Afif Ghannoum calls himself an ignition entrepreneur; he thrives on turning ideas into reality. As CEO of BIOHM, an innovative microbiome company, he has done just that. Founded on his father Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum’s discovery of the important role fungus plays in digestive health, Afif converted biotechnology into commercial opportunities.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum is a world-renowned scientist who now serves as the Director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University. It was Afif’s vision to take his father’s academic science out of the research setting and transform it into a commodity that helps people. BIOHM is the first company to purposefully engineer consumer products that address both bacteria and fungus in the gut.

JumpStart Ventures has supported BIOHM since its early days; advising on fundraising, growth planning and helping them find their footing.

Afif says JumpStart Ventures offered something rare in the world of raising capital: a tight-knit community – one that not only rooted for the BIOHM team but came to the table with a whole network of valuable resources.

Learn more about Afif and his story in the video below.