Welcome to ExtraMile by YourTechDiet, an interview series where we have conversations with the experts who are changing industries in innovative ways.
Today, we had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Jeff Chen, the Co-Founder and CEO of Radicle Science. If you have ever wondered whether the supplement you are taking actually works, Dr. Chen’s company is on a mission to provide the answer.
Radicle Science has created something called a “Proof-as-a-Service” platform, which is a new and exciting idea. In the wellness industry, many products are sold without real proof that they actually work. Radicle Science is trying to fix that.
In this interview, Dr. Chen explains how his team uses smart technology and the power of crowds (crowdsourcing) to run proper clinical trials. These trials are faster and more affordable than traditional ones. He also talks about his journey from being at UCLA to starting this company. Further, he tells us about the unexpected things he has learned and his dream of a future where people can trust that the wellness products they use are truly effective.
Hello Dr. Chen, I hope you are doing well!
1. You co-founded Radicle Science to address the ‘proof gap’ in wellness. What shortcomings motivated a “proof-as-a-service” model, and how is it different from traditional clinical research?
Jeff. Most wellness products reach consumers without any rigorous evidence on product efficacy as traditional clinical trials were built for patentable pharmaceuticals. Those trials are too slow, too expensive and too small in size, making the results rarely representative of real-world usage or outcomes.
Our award-winning Proof-as-a-Service approach to clinical evidence generation re-invents the process from end-to-end: vertically integrated, technology-enabled, decentralized, multi-arm/multi-outcome trials that are faster, more inclusive, and built to deliver deep insights. We standardize design, automate operations, and deliver faster results—so brands can move from hypothesis to evidence on commercial timelines.
2. Radicle uses AI and crowdsourcing to accelerate trials and reduce cost. How does that work, and why is it transformative for natural products?
Jeff. We run blinded, decentralized RCTs with thousands of everyday consumers across the U.S.—that’s our “crowdsourcing.” Participants are recruited online, consented digitally, randomized at home, and measured where they actually live and use products. AI is integrated into every aspect of Radicle’s business model, augmenting the team’s ability to optimize their expertise in each stage.
- Trial Operations: Everything from eligibility screening and stratification to eConsent, randomization and logistics have AI assistance to drive speed and reduce cost.
- Integrated Digital Measurement: Smart tech tools capture a vast amount of rich, real-time health data previously unavailable in traditional research; integrating everything from AI-analyzed facial scans to wearables enhances depth of data.
- Trial Management: AI agents assist with time-intensive coordination tasks, enhancing responsiveness and scalability, while freeing up Radicle’s human scientists to focus on higher-order activity.
- Precision Insights: Large, diverse trial data combined with advanced biostatistics and AI cluster analysis delivers actionable intelligence to clients to drive evidence-based personalization and targeting.
Why does this transform supplements and botanicals? Effects can be modest and person-dependent. Large, diverse cohorts plus high-frequency, real-world measurement separate signal from noise. Multi-arm/multi-outcome designs let us test several formulations and endpoints in parallel. Lower cost and faster cycles mean brands can iterate like software—ship, learn, and improve—while still anchoring decisions in clinical evidence.
3. How do you help brands establish trust with clinically supported claims, and what’s the industry impact?
Jeff. We generate finished-product evidence with gold-standard clinical trials–double blind, placebo controlled, randomized–and translate results into FTC-compliant, consumer-friendly claims brands can stand behind. The impact is twofold:
- Acquisition & retention: Proof lifts credibility at the point of decision and retains customers for repeal purchasing when they experience expected efficacy.
- Raising the bar: When leaders adopt validated claims, it nudges the entire category toward evidence and away from marketing hype.
4. Your trials include diverse populations often excluded elsewhere. Why is inclusivity critical, and how does it enable more personalized, better solutions?
Jeff. Health equity starts with representation. Demographics, life stage, lifestyle, and social context shape response—study narrow groups and you miss who benefits, at what dose, and alongside which behaviors. One size does not fit all; the path to personalized wellness starts by identifying which products, at which doses, help which consumer segments.
By enrolling large, diverse cohorts (e.g., across sex, age, race/ethnicity, and rural/urban), we gather more and deeper data, to which we apply AI and technology to deliver segment-level insights—the foundation of precision wellness.
5. How did your UCLA medical and cannabis research background inform Radicle’s mission—and any surprises?
Jeff. Working at UCLA on non-pharmaceuticals taught me two things: patients want options beyond meds, and evidence is the bridge between stigma and acceptance.
Surprises:
- Placebo is powerful—design must be rigorous to see true signals.
- Heterogeneity rules—natural products often help subgroups more than the “average” user.
- Pragmatism wins—measure outcomes people actually feel and value, not just lab surrogates.
6. What were the biggest roadblocks to getting brands, regulators, and consumers on board?
Jeff. There are always challenges when someone disrupts the status quo; however, there is demand from consumers for efficacious natural health solutions, and that drives change. Some of the roadblocks we’ve overcome include:
- Skepticism of new methods: Decentralized, tech-heavy trials sounded risky until we demonstrated how these trials met gold-standard protocols and delivered quality data, AND we started publishing in respected peer-reviewed journals with renowned academic co-authors from top tier research universities
- Education on claims substantiation: Aligning marketing aspirations with substantiation standards takes partnership.
- Proof of impact: Case studies moved the needle—once stakeholders saw faster evidence and clearer ROI, adoption followed.
7. Where are the biggest opportunities for evidence-based wellness in 5–10 years—any under-leveraged areas for your model?
Jeff.
- Women’s health (especially midlife & menopause), metabolic health, cognitive resilience, the gut–brain axis, and of course longevity.
- Stacked interventions: Formulation + behavior + timing.
- AI recommendation engines and AI-companions: As AI guides choices, validated finished-product claims become table stakes … and AI-companions will guide consumers towards personalized usage, leveraging large data sets from “people like them”.
- Payers & employers: Evidence tying outcomes to utilization and productivity will open non-retail channels, including insurance and employee wellness programs.
8. As a B-Corp, how do you stay accountable to democratizing healthcare while building a sustainable business?
Jeff. From day one, my co-founder Pelin Thorogood—a serial tech entrepreneur and philanthropist—and I were deeply committed to being a public benefit corporation. We believe purpose and performance should reinforce each other, so we hard-wired our mission into our core values as well as our day-to-day operations: a balanced scorecard where growth sits alongside access, affordability, and representation; transparent governance and ethical data practices; and pricing/partnerships that expand access as well as transparency, not just margins. And, we work hard to align incentives among all stakeholders to increase the odds of truly win-win outcomes.
9. Your #1 tip for entrepreneurs disrupting healthcare or wellness?
Jeff. Pelin and I tell founders the same thing: earn trust faster than you burn cash. Build your product early—be agile, listen hard to customers, run real pilots with real users, ensure representation and co-create with your community to align your business model to the outcomes you promise. When results speak, skepticism fades.
Then take the next step: give consumers ownership of their data along with clear, actionable insights. When consumers can see their health progress, control who sees it, and use it to make better choices, they don’t just buy products—they join a cause. Empower consumers with their health data, and you won’t just win customers; you’ll build a lasting movement.
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