From Poker Joke to HealthTech Breakthrough: How Throne’s AI Toilet Secured $4M in Seed Funding
A Serendipitous Journey from Idea to Investment
When mechanical engineer Scott Hickle and software developer Tim Blumberg first joked about a “smart toilet” at a poker night in Austin, Texas, they had no idea the offhand remark would eventually flush $4 million into their new startup, Throne. That playful brainstorming session in 2021 sparked what would become a pioneering healthtech company — and a case study in the power of timing, personal networks, and a little bit of luck.
What Is Throne?
Throne, based in Austin, isn’t building actual toilets. Instead, it has developed a device that fits onto a traditional toilet bowl. Using computer vision and artificial intelligence, the system analyzes waste to track hydration, urological function, and signs of chronic gastrointestinal conditions — all from the privacy of the home.
The hardware and software setup is designed with privacy in mind. According to the company, the image data collected is anonymized before it reaches researchers. Currently, the system is still in its pre-production prototype stage, with a consumer launch planned for January 2026, co-founder and CEO Scott Hickle told TechCrunch.
High-Profile Backing and Leadership Expansion
Earlier this year, Throne secured a $4 million seed round. Leading the investment was Moxxie Ventures founder Katie Jacobs Stanton, with support from notable angel investors such as Lance Armstrong, Tara Viswanathan (co-founder of Rupa Health), and Justin Mares, the entrepreneur behind Kettle & Fire and TrueMed.
Additionally, the company announced the appointment of John Capodilupo as its Chief Product Officer. Capodilupo, best known as the co-founder and former CTO of the WHOOP fitness wearable, brings extensive product experience and a personal connection to the cause — he lives with ulcerative colitis and serves on the board of trustees for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
A Startup Born from a Joke
Throne’s origin story is anything but conventional. “Everyone’s pitching vice industry [ideas]; sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” Hickle recalled of that poker night. “Tim said, ‘smart toilets.’ I was like, ‘That’s hilarious. Clearly, you would name that company Throne.’”
Years later, after their previous startup — a platform for hiring nurses — fizzled out, the pair was considering returning the remaining investor funds. That’s when an investor surprised them by saying, “You guys thought about smart toilets?” The name had already stuck, and so had the idea.
They turned to Hickle’s mother, a gerontologist, to ask whether waste analysis could offer real medical value. Her enthusiastic (and somewhat graphic) response confirmed it: stool and urine can be invaluable indicators for conditions like IBS, ulcerative colitis, chronic kidney disease, prostate issues, and even certain cancers.
Hickle, whose father also dabbled in medical device inventions, was deeply motivated by the potential to help patients. “Knowing it might be possible to divert a chronic condition attack, or predict a deadly cancer, was really motivating to me,” he said.
Early Doubts, Big Risks
But not everyone was immediately convinced. One early investor was so skeptical of the pivot that he requested his capital back. “That was brutal,” Hickle said, not just due to the loss of funding but the blow to their confidence.
Despite setbacks, Hickle and Blumberg encountered more believers than doubters. Notably, a local connection introduced them to Lance Armstrong’s business manager. Soon after, they were standing outside Armstrong’s bathroom door after installing a prototype. The verdict? Armstrong was impressed — and invested.
Building Through Serendipity
Several pivotal introductions unfolded in surprisingly lucky ways. Hickle, a longtime friend of Tara Viswanathan from Rupa Health, was introduced to Katie Jacobs Stanton through her. That connection led Moxxie Ventures to lead the funding round.
Capodilupo first got involved as an angel investor. It took several months to persuade him to join full-time, but his deep experience in health tech product development was vital.
Academic partnerships also came via fortuitous encounters. The University of Washington came on board after a friend of Hickle’s happened to sit next to a urologist researcher on a flight. The University of Chicago joined after another friend introduced Hickle to his uncle — a leading gastroenterologist on the board of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation — who already knew Capodilupo.
“These partnerships are key to validating our software,” said Hickle. The founders now joke that their journey has been a string of lucky breaks. “It’s better to be lucky than good, and we just get so dumb lucky. All the time,” he laughed. Still, he feels there’s more at play: “The world wants us to do this.”
The Road Ahead
Other participants in Throne’s seed round include Accomplice, Long Journey Ventures, V1.VC, Night Capital, Retron VC, and Myelin Ventures. With growing investor interest, strong leadership, and critical research collaborations in place, Throne is poised to usher in a new era of personalized, in-home health monitoring.
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