August 23, 2019

This summer, Sequence Bio received investment from Y Combinator (YC). Since 2005, YC has invested in over 2,000 companies with a combined valuation of more than $100 Billion. AirBnB, Dropbox, Stripe, Heroku and Ginkgo Bioworks are just a few of YC’s very exciting portfolio companies and we couldn’t be more proud to count Sequence Bio among this exclusive group.

Sequence Bio worked with some incredible mentors, company founders, and YC investment partners in Silicon Valley to help our company’s scientific and business growth — all culminating at a prestigious and exciting event known as Demo Day on August 20th where we presented to over 3,000 investors. On the big stage we shared how Sequence Bio is researching Newfoundland’s unique genetic and health information to discover better, safer medicines and improve how we treat and prevent diseases.

How is Sequence Bio doing this?

Sequence Bio is operating the NL Genome Project, a population-scale genetics project combining Newfoundland and Labrador’s (NL) enriched isolated genetics and uniform health records.

Newfoundland is one of only a few places in the world with these two characteristics, which makes it an ideal place to find new drug targets. Data with these characteristics is so valuable that over $4 billion was spent to access it last year alone. By using data-driven statistical and computational research approaches, we are working to use this data to find novel genetic variants that could help explain the link between genetics, health, and disease.

Sequence Bio is committed to benefiting individuals, families and communities in Newfoundland and Labrador for generations to come, and spent 5 years building the right ethical and legislative framework to run this project. Because of these efforts, participants of the NL Genome Project can choose to receive research-grade findings about their genetic makeup free of charge.

Hometown Pride

Wearing my Newfoundland dog t-shirt on stage at YC Demo Day while telling the story of my home province and company was something I’ll never forget. We put Newfoundland on the radar of YC partners, their 4,000-person founder network of makers and innovators, and world-class investors from San Francisco to London and beyond. And now they all know just how special Newfoundland and Labrador is and, more importantly, that Sequence Bio is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to innovators and entrepreneurs.

Newfoundland and Labrador has always punched above its weight — we’re tenacious, fiesty and we don’t give up. So if you’re building a high growth business in Newfoundland and Labrador, your next step should be to approach YC for guidance and investment. Just because you are a Newfoundland company doesn’t mean you can’t be global.

Note: Sequence Bio does not release any of the terms of its financing.