One of the richest opportunities today for SaaS startups is in gene therapy and genetics information.
Two unicorns today are already prancing the field–23&Me and Gingko Bioworks. The sheer scale of the healthcare industry in the United States–almost 20% of our GDP–and its growth continue to make it a ripe target for the efficiencies of SaaS. Healthcare tools have been digitizing for decades, starting in diagnostics (smarter scans) and moving into treatment (think robo surgery). Digital tools have created smarter data sets, which is creating a big opportunity in healthcare to mine that data. So far, so good. But the largest new data set to come along is the human genome. New approaches like CRISPR and a deeper understanding of our biochemical nature is fueling a new breed of healthcare information technology.
Genetics and gene therapy ripe for disruption
Looking back, when you think SaaS and b2b healthcare, you often think of software startups that work on “the back end” of the business, like
- Vendor management
- Payments management, including insurance reimbursement, recovery, risk insurance, and other cashflow management optimization tools
- Staff management, nurse sourcing, scheduling, and travel, and the like
- Patient management — wait time prediction, satisfaction, etc.
Moving forward, the Valor team is bullish that software, and in particular SaaS models, will be part of how healthcare copes with:
- treatment personalization running DNA analysis;
- genomic testing process management;
- finding patient/procedure fits for gene therapy;
- drug and procedure virtual testing and trial digital simulation, to reducing development costs and making the final trial smaller;
- post gene-therapy follow up testing patient management;
- legal compliance; and
- technology turbulence.
The big healthcare winners SaaS of the next few years will likely move to the “front end” of healthcare–not the vendor/payments/cashflow side, but the optimization of therapy. Imagine a SaaS array that helps researchers and geneticists develop, test and personalize gene-driven therapies and protocols. Everyone’s genome opens up a new opportunity. I recently wrote an article about 8 genetics and gene therapy startups that work on the technical side of treatment optimization that are on the edge of this wave.
Here’s a list of the over 50 genetics and gene therapy startups.
In 2017, each raised at least a million dollars–often far more– pursuing more effective gene therapies or applying gene therapy options. It’s just the beginning. As scientists, drug designers, and researchers work with the large data sets coming out of healthcare, new software stacks specifically suited to this task will be helping pave the way.
Recently Funded Genetics & Gene Therapy Startups
Organization Name | Headquarters Location | Description | Total Equity Funding Amount | Number of Employees | Last Funding Amount |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
23andMe | Mountain View, California, United States | 23andMe is a human genome research company enabling users to study their ancestry, genealogy, and inherited traits. | $482,973,609 | 501-1000 | |
Kailos Genetics | Huntsville, Alabama, United States | Kailos Genetics provides consumers access to affordable physician-ordered genetic tests. | $1,900,000 | 11-50 | |
Fulcrum Therapeutics | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | Fulcrum Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing new medicines to deliver a new future to patients. | $55,000,000 | 11-50 | |
Mission Bio | San Francisco, California, United States | Mission Bio is a science company that provides the equipment for molecular biology. | $16,000,000 | 11-50 | $1,000,000 |
Gencove | New York, New York, United States | Gencove is the go-to platform to run research and build products in genomics. | $1,000,000 | 1-10 | $1,000,000 |
Transgenomic | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | Transgenomic offers products for purification and analysis of nucleic acids used in the life sciences industry for research. | $13,389,436 | 101-250 | $1,150,000 |
ActX | Seattle, Washington, United States | ActX is focused on making patient genomic information that are useful in everyday medical practice. | $3,920,394 | 11-50 | $1,250,000 |
Indee Labs (YC W17) | San Francisco, California, United States | Indee Labs (YC W17) is unlocking gene-modified cell therapy for the masses with scalable hardware for gene delivery. | $1,783,670 | 1-10 | $1,783,670 |
Mendel.ai | San Francisco, California, United States | Mendel.ai automates matching cancer patients to clinical trials through personal medical history and genetic analysis. | $2,000,000 | 1-10 | $2,000,000 |
