Personal Genome Company 23andMe Receives Google Investment

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 22, 2007 in DNA Products, DNA in General

Google has invested $3.9 million in 23andMe along with Genentech and two venture capital firms, New Enterprise Associates and Mohr Davido Ventures. 23andMe is a personal genome company that wants to help consumers get in tune with their genes. Check out the blurb on the newly revamped front page:

Even though your body contains trillions of copies of your genome, you’ve likely never read any of it. Our goal is to connect you to the 23 paired volumes of your own genetic blueprint (plus your mitochondrial DNA), bringing you personal insight into ancestry, genealogy, and inherited traits. By connecting you to others, we can also help put your genome into the larger context of human commonality and diversity.

A Facebook-like service centered around our genomes? Could be. But it also promises to be much more, encompassing genealogy, personalized medicine, and gene-targeted drug therapy. Their potential comes down to the genetic data they already have and the data customers will be contributing.

Founder Anne Wojcicki:

Our goal is to allow individuals to gain deeper insights into their ancestry, genealogy and inherited traits and, ultimately, the option to work together to advance the overall understanding of the human genome.

I had the opportunity to meet with co-founders Linda Avey and and Anne last month. Although I still don’t know any juicy details about 23andMe, I’m holding them to the promise that they’ll give me something to share with all of you as soon as they’re ready. (By the way, I liked that Linda and Anne, along with board member Esther Dyson, all wore pink for the About Us page. I’m partial to pink myself.)

NB: Some gossiping going on over at TechCrunch.
Investor Martin Varsavsky’s comments on the financing of 23andMe.

Related stories reporting on the investment:

• 23andMe Exits Stealth Mode
• New Enterprise Associates Joins Series A Investment in 23andMe
• A distracting development – and a biotech investment – from Google
• Google puts $3.9M in co-founder’s wife’s biotech startup
• Google’s (Newly) Related-Party Deal
• 23andMe and Google
• Google, Genentech fund personal-genetics startup 23andMe
• Googley bio
• Google Me This, Google Me That
• Google wants $4 billion drug ad market in 23andMe

Original source: Reuters, May 22, 2007

Tags: 23andme, anne wojcicki, esther dyson, linda avey, google, biotech, genetics, genome, genome revolution, dna, personalized medicine

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8 Comments

Pingback by The Genetic Genealogist - » 23andMe and Google

2007-05-23 00:25:54

[...] EyeonDNA has links to other sites with more information about the latest developments at 23andMe! Related [...]

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Comment by Steve

2007-05-23 00:37:33

Yesterday I laughed when someone told me Google owns the world. I ain’t laughing anymore.

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Comment by Hsien

2007-05-23 00:44:35

It’s ok, Steve. You laugh too much anyway.

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Pingback by DNA Quote of the Day - Martin Varsavsky and 23andMe — Eye on DNA

2007-05-24 12:54:33

[...] 23andMe investor Martin Varsavsky made the following comment in a VentureBeat post about Google’s investment in the personal genome company: [...]

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Pingback by Helicos BioSciences towards personalized medicine « ScienceRoll

2007-06-25 18:10:55

[...] already read several posts and articles on 23andMe, the famous personal genome company (with Google investments). And I’m [...]

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Pingback by New 23andMe Headquarters

2007-09-10 23:25:08

[...] Personal Genome Company 23andMe receives Google Investment [...]

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Pingback by The Genetic Genealogist - » 23andMe Partners with Illumina – To Offer Genetic Genealogy?

2007-09-13 17:50:35

[...] and personalized medicine circles of the blogosphere (See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here for plenty of [...]

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Pingback by Eye on DNA Headlines for 20 September 2007

2007-09-20 23:35:45

[...] in Science’s Policy Forum (subscription only). Thank you to the authors for referencing Eye on DNA’s post on 23andMe. (Email me if you’d like to see the [...]

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