Illumina Accelerator Welcomes First Global Cohort of Genomics Startups
June 23 2020 - 2:01AM
Business Wire
Companies Advancing Genomics Applications in
Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Research Tools
Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) has selected seven early-stage
companies to join the first global cohort of Illumina Accelerator,
the company creation engine focused on partnering with
entrepreneurs to build breakthrough genomics startups. Three
companies comprise the inaugural funding cycle of Illumina
Accelerator Cambridge, UK and four companies will join as part of
the 11th funding cycle in the San Francisco Bay Area. Due to
lockdowns and travel restrictions during the current COVID-19
pandemic, Illumina Accelerator kicked off both funding cycles
digitally this month, bringing all seven startup companies together
for the first time.
Illumina Accelerator announced its global expansion last year.
During two six-month funding cycles per year, Illumina Accelerator
provides the selected startups with access to seed investment,
access to Illumina sequencing systems and reagents, as well as
business guidance, genomics expertise, and fully operational lab
space adjacent to Illumina’s campuses in Cambridge, UK or the San
Francisco Bay Area. The newest companies to join Illumina
Accelerator’s portfolio of genomics startups include:
Illumina Accelerator
Cambridge
- Alchemab Therapeutics LTD, an antibody
therapeutics company from London, UK, is harnessing the naturally
protective power of patient antibodies to keep people free from
hard-to-treat disease in a unique approach to drug discovery and
development.
- Neurolytic Healthcare LTD, a diagnostics company from
Oxford, UK, is focused on delivering digital, genomics-driven
diagnostics and personalized treatment recommendations for
neurological conditions.
- Tailor Bio LTD, an oncology diagnostics company spun out
of Cancer Research UK-funded research, is developing a proprietary
precision oncology platform to identify patterns in tumour DNA to
predict a patient’s response to cancer drugs.
Illumina Accelerator SF Bay
Area
- AarogyaAI Innovations Pvt. LTD, a diagnostics
company from India, comprehensively diagnoses drug-resistance in
tuberculosis rapidly, enabling most the effective therapies for
patients.
- MEDIC Life Sciences Inc., a drug discovery company in
the SF Bay Area, is building a pre-clinical testbed of millions of
tumor samples based on CRISPR and cancer organoids to enable
personalized targeted therapies for cancer with maximized clinical
success rates.
- Pluton Biosciences, LLC, a microbial testing and
discovery research company in St. Louis, Missouri, is developing
eco-friendly natural products mined from unique bacteria, fungi,
and viruses to replace synthetic chemical applications in
agriculture and pest control.
- WellSIM Biomedical Technologies, Inc., a tools
company from the SF Bay Area, is developing a high-throughput
automated exosome processing instrument based on microfluidics
allowing unparalleled isolation efficiency, purity, and integrity
for use in therapeutic and clinical diagnostics applications.
“As we navigate the current global pandemic, there is an even
stronger urgency to create breakthrough genomics startups that will
transform human health and beyond,” said Amanda Cashin, Co-founder
and Global Head of Illumina Accelerator. “By opening our second
location and partnering with seed stage capital investors, we are
proud to invest in these transformative startups to push the
boundaries of where genomics can go.”
Illumina Accelerator has partnered with First In Ventures to
provide convertible notes for the incoming startups in the U.S. and
UK. Wing Venture Capital will continue their support in providing
convertible notes in the U.S., and Cambridgeshire &
Peterborough Combined Authority will support the companies in the
UK.
“We believe the startups selected have great potential to expand
the genomics ecosystem and deliver new and important applications
to market,” said Paula Dowdy, Illumina’s Senior Vice President and
General Manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The UK is a
leader in genomics research, and we’re delighted to locate the
extension of Illumina Accelerator at our new campus in
Cambridge.”
Illumina Accelerator is accepting applications for the next
global funding cycle, which are due by August 1, 2020. Through a
single, global application process, Illumina Accelerator will
select up to five companies in each location. To learn more and
apply, please visit our website.
About Illumina Accelerator
Illumina Accelerator is the world’s first business accelerator
focused solely on creating an innovation ecosystem for the genomics
industry. It provides select startups with access to seed
investment, business guidance, Illumina’s sequencing systems and
reagents, and fully operational lab space in the San Francisco Bay
Area or Cambridge, UK during each six-month funding cycle. Since
launching in 2014, Illumina Accelerator has invested in 45 genomics
startups from across the globe, which have collectively raised
approximately $400 million in venture capital funding.
About Illumina
Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the
genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as the global
leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving
customers in the research, clinical and applied markets. Our
products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology,
reproductive health, agriculture and other emerging segments. To
learn more, visit www.illumina.com and follow @illumina.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200622005767/en/
Investors: Jacquie Ross, CFA 1 (858) 882-2172
ir@illumina.com
Media: Jen Carroll (U.S.) 1 (858) 882-6822
pr@illumina.com
Karen Birmingham (EMEA) +44 7500 105665
kbirmingham@illumina.com
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