Jupiter Orphan Therapeutics | Jupiter, Florida, United States | Jupiter Orphan Therapeutics, Inc. Developing therapies for rare diseases linked to single gene deficiencies. | $2,750,000 | $2,500,000 | |
Episona | Pasadena, California, United States | Episona is an epigenetics data company focused on improving healthcare outcomes. | $2,645,000 | 1-10 | $2,620,000 |
Codagenix, Inc. | Stony Brook, New York, United States | Codagenix employs a proprietary technology platform for the construction of live attenuated viral vaccines for multiple targets. | $5,000,000 | 1-10 | $3,000,000 |
4D Molecular Therapeutics | Emeryville, California, United States | 4D Molecular Therapeutics’ mission is to design and develop transformative gene therapy products using our proprietary. | $9,999,995 | 1-10 | $3,000,000 |
Insitome | Austin, Texas, United States | Insitome uncovers your personal genomic story. | $3,000,000 | 1-10 | $3,000,000 |
HumanCode | Denver, Colorado, United States | HumanCode develops next-generation personal genomics applications. | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | |
InSilico Medicine | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | InSilico Medicine is dedicated to finding novel solutions for cancer and age-related diseases using advances in genomics and big data. | $13,998,988 | 11-50 | $4,000,000 |
Trace Genomics | San Francisco, California, United States | Advanced prevention and management of agricultural diseases. | $8,000,000 | $4,000,000 | |
Perlara, PBC | San Francisco, California, United States | Perlara, PBC is precision drug discovery that leaves no mutation behind. | $11,463,002 | 1-10 | $4,143,002 |
Cure Forward | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Cure Forward helps cancer patients & physicians access advanced treatments in oncology by 1 on 1 matching & placement on clinical trials. | $23,499,997 | 11-50 | $4,499,997 |
GenePeeks | New York, New York, United States | GenePeeks is a genetic information company | $21,250,000 | 11-50 | $4,500,000 |
Celmatix | New York, New York, United States | Celmatix is a next-generation women's health company leveraging big-data and genomics. | $47,120,000 | 101-250 | $4,500,000 |
Embark Veterinary | Austin, Texas, United States | End hereditary disease in all dogs through the power of genomics. | $6,300,000 | 11-50 | $4,500,000 |
Reviva Pharmaceuticals | San Jose, California, United States | Reviva Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies. | $35,456,381 | 11-50 | $4,800,000 |
TwinStrand Biosciences | Bellevue, Washington, United States | TwinStrand Biosciences develops and commercializes the Duplex Sequencing™ technology for DNA sequencing. | $5,280,338 | $5,280,338 | |
Genoox | Palo Alto, California, United States | Genoox is an innovative platform for managing and storing genomic data in the cloud. | $6,000,000 | 1-10 | $6,000,000 |
Paradigm Diagnostics | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Paradigm is a private molecular information corporation established to bring cutting-edge diagnostics to cancer patients and industry. | $7,000,000 | 11-50 | $7,000,000 |
DermTech International | La Jolla, California, United States | DermTech develops and commercializes qPCR assays for skin samples using adhesive tape biopsy methods. | $44,719,571 | 11-50 | $10,000,000 |
Exicure | Skokie, Illinois, United States | Exicure is developing a new class of immunomodulatory and gene silencing drugs against validated targets. | $71,953,400 | 11-50 | $11,200,000 |
Cofactor Genomics | San Francisco, California, United States | Cofactor Genomics uses RNA to diagnose disease. | $20,830,000 | 11-50 | $18,000,000 |
Poseida Therapeutics | San Diego, California, United States | Poseida Therapeutics utilizes best-in-class genome engineering capabilities to develop targeted lifesaving therapeutics. | $23,033,232 | 11-50 | $19,800,000 |
Edico Genome | La Jolla, California, United States | Edico Genome Inc. develops cutting edge solutions that power the genomic revolution | $32,000,000 | 11-50 | $22,000,000 |
CardioDx | Redwood City, California, United States | CardioDx is a cardiovascular genomic diagnostics company providing clinicians with information to enhance patient care. | $311,259,831 | 51-100 | $22,500,000 |
CareDx | Brisbane, California, United States | XDx is a novel molecular diagnostics company. | $166,788,264 | 51-100 | $25,000,000 |
Exagen Diagnostics | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Exagen Diagnostics is a patient-focused, discovery-driven molecular diagnostics laboratory with internally-developed genomic tests. | $133,825,176 | 101-250 | $25,000,000 |
