Consumer genetics and research company 23andMe (Mountain View, CA), whose DNA genotyping technology involves next-generation DNA sequencing, has raised $250 million in growth financing led by new investor Sequoia Capital.
Related: 23andMe therapeutics group to better understand common and rare diseases
Roelof Botha, partner, Sequoia Capital, will join the 23andMe Board of Directors, along with Neal Mohan, chief product officer for YouTube and a senior vice president at Google, who joined the board in July 2017. The financing will enable 23andMe to accelerate customer growth, continue funding its expanding therapeutics group, and invest in its crowdsourced genetic research platform.
The company has achieved the following product and research milestones in 2017:
- Received FDA authorization for over-the-counter genetic health risk reports;
- Surpassed more than 80 peer-reviewed, published genetic studies on disease and wellness, including studies on genetic associations for melanoma, schizophrenia, cognitive empathy, and endometriosis, among others; and
- Approached close to 1 billion phenotypic data points paired with its broad genetic panel, enabling rapid discovery and study recruitment, with more than 5000 participants recruited in one week for a genetic study on fertility; it also launched a large study on major depressive and bipolar disorder, and an experiential study on pain tolerance and treatment.
The financing brings the total capital raised by the company to $491 million from a number of prominent technology and health science companies, strategic angel investors, and venture capital firms.
For more information, please visit www.23andme.com.