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How She Raised $11 Million to Make Dogs Live Longer
Celine Halioua is changing
Marco Fazio, Marco Fazio & Branden Coluccio
April 01, 2025
In partnership with
📍 San Francisco, California
In the world of biotech innovation, Celine Halioua is making a groundbreaking impact with her startup, Loyal. Founded in 2019, Loyal is dedicated to developing FDA-approved drugs aimed at extending the lifespan and healthspan of dogs. With a mission to give man’s best friend longer, healthier lives, Halioua is pioneering longevity science for pets.
Identifying the Need
Halioua’s journey into longevity science began during her time as a DPhil student at Oxford University, where she studied the economics of gene therapy and healthcare incentives. Realizing the challenges of developing anti-aging drugs for humans due to high costs and regulatory hurdles, she turned her focus to dogs. This shift was driven by the unique opportunity dogs present as biological models for aging research—offering insights into human aging pathways while addressing a significant market need.
The Birth of Loyal
In 2019, at just 24 years old, Halioua founded Loyal with the vision of creating drugs that extend canine lifespan while maintaining quality of life. Loyal’s approach targets metabolic dysfunction and other mechanisms underlying aging in dogs. The company’s pipeline includes three drugs: LOY-001 for large-breed dogs, LOY-002 for senior dogs over 14 pounds, and LOY-003 for similar applications in large breeds. These therapies aim to prevent age-associated diseases rather than merely treating them after onset.
Securing Substantial Seed Funding
Loyal quickly attracted attention from top venture capitalists. In its seed round, the company raised $11 million from investors including Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, and The Longevity Fund
This funding enabled Loyal to advance its research and development efforts, culminating in FDA acceptance of its Reasonable Expectation of Effectiveness (RXE) application for LOY-002
These milestones position Loyal as a leader in veterinary longevity science.
Looking Ahead
With clinical trials underway and FDA conditional approval expected by early 2025, Loyal is on track to launch its first products. The company’s work not only promises longer lives for dogs but also contributes to broader aging research that could benefit humans. Loyal’s innovative approach has garnered widespread interest among dog owners and veterinarians alike.
Key Takeaways from Celine Halioua’s Journey
🐕 Innovative Focus: By targeting aging mechanisms rather than specific diseases, Loyal is redefining veterinary medicine.
🐕 Strategic Vision: Halioua leveraged her expertise in health economics to identify a scalable market opportunity in canine longevity.
🐕 Funding Success: Attracting top-tier investors has been critical to advancing Loyal’s ambitious goals.
🐕 Broader Impact: Research on dog aging may illuminate pathways relevant to human healthspan extension.
Celine Halioua’s work exemplifies how scientific innovation can be paired with entrepreneurial vision to address unmet needs—one dog at a time
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Startups Currently Raising
These innovative startups are actively fundraising. Who will be the next success story?
VQ Biomedical (USA): A medtech startup spun out of Duke University, developing a less invasive device to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)—a life-threatening lung condition—with the potential to save lives in ICUs worldwide.
🔗 vqbiomedical.com (site under construction as of now)
💰 Raising: $5M | Committed: $5M
Qneiform (Hungary): An AI-powered talent intelligence platform helping companies discover and evaluate candidates by aggregating large-scale, real-time data. Positioned as one of Hungary’s most promising tech startups.
🔗 qneiform.com
💰 Raising: €3M | Committed: €3M
UVIONIX (Bulgaria/USA): A robotics startup building autonomous drones and smart systems for real-time inventory management in warehouses, helping logistics companies reduce labor costs and human error.
🔗 uvionix.io
💰 Raising: €3.3M | Committed: €3.3M
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