6 Genomics Startups Celebrate Illumina Accelerator 4th Global Funding Cycle Graduation
Illumina For Startups | Spotlight Article by Emeline Crutcher, PhD
In September 2022, we celebrated the graduation of six companies from Illumina Accelerator. With the completion of our 14th funding cycle in the San Francisco Bay Area and 4th funding cycle in Cambridge, UK, our newest graduates share their experiences in building genomics startups and on their time at Illumina Accelerator.
By providing access to seed investment, sequencing, coaching, and fully operational lab space, Illumina Accelerator partners with entrepreneurs globally to build breakthrough genomics startups. Combined, the 74 startups of Illumina Accelerator have collectively raised over $1 billion in venture capital funding.
In this spotlight article, we asked the founders of our fourth global funding cycle — 4SR, B4X, Cache DNA, CrispHR, Non-Exomics, and Purpose Health — to reflect on their progress and to provide advice to entrepreneurs on how to build an innovative genomics startup.
4SR (Cycle: 14.SF)
Chris Katanski, PhD (Co-Founder & CEO), Phil McGilvary, PhD (Co-Founder and Lead Scientist)
Q: What is one thing you’d like to share about 4SR?
A: 4SR is a therapeutics company using proprietary technology to discover new tRNA-based modalities for rare diseases. We’re proud to build on decades of genomics research that make it possible to focus on base-level mutations for patients, rather than taking a traditional gene-centric view of therapeutic development.
Q: How are you utilizing genomics to add value to your company?
A: Genomics is essential for both our patient selection and our therapeutic discovery and development. Understanding cellular biology through gene expression is vastly accelerating our development.
Q: What milestones did Illumina Accelerator help you achieve?
A: With the support of the Illumina team we were able to make substantial progress on our business development plans as well as expand our collection of candidate therapies.
Q: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs?
A: Finding the right team makes a huge difference. Prioritize finding a team that really clicks, and great things are possible!
B4X (Cycle: 14.SF)
Szilard Voros, M.D. (Co-Founder & CEO), Karl Blass (Co-Founder)
Q: What is one thing you’d like to share about B4X?
A: B4X is a DATA-driven drug development company for the brain. We strive to make an indelible impact for patients.
Q: How are you utilizing genomics to add value to your company?
A: Our company is founded on DATA, and we define DATA as spatial and longitudinal multi-omics, anchored in genomics.
Q: What milestones did Illumina Accelerator help you achieve?
A: We were able to complete whole genome sequencing and whole genome methylation analysis in a total of 500 research subjects.
Q: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs?
A: Go, go, go. Don’t look back!
Cache DNA (Cycle: 14.SF)
Michael Becich (Co-Founder & CEO) and James Banal, PhD (Co-Founder and CTO)
Q: What is one thing you’d like to share about Cache DNA?
A: The life sciences industry is generating more biological data than we can process or store. Cache helps partners preserve molecular information, accelerate high-throughput applications, and achieve comprehensive scale with its turnkey biobanking infrastructure. We were awarded the Grand Prize for generating the most data at Illumina Accelerator this cycle. And, if you like decoding the complexity of biology, we’re hiring! https://jobs.lever.co/cache-dna/
Q: How are you utilizing genomics to add value to your company?
A: At Cache, we want to make genomics accessible to everyone and ensure access to the highest resolution of genomic information — the nucleic acid itself. As a B2B life sciences tools company, we aim to partner with organizations who also believe in the power of multi-omics to secure, stabilize, and scale population and longitudinal analyses for precision health.
Q: What milestones did Illumina Accelerator help you achieve?
A: Using Illumina’s high-throughput sequencing capacity, we were able to validate the fidelity of reference genomes that we have stored and accessed using our approach. Performing ultra-deep sequencing experiments outside of Illumina Accelerator to find very rare mutations that our process may have introduced would have been untenable. The data that we have generated through Illumina Accelerator provides confidence to our partners to work with us to scale their nucleic acid biobanking needs. Beyond the lab, Illumina Accelerator has been helpful in securing commercial partnerships, building our early team, and navigating our seed financing.
Q: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs?
A: Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. Find co-founders early who share your vision and who you work well with. Biotechnology requires patience and multi-disciplinary perspectives, so never make a short-term decision without considering the long-term implications. And, don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.
CRISP-HR (Cycle: 14.SF)
Chris Hackley, PhD (Co-Founder & CEO) and Richard Gavan (Co-Founder & CTO)
Q: What is one thing you’d like to share about CRISP-HR?
