Sequencing Technologies Company 23andme
23andMe is a company that offers genetic testing directly to consumers, providing customers with various reports regarding ancestry and giving information on health predispositions (1). Over time, this biotech company has accumulated the data of 15 million people into one of the world’s largest DNA databases (3). 23andMe was founded by Anne Wojcicki, Linda Avey, and Paul Cusenza in 2006 (2). Avey, a genetics expert, came up with the idea of the company, and Cusenza is an engineer and executive (3). Google invested $3.9 million in the company in 2007 (4). Although, four years ago, the company was worth up to $6 billion, it is now valued at only $74.7 million (3). The total revenue in the fiscal year third quarter in 2025 was $60.3 million (5).
From before 23andMe’s existence, Anne Wojcicki had felt frustrated by how illness was monetized rather than having prevention as the main focus. The company reflected this mindset with the goal of helping people make decisions that lower risk of disease by providing direct access to genetic information (6). 23andMe’s business focus is to use genetic data to help individuals build their own health and wellness experiences as well as to further research and drug development with their large database that allows understanding of about 1,200 different ways genetics influences traits, conditions, diseases, and treatment responses. (7) (8). Unfortunately, this company’s future does not seem to hold much success; in 2023, the company reported a $312 million net loss, its share price slid below $1, and its database was hacked, leaking the information of almost 7 million customers (9) (10). This hacking incident resulted in a class-action lawsuit that accused 23andMe of failing to notify the targeted customers. The company reported a 7% decline in revenue and losses of $174 million in the first nine months of its current fiscal year and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptsy in March of 2025 (10).
- https://www.23andme.com/howitworks/
- https://www.forbes.com/profile/anne-wojcicki/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/six-years-ago-23andme-worth-090000401.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADXbtzZsKT4Hsq_yiVueAZHA4GnT5gvU95oNHe730LEipiLGJ5a3TwmNt7gZfLj1ROSE_vBARVLy7TJr6EWI2NSGBcDtpsKCpgMwlXh-HdUf1UjEqtTjTcT8yYZo3jUahbyE8hXTxjNGgW-1G-FSxEopKC19jBYYELehZ_HWg7PP
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/23andMe
- https://investors.23andme.com/news-releases/news-release-details/23andme-reports-third-quarter-fiscal-year-2025-financial-results
- https://investors.23andme.com/management/anne-wojcicki
- https://investors.23andme.com/
- https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/fierce-jpm-week-how-23andme-plans-to-harness-its-massive-database-to-further-its-ambitions
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/23/inside-the-fall-of-23andme.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/business/23andme-bankruptcy.html#