Trouble in paradise? Or extra funding for new goals in precision health analytics?
The abrupt press announcement on the Human Longevity, Inc. website was one of the shortest we’ve seen:
Human Longevity, Inc (“HLI”), an innovator in providing data-driven precision health intelligence platform for physicians and patients, today announced a $30 million financing from veteran biotech investment firms and investors. Existing investor Emerging Technology Partners LLC participated in the financing with other new dedicated healthcare investors.
HLI’s statement said it will use the proceeds from this new round to enhance its Health Nucleus intelligence platform, a research and discovery centre in California which is using integrated metrics derived from specialised imaging, whole genome sequencing and other lab tests with machine learning and AI to create a comprehensive standard for measuring your health and performance and increase healthspan.
It has been over a year since the company issued its last press release. Hmm.
A quick look at Glassdoor indicates some staffing issues – we realise this is a blunt research tool, as most satisfaction surveys are more actively used by the disgruntled – however the $30m could well be bridging ahead of a much larger round: according to Crunchbase the previous $220m Series B round was led by Illumina Ventures while this most recent injection has been led by Emerging Technology Partners.
The San Diego based venture was founded by Craig Venter and Peter Diamandis in 2013. The company is an early mover in advanced diagnostic tools and has a data-driven precision health intelligence platform for detecting diseases before they evolve into bigger problems for both doctors and patients.
Health intelligence has grown substantially over recent years, with technology enabling us to gain a deeper understanding of how we can take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to aging and health. Human Longevity, Inc states this is the beginning of an era of health intelligence based on their new platform targeting healthspan.
Back in 2017 Venter stated, “We have sequencing that’s better than anybody else in the world. We have the most accurate data” [1]. However, with the average prices for assessments ranging from $5,500 to $25,000, their novel approach to preventive medicine may be out of reach for most. [2].
A handful of competitors appear to be racing ahead, including 23AndMe, Cesca Therapeutics and Pieriandx [3].
[1] https://bit.ly/2Q1VJO3
[2] https://bit.ly/2CqEEFJ
[3] https://www.owler.com/company/humanlongevity