A: CRISP-HR is the first gene editing company to enable long, efficient rewrites of DNA across thousands of base pairs, enabling treatment of previously intractable genetic diseases.
Q: How are you utilizing genomics to add value to your company?
A: At CRISP-HR, we are in the business of rewriting the human genome to cure genetic diseases. As such, genomics is fundamental for us, from basic R&D and therapeutic design to experiment planning and analysis.
Q: What milestones did Illumina Accelerator help you achieve?
A: Using next generation sequencing technology, we were able to generate data showing the results of Cas9-HR editing across multiple kilobasepairs in multiple experiments, in addition to showing reduced INDEL and off-target effects.
Q: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs?
A: Everything takes longer and costs more than you think. Double or even triple your best estimates and timelines.
Non-Exomics (Cycle: 4.UK)
Sudhakaran Prabakaran, PhD (Co-Founder & CEO), Ruchi Chauhan, PhD (Co-Founder)
Q: What is one thing you’d like to share about Non-Exomics?
A: NonExomics has demonstrated that the entire human genome, even the areas that we call the noncoding genome and dark genome, makes proteins. We have shown that these novel proteins can form structures, perform biological functions, and are associated with diseases. Armed with this comprehensive map of the human proteome and genome we aim to pioneer drug discovery.
Q: How are you utilizing genomics to add value to your company?
A: Genomics is the core of our discovery process. We put together genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics data obtained from patients and healthy individuals to identify novel proteins. We have developed machine learning-based methodologies utilizing this multi-omic data set to analyze these novel proteins for therapeutic applications.
Q: What milestones did Illumina Accelerator help you achieve?
A: We optimized our sequencing strategies, including studies of peripheral tissues, and generated a sizeable amount of key data. In addition to sequencing data generated during at Illumina Accelerator, the greatest value for us came in the form of support and guidance in building the company. Our brainstorming sessions with other companies in the cohort and with staff members of at Illumina, the connections and introductions with investors and advisors, and the platform and visibility Illumina Accelerator gave us cannot be quantified by sequencing data metrics alone.
Q: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs?
A: I always recommend entrepreneurs to jump in and enjoy the ride, but don’t forget to wear your seat belts because it is going to be bumpy! I suggest entrepreneurs have a plan and not panic when a plan fails. Stay tight, hold on, and believe in your technology.
Purpose Health (Cycle: 14.SF)
Rachel Raymond (Co-Founder & CEO), Matt Getz (Co-Founder), and Chase Buchholz (Co-Founder)
Q: What is one thing you’d like to share about Purpose Health?
A: Purpose is a mental wellness company leveraging the power of genomics to transform how we measure and manage stress. Our novel platform utilizes biometric measurements to assess the impact of stress on our individual wellness and delivers personalized insights and precision stress management guidance to the palm of your hand.
Q: How are you utilizing genomics to add value to your company?
A: We are utilizing genomics to identify and screen for microbial signatures in the human salivary oral microbiome that are indicative and/or predictive of stress and mental wellness outcomes.
Q: What milestones did Illumina Accelerator help you achieve?
A: Illumina helped us develop a reliable, scalable method for characterizing the human salivary oral microbiome and create a novel database of oral microbiome genomic signatures associated with physical and mental health states.
Q: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs?
A: Be ready to pivot without notice. You will learn quickly expectations and plans at the early stage of a company are fluid and can require change almost instantly — ensure you are positioned to adapt and evolve intelligently by scenario planning your time and budget in advance and assessing/identifying where it is possible to be “scrappy” now for more flexibility in the future.
Congratulations to all our graduates!
The Illumina Accelerator Team
Now accepting applications for Illumina Accelerator SF Bay Area & Cambridge UK
Drive value for your genomics startup. Apply to Illumina Accelerator’s next funding cycle by October 1, 2022! APPLY NOW!
About Illumina For Startups
Illumina For Startups is focused solely on creating an innovation ecosystem for the genomics industry by partnering with leading venture capital investors and entrepreneurs to create, launch, and grow genomics startups. Illumina for Startups initiatives include Illumina Accelerator, founded in 2014, and Sequoia Capital China Intelligent Healthcare Genomics Incubator, Powered by Illumina, launching Fall 2021. Illumina Accelerator is a company creation engine co-located with Illumina research and development sites in San Francisco Bay Area and Cambridge, UK. Illumina Accelerator has invested in 74 genomics startups from across the globe, which have collectively raised over $1B in venture capital funding. For more information, visit our website.
