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It’s been six years since DNA testing service 23andMe launched. In that time, about 180,000 people around the world have sent their saliva to the Mountain View-based company to test for more than 200 genetic traits and markers.
That’s not an inconsequential number, but it shows that personal DNA testing just isn’t a very large market yet. As a result, 23andMe has decisively shifted its focus to building and monetizing a giant database of genetic information, rather than satisfying personal curiosity. We’re entering the era of personal genetics as big business.
The company announced yesterday that it has raised $50 million from name-brand investors including Google Ventures and Russian billionaire Yuri Milner to do just that. 23andMe is run by Anne Wojcicki, who is a 10-year veteran of healthcare investing and the wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin; she and her husband both plunked down cash as well.
It’s been a big year for the personal genetics industry. Last week, personal genetics testing provider deCODE Genetics was bought by biotech company Amgen for $415 million. Genetics diagnostics startup Navigenics was...
That’s not an inconsequential number, but it shows that personal DNA testing just isn’t a very large market yet. As a result, 23andMe has decisively shifted its focus to building and monetizing a giant database of genetic information, rather than satisfying personal curiosity. We’re entering the era of personal genetics as big business.
The company announced yesterday that it has raised $50 million from name-brand investors including Google Ventures and Russian billionaire Yuri Milner to do just that. 23andMe is run by Anne Wojcicki, who is a 10-year veteran of healthcare investing and the wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin; she and her husband both plunked down cash as well.
It’s been a big year for the personal genetics industry. Last week, personal genetics testing provider deCODE Genetics was bought by biotech company Amgen for $415 million. Genetics diagnostics startup Navigenics was...