Celine Halioua

Founder and CEO of Loyal, the biotech startup helping dogs live longer and healthier lives.

Celine Halioua, the founder and CEO of Loyal, the biotech startup helping dogs live longer and healthier lives.

Early Life and Career: Born in Austin, Texas to a Moroccan mother and German father, Halioua pursued her passion at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied neuroscience and nanobiotechnology.

After graduating, Halioua's journey took her to Uppsala University in Sweden. She then began a DPhil program at University of Oxford, focusing on the economics of gene therapy. However, her academic path took an unexpected turn when she left Oxford to join The Longevity Fund, a venture capital firm investing in longevity-focused startups.

Founding Loyal:

► In 2019, at age 24, Halioua founded Loyal to develop the first government-approved drug aiming to improve both lifespan and quality of life for aging dogs.
► In 2024, Loyal launched the STAY study, testing their drug on over 1,000 senior dogs across 50 U.S. locations, making it one of the largest studies in veterinary history.
► This year, Loyal expects to have US government approval for its drug LOY-002, a beef-flavored pill being developed to extend the lives of senior dogs over 10 years old and weighing over 14 pounds.

Investors see the potential for such drugs given that 65 million households in America have a dog. 😲 Halioua has raised $125M for Loyal.

Halioua's deep love for animals is obvious. She has had numerous pets, including 15 cats, four dogs, squirrels, and even a horse.

I'm all for finding ways for pets to live healthier, disease-free lives. ♥️