Singer-songwriter and actress Stefani Germanotta, more commonly known as Lady Gaga, and her fiancĂ©, Michael Polansky, recently announced that they are the co-founders of Outer Biosciences, an AI biotech startup initially founded in 2020. However, this information has largely remained out of the public eye as they built out research infrastructure. Pursuing a dream can take time, and Gaga’s involvement demonstrates that her talents extend far beyond entertainment. Before taking on this AI project, Gaga also created her own brand, Haus Labs, which is a cosmetics and skincare line she built up from a kitchen floor project to a prominent worldwide powerhouse. Â
While this venture can certainly be viewed as another success for the couple, there have been several changes in the cosmetics and AI fields, and AI is becoming an increasingly controversial topic. However, after learning about their mission, this project seems more ethical than others. Gaga and Polansky started the company, Outer Bio, to rework how skincare ingredients are formulated and fine-tuned by combining machine learning with human intelligence to study donated skin; the company hopes to improve skincare and health for future generations. This is definitely an original idea and Gaga and Polansky should absolutely be recognized for their hard work and for responsibly building the company in private. And as AI is still relatively new to everyone, I could only imagine this was a transformation for them and the start of a new chapter in their lives.Â
According to Inc., “after graduating from Harvard University with a degree in applied mathematics and computer science,” Polansky went on to pursue a career in finance before landing in the biotech industry. He even served as the executive director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, after establishing it — following his passion of making science digestible and aligned with his ability to engage in technological development. As for Gaga, she equipped herself with the technological skills necessary to make their bioscience brand a success through a series of tech ventures. With their backgrounds, this company seems like a good fit for their interests.
Hopefully, Outer Bio will create opportunities for computer science and healthcare professionals alike in the future. But, of course, the ultimate purpose of this biotech company is to reduce animal testing and formulate better skincare actives for humans. Animal testing has long been accompanied by moral concerns as animals have been suffering through pain and distress in labs for years. Gaga’s cosmetics brand, Haus Labs, only sells vegan and cruelty-free products, which makes Outer Biosciences an incredibly intelligent investment for her. And to clarify, this isn’t just a small investment. Outer Bio has raised $23M in venture funding, with Gaga serving on the Board of Directors.
Starting a company doesn’t have to be high level. It can start with simple brainstorming and taking time to figure out what stage one is as an entrepreneur. That’s how it went for Gaga and Polansky — learning from past experiences and thinking about what a better future might look like. Discovering something new, like the possibility of a biotech startup, has created a new way of thinking for Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky, leading them to carry out this goal and create Outer Bio which will hopefully see lots of success and truly help those it’s intended to.
Editor’s note: the Her Campus at Pace editorial team also contributed to this story.