Metabiota
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public health, Biosurveillance, Data analytics |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Nathan Wolfe |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Disease outbreak forecasting, Biosurveillance software, Parametric insurance data |
Metabiota is a startup headquartered in San Francisco, established in 2008 by Nathan Wolfe. The company utilizes worldwide data to forecast disease outbreaks. It works in partnership with USAID's PREDICT and PREVENT initiatives and showed early proficiency in modeling the global transmission of SARS-CoV-2 together with BlueDot.
Broadening its scope, Metabiota collaborates with insurance companies including Marsh, African Risk Capacity, and Munich Re to supply outbreak information that underpins parametric insurance offerings. These insurance products provide financial compensation to governments or businesses based on the intensity of an outbreak, facilitating funding for response measures.
Google contributed $1 million to Metabiota, bringing expertise in data analytics. In 2014, Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners, associated with Hunter Biden, reportedly owned a 13.4% share. This investment and Metabiota's partnership with Black & Veatch on laboratory projects in Ukraine resulted in the company being referenced in Russian bioweapons claims amid the 2022 Ukraine conflict.
During the Ebola crisis in West Africa, Metabiota was active in Kenema, Sierra Leone, assisting local government initiatives. Although Médecins Sans Frontières criticized the company for slow case identification and limited sharing of data, Metabiota clarified that it was obligated to report solely to local authorities.