AltheaDx | San Diego, California, United States | AltheaDx offers molecular diagnostics and PCR-based services such as molecular biomarker discovery, assay development and assay validation. | $67,974,363 | 101-250 | $27,000,000 |
Exosome Diagnostics | New York, New York, United States | Exosome Diagnostics develops and commercializes blood-based cancer molecular diagnostics for patient stratification and disease monitoring. | $112,083,973 | 11-50 | $30,000,000 |
Altor BioScience | Miramar Beach, Florida, United States | Altor BioScience researches and develops immunotherapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer, viral infections and autoimmune diseases. | $122,047,757 | 11-50 | $30,328,264 |
Frequency Therapeutics | Woburn, Massachusetts, United States | Frequency Therapeutics develops small molecule drugs that activate progenitor cells within the body to restore healthy tissue. | $32,000,000 | 1-10 | $32,000,000 |
Syros Pharmaceuticals | Watertown, Massachusetts, United States | Syros Pharmaceuticals is a life sciences company that is focused on treating diseases by mapping gene regulatory circuits. | $158,000,000 | 11-50 | $35,000,000 |
GigaGen | South San Francisco, California, United States | Billions of immune cells in your bloodstream fight disease on a daily basis. GigaGen turns these cells into life-saving medical therapies. | $35,000,000 | 1-10 | $35,000,000 |
eGenesis | Somerville, Massachusetts, United States | eGenesis is a life sciences company that aims to advance xenotransplantation procedures for the medical industry. | $38,000,000 | 1-10 | $38,000,000 |
Miragen Therapeutics | Boulder, Colorado, United States | miRagen Therapeutics is focused on the development therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular and muscle diseases. | $129,200,000 | 11-50 | $40,700,000 |
Synthego | Redwood City, California, United States | Synthego is a provider of synthetic RNA solutions for CRISPR Genome Engineering. | $49,294,226 | 11-50 | $41,000,000 |
LogicBio Therapeutics | Foster City, California, United States | LogicBio Therapeutics is a gene therapy startup | $48,999,911 | $45,000,000 | |
Solid Biosciences | Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States | Solid Biosciences is a advance the development of its novel gene therapy platform | $92,500,000 | 1-10 | $50,000,000 |
RaNA Therapeutics | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | RaNA Therapeutics is a biotechnology company innovating RNA-targeted medicines that selectively activate protein expression. | $138,172,231 | 11-50 | $51,000,000 |
Color Genomics | Burlingame, California, United States | Color Genomics provides a service that helps people proactively manage their health through affordable and clinical-grade genetic data. | $150,548,112 | 51-100 | $52,000,000 |
LAM Therapeutics | Guilford, Connecticut, United States | LAM Therapeutics develops drugs for rare diseases and cancer. | $98,000,000 | 1-10 | $58,000,000 |
Personal Genome Diagnostics (PGD) | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. develops patient-specific analysis of the cancer genome by using advanced tools and technologies. | $89,667,412 | 51-100 | $65,367,412 |
Dicerna Pharmaceuticals | Watertown, Massachusetts, United States | Dicerna Pharmaceuticals is focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for rare inherited diseases. | $295,450,628 | 11-50 | $70,000,000 |
Tocagen | San Diego, California, United States | Tocagen is a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapy products for the treatment of cancer. | $168,401,970 | 11-50 | $72,500,000 |
Counsyl | South San Francisco, California, United States | Counsyl is a health technology company that offers DNA screening for men, women, and their children. | $237,795,000 | 251-500 | $80,000,000 |
Homology Medicines | Lexington, Massachusetts, United States | Massachusetts-based newly formed genetic medicines company | $127,000,000 | $83,500,000 | |
Abeona Therapeutics | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | Abeona Therapeutics develops gene therapy-based potential cures for Sanfilippo syndrome types A and B. | $114,850,000 | 11-50 | $92,000,000 |
OpGen | Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States | OpGen focuses on commercializing solutions for DNA analysis and genomics with the Argus® whole genome mapping system and MapIt® services. | $85,110,000 | 101-250 | $110,000 |
WuXi NextCODE | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | WuXi NextCODE is a genomic information company using sequence data to improve health for people around the world. | $255,000,000 | 11-50 | $165,000,000 |