Key Takeaways
- • Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) co-founded Outer Bio, a skin biotech research company, alongside fiancé Michael Polansky, who serves as CEO, with the venture publicly announced on August 21, 2026.
- • Outer Bio operates a proprietary discovery platform called Yuna—an ex vivo human-skin platform that maintains living human skin tissue viability for four weeks while enabling automated screening and biomedical AI analysis to identify new skin health molecules and mechanisms.
- • The company sources discarded human skin tissue from surgical procedures (plastic surgery and other medical waste) and applies automated in vitro screening combined with artificial intelligence to accelerate skin bioactives discovery.
- • Board composition includes Gaga and Polansky alongside Sara Choi, Partner at Wing Venture Capital (a healthcare technology investor focused on biology, data, and health convergence), and executive leadership including Chief Scientific Officer Kyung-Jin Jang, Chief Technology Officer Chris Hinojosa, and Chief Business Officer Stanley King II.
- • Outer Bio positions itself at the intersection of biotechnology and cosmetic/pharmaceutical development, bridging the gap between laboratory-measurable outcomes and real-world skin health efficacy—a model potentially applicable to both skincare and broader pharmaceutical applications.
Summary
Lady Gaga announced her entry into the biotechnology sector through co-founding Outer Bio, a skin health research company, via Instagram on August 21, 2026. The venture marks a strategic expansion beyond her existing cosmetics brand, Haus Lab, into biotech-driven skincare innovation. Gaga's fiancé Michael Polansky serves as CEO of the venture, while Gaga holds a board position under her legal name, Stefani Germanotta.
Outer Bio's core offering is Yuna, a proprietary ex vivo human-skin discovery platform designed to maintain viable human skin tissue for up to four weeks outside the body. The platform combines three key technologies: living human skin tissue sourced from surgical waste, automated in vitro screening systems, and biomedical artificial intelligence. This architecture enables the company to identify and validate new skin bioactives and mechanisms of action that advance skin health—positioning the research output as applicable to cosmetic, skincare, and potentially pharmaceutical product development.
The company's sourcing model relies on procuring discarded human skin from surgical procedures, including plastic surgery and other medical interventions, thereby converting biological waste into research material. This approach addresses a critical gap in skincare R&D: the disconnect between laboratory findings and real-world efficacy on living human skin. By maintaining viable tissue for extended periods and applying automated screening with AI-driven analysis, Outer Bio aims to accelerate the discovery cycle for novel skin health molecules.
The board includes institutional venture backing through Sara Choi, Partner at Wing Venture Capital, which specializes in early-stage healthcare technology at the convergence of biology, data, and health systems. Supporting leadership comprises Chief Scientific Officer Kyung-Jin Jang, Chief Technology Officer Chris Hinojosa, and Chief Business Officer Stanley King II. This structure combines entertainment industry capital and founder recognition with specialized biotech expertise and venture healthcare investment experience.
The venture represents a broader trend of celebrity-backed biotech and health technology startups, though Outer Bio's emphasis on proprietary tissue platforms and AI-driven discovery positions it within the contract research organization (CRO) and biotech services ecosystem rather than consumer-facing beauty retail, distinguishing it from Gaga's existing Haus Lab cosmetics business.
Outer Bio's core offering is Yuna, a proprietary ex vivo human-skin discovery platform designed to maintain viable human skin tissue for up to four weeks outside the body. The platform combines three key technologies: living human skin tissue sourced from surgical waste, automated in vitro screening systems, and biomedical artificial intelligence. This architecture enables the company to identify and validate new skin bioactives and mechanisms of action that advance skin health—positioning the research output as applicable to cosmetic, skincare, and potentially pharmaceutical product development.
The company's sourcing model relies on procuring discarded human skin from surgical procedures, including plastic surgery and other medical interventions, thereby converting biological waste into research material. This approach addresses a critical gap in skincare R&D: the disconnect between laboratory findings and real-world efficacy on living human skin. By maintaining viable tissue for extended periods and applying automated screening with AI-driven analysis, Outer Bio aims to accelerate the discovery cycle for novel skin health molecules.
The board includes institutional venture backing through Sara Choi, Partner at Wing Venture Capital, which specializes in early-stage healthcare technology at the convergence of biology, data, and health systems. Supporting leadership comprises Chief Scientific Officer Kyung-Jin Jang, Chief Technology Officer Chris Hinojosa, and Chief Business Officer Stanley King II. This structure combines entertainment industry capital and founder recognition with specialized biotech expertise and venture healthcare investment experience.
The venture represents a broader trend of celebrity-backed biotech and health technology startups, though Outer Bio's emphasis on proprietary tissue platforms and AI-driven discovery positions it within the contract research organization (CRO) and biotech services ecosystem rather than consumer-facing beauty retail, distinguishing it from Gaga's existing Haus Lab cosmetics business.
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