Former Instacart CEO Launches AI Startup ChronicleBio for Chronic Disease Research

Industry Pulse News Desk · 2026-10-07

ChronicleBio aims to utilize artificial intelligence and a large-scale biobank to develop treatments for conditions including POTS and long COVID.

Former Instacart Chief Executive Officer Fidji Simo has launched ChronicleBio, a new biotechnology startup designed to leverage artificial intelligence to discover treatments for complex chronic conditions. The company will focus on researching Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, commonly known as POTS, alongside long COVID and related autoimmune disorders.

ChronicleBio plans to construct a comprehensive biobank containing biological samples and clinical data from patients affected by these conditions. By applying advanced machine learning models to the biological repository, researchers aim to identify underlying disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets that traditional medical research has struggled to uncover.

Simo, who previously served on the board of directors at OpenAI and led Instacart as chief executive officer, initiated the venture following her personal diagnosis with a chronic health condition. Her background in technology leadership is expected to drive the company's focus on integrating data-driven tools with biomedical research.

Chronic illness research has historically faced challenges due to fragmented patient data and limited funding dedicated to post-viral and neurological syndromes. ChronicleBio intends to address these gaps by centralizing patient data to accelerate drug discovery pipelines and collaborate with pharmaceutical partners for clinical development.

The platform will initially focus on mapping biomarkers associated with dysautonomia and post-viral fatigue syndromes. Operational milestones and funding details for the newly established enterprise are expected to be disclosed as research operations expand.