Genomics Startups funded by Y Combinator (YC) 2026

Anto is building a foundation model for microbial communities, making the gut microbiome computable for the first time. We predict drug toxicity and efficacy across diverse populations and fix drugs so they work for everyone — solving the hidden root cause of most drug failures. Founded by Arvid (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Nature-published researcher who pioneered quality-aware, goal-directed sparsification) and David (Harvard Medical School Gastroenterology, J&J), second-time founders who published the breakthrough at leading machine learning AI conferences and Nature.

Nest is a lab-agnostic, comprehensive solution for organizations to launch and implement large-scale genomic programs. The platform includes the ability to triage, consent, and counsel patients for genetic testing, provide EMR-integrated clinical decision support for providers managing patients with genetic results, and manage patients’ clinical needs across the continuum of care.

We have developed an AI platform enabling to accelerate the discovery and the design of genomic therapies such as Cell Therapies, RNA Therapies and DNA Therapies.

We have built a platform that enables drug discovery and development for previously undruggable genome regulators ("the regulome"). We accomplish this by moving drug discovery out of artificial systems where regulome proteins fail to function properly, and back into live human cells. Our technology combines innovations in automated cell processing, next-gen proteomics, and advanced data analytics to measure a drug's effect on the entire regulome in one experiment.

Genomelink is a DNA App Store. If you’ve taken a DNA test from Ancestry or 23andMe, you can upload your data to Genomelink to unlock a wide range of DNA apps: a 2,000+ region ancestry breakdown, insights from 400+ ancient DNA samples, analysis of 350+ genetic traits, unique DNA matches, and more. Explore our latest genealogy app, YourRoots (https://yourroots.com/), which transforms your family tree into an interactive global map visualization. We believe consumer genomics today is where the internet was in the 1990s. Over 50 million people in the U.S. have already tested their DNA, and this number will grow into the billions globally in the coming decades. Genomelink aims to become the default DNA data hub and app store for this genomic future. Our mission: - Build the world’s #1 platform for consumer genomics apps - Help people discover their family roots and unite the world - Create an infruscrucure for consumer genomics

Volta Labs is a genomics applications company that has developed a cutting-edge digital fluidics platform to maximize performance and scalability of sample preparation in genomics while providing unparalleled consistency. Volta is transforming the way biological research and analyses are performed, allowing scientists to focus on what they do best -- pushing the boundaries of biology. As a collective of scientists and builders working at the intersection of engineering and biology, we imagine a world where extracting vital information from biological samples is as simple as pressing a button. That's our vision, and we're turning it into reality. Our HQ is in Boston’s Seaport, where we develop and manufacture our technology. We believe in cross-functional collaboration and continuous learning – whether your interest is in biology, MechEng, CompEng, or simply joining a fast-growing startup striving to make the world a better place, we'd love to welcome you to our team. Check out some of our blog posts to learn more about work life at Volta.

Kernal Bio is a biotech company pioneering mRNA 2.0 immunotherapies. We leverage selective mRNA-LNP technology to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases with precision, ensuring targeted cell delivery and minimal off-target effects. Our KR-402 program achieves over 90% delivery efficiency with T-cell-targeted LNPs, enabling direct CAR-T programming within the body and resulting in B-cell depletion within a week. Kernal Bio is led by a team with experience from MIT, