"It's been a wild ride." Thanks Immad Akhund and Rajat Suri for having our CEO and Founder Celine Halioua on your podcast to share about our mission, vision, and the risks involved to get dog longevity drugs to market.
Most investors have clear mental models for evaluating startups—especially in tech, where traction and product-market fit are key indicators. But what happens when you're building something entirely new? On this episode of Founders in Arms, Rajat Suri and I sat down with Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, who is developing the first FDA-approved longevity drugs for dogs. Celine shared how she evolved her pitch from "people love dogs" to one that broke down market potential, success milestones, and the economics of drug development—and how that change helped her raise $140M from non-biotech investors. We also talked about FDA regulation, alternative funding paths, and the complexities of going public early—even when public markets might value you higher. This is a good one for founders building in emerging markets. Check out the full conversation in the links below.