A new biotech is betting that the key to better skincare — and maybe skin medicine — is keeping human skin alive in the lab far longer than anyone else can. Outer Bio emerged from stealth in late August 2026 with $23 million and a deliberately unconventional identity.
Co-founder and CEO Michael Polansky — who ran Sean Parker’s family office for 15 years and helped establish the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy — says Outer Bio keeps harvested human skin tissue functional for about a month, roughly 30 times longer than typical samples. On that living tissue, the company screens millions of compounds using AI to find new skincare ingredients and treatments for skin conditions.
‘Don’t call it a drug company’
Polansky is steering Outer away from traditional pharma timelines and regulatory burden, prioritizing cosmetic and over-the-counter pathways — though staying open to drug applications if the data are compelling. The platform generates 30,000+ data points per compound-sample pairing, amassing over 10 terabytes across 300+ donors and 10,000 candidate treatments.
The backers
Investors include Wing Venture Capital, Initialized Capital, Sozo Ventures and Polansky’s own Hawktail. Outer Bio also partners with Haus Labs, Lady Gaga’s makeup brand; both Polansky and Lady Gaga sit on its board. The company employs 19 people and has posted preprints on its tissue-preservation method. “Biology is super complicated,” Polansky said — a nod to why keeping real, living skin in the loop might beat simpler models.