At Workup, we’re always on the lookout for innovators changing the future of health and wellness. One of those leaders is Leo Grady, CEO and founder of Jona, an advanced gut health and microbiome testing company that’s using AI technology to deliver personalized health insights and actionable plans.
We sat down with Leo to discuss why the gut microbiome is one of the most important frontiers in healthcare, how Jona works, and where the future of personalized medicine is headed. Be sure to read on to learn how Jona’s digital twin technology lets you simulate dietary and lifestyle changes—before you make them. It’s personalized health that feels like science fiction—but it’s here today.
Let’s start with you. What’s your background, and what led you to focus on gut health?
Jona is really the culmination of both my professional career and personal experiences. I’ve worked in AI and healthcare for over 20 years. My PhD is in artificial intelligence, and I’ve applied AI to fields like radiology, cardiology, and pathology—helping doctors analyze MRIs, CT scans, and cancer tissue.
At the same time, gut health has been personal for me. Members close to me have Crohn’s disease, colitis, and celiac disease. I’ve seen firsthand how hard it is for people to get answers—and how much impact diet, lifestyle, and the microbiome can have on chronic conditions.
That intersection of advanced AI and the personal need for better gut health solutions is what led me to start Jona.
Why is gut health so important right now?
The gut microbiome is a critical part of your overall health. We now understand that the trillions of microbes living in your gut don’t just help with digestion. They influence everything from immune health to mental health, metabolism, inflammation, and even neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and autism.
What’s most exciting is that your microbiome isn’t “permanent”. Unlike your genetics, it’s dynamic and can be changed—often pretty quickly—through diet, supplements, lifestyle, and other interventions. That puts a lot of power into people’s hands. But at the same time, the microbiome is extremely complex. You have 30 trillion organisms in your gut, and there are over 2,000 new studies published on the microbiome each month. For the average person, or even a health professional, making sense of that data is impossible without the right tools.
At Jona, we use AI to make sense of all that complexity and give people clear, actionable insights on how to improve their gut health.
So what exactly is Jona, and how does it work?
Jona is an AI-powered gut health platform that helps people understand their gut microbiome, identify potential health risks, and receive personalized recommendations based on science and data.
Here’s how it works:
1. Stool Testing and Deep Sequencing
First, you take a simple at-home stool test and send it to our lab partner. We use deep metagenomic sequencing, which allows us to identify every microorganism in your gut—down to the strain level. That includes not just bacteria, but also fungi, viruses, yeast, and mold. This gives us a much more comprehensive view of your microbiome than typical gut tests, which often only sequence bacteria at a genus level.
2. AI-Powered Health Insights
Once we have your microbiome data, our proprietary AI engine gets to work. It analyzes your results against over 200,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies to identify correlations between your microbiome and health outcomes. For example, we can show you whether your microbiome profile is associated with issues like fatigue, bloating, brain fog, colitis, Parkinson’s, or even an increased risk of certain cancers.
3. Digital Twin and Personalized Recommendations
Finally, we create a digital twin of your gut—a virtual model that simulates how different diets, lifestyle changes, and supplements would impact your microbiome. Curious about going vegan or trying a keto diet? We can simulate how those changes would affect your gut health before you make them.
It’s not just about knowing what’s happening in your gut today—it’s about seeing where you could be in the future and how to get there.
How is Jona different from other gut health tests?
Most gut microbiome tests give you raw data and maybe a generic report. Jona goes much further.
We combine deep sequencing, AI-powered analysis, and predictive simulations to give people actionable insights. It’s one thing to know what’s happening in your gut today—but Jona shows you where your gut could be in the future if you make targeted changes.
We also focus entirely on the technology and science. The lab work is done by a partner lab, but all the AI, data analysis, and simulations are built in-house by our team of AI PhDs and engineers.
What kind of technology powers Jona’s insights?
Our entire AI system was built in-house by our team of AI PhDs, data scientists, and engineers. We couldn’t rely on off-the-shelf tools like ChatGPT. The complexities of microbiome data and the scientific literature required us to build something from the ground up.
Our AI platform:
Ingests over 200,000 peer-reviewed studies on the microbiome and health outcomes.
Matches your microbiome data to specific scientific findings to provide accurate health insights.
Runs simulations through our digital twin technology to predict how your microbiome will respond to changes in diet, supplements, and lifestyle.
The AI analysis and simulation engine we’ve developed is Jona’s core intellectual property—it’s what makes us different and what makes our insights actionable and personalized.
Where is Jona today, and what’s next?
We spent two years building the core tech and launched in beta last year. We’ve been working closely with functional medicine clinics, health coaches, and early adopters to fine-tune the experience. The feedback has been phenomenal.
Right now, we’re in commercial mode, expanding partnerships and bringing Jona to more people.
Looking ahead, there are two big goals:
Make microbiome testing more common than blood work. To do that, we’ll need to work with insurance companies and Medicare to make it affordable and accessible.
Expand beyond gut health. The oral microbiome, skin microbiome, and vaginal microbiome are next. Designing our technology to analyze and simulate any of these complex ecosystems.
People often talk about the gut-brain connection. Is that real?
It’s absolutely real. The gut-brain axis describes the two-way communication between your gut and your brain. They’re connected through the vagus nerve, and your gut actually sends more signals to your brain than your brain sends to your gut. About two-thirds of the neural traffic goes upward from your gut.
Your gut plays a big role in mental health because it produces many of the neurotransmitters that regulate mood, including serotonin. There’s also evidence that gut health is linked to depression, anxiety, and even neurodegenerative conditions.
We see the connection in how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic work. They change signaling from the gut to the brain to reduce hunger and cravings. But there’s also a growing field of functional psychiatry exploring how diet and microbiome changes can improve mental health—sometimes more effectively than traditional medication.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about gut health?
One of the biggest things I wish people understood is how damaging highly processed foods are to your gut microbiome. Ingredients like artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and emulsifiers can seriously disrupt your gut bacteria and have long-term consequences on your health. Before starting Jona, even I underestimated how much of an impact these ingredients have.
On the positive side, fermented foods can do wonders for gut health. At Jona, we have a team tradition of exploring fermented foods from around the world. It’s one of the ways we geek out together—we try different foods, guess the organisms involved, and talk about their potential health benefits.
One of my favorites is Jun. It’s like kombucha, but instead of being made with cane sugar, it’s made with honey, and it uses a different fermentation culture. It’s lighter, a little sweeter, and packed with probiotics.
What’s your bold prediction for healthcare in 10 years?
In 10 years, I think we’ll see an entirely new branch of medicine focused on the microbiome. Just like we have cardiologists and dermatologists, there will be microbiome specialists whose job is to help people optimize these microbial ecosystems for better health.
And I believe microbiome testing will be standard in preventive health care—just like blood pressure checks or cholesterol tests today. What excites me is that this is an area where people have real control. Unlike many chronic health conditions, you can make changes to your gut health and see measurable improvements, often within weeks or months.
This is one of the most exciting frontiers in healthcare, and we’re just getting started.
Final Thoughts
Jona is pioneering a new era in personalized gut health, offering AI-powered insights that empower people to take control of their health. By combining deep science with user-friendly tools, they’re making the future of preventive health and longevity accessible today.
