insights into bodily functions that influence habits. Despite valuable clinical signals from bathroom data, this area has received little to no attention. Wearables like Whoop and Oura needed to convince users that tracking HRV and sleep was important, but Throne doesn’t face that hurdle. This is because its core users have less need for education and face immediate health concerns. Patients with IBD, IBS, and prostate issues already understand the importance of monitoring symptoms, yet lack easy methods beyond memory, spreadsheets, or guesswork. Throne’s passive approach makes sustained long-term behavior change feasible. Over time, it reveals how factors like sleep, alcohol, medication, stress, and diet shape personal patterns, transforming passive data into actionable insights. This potential creates billions in enterprise value but isn’t the ultimate swing.
As Throne develops colon cancer screening features, its audience grows significantly, unlocking a new dimension of value—an extension many other consumer health devices are racing to build. Colon cancer is among the fastest-growing cancers in the U.S., increasingly affecting those under 50 and steering market interest toward early detection. While Cologuard, as the market leader, generates over $2 billion annually with a binary test, Throne aims to address an earlier need: helping individuals proactively understand how to prevent cancer before testing becomes necessary. Colon cancer is often preventable and highly treatable if caught early. If Throne can passively detect clinical signals without requiring behavioral changes, it will give larger diagnostic companies a strategic reason to view it as a frontline tool in cancer prevention, ultimately saving lives.
We are excited to back the incredible people, mission, and vision at Throne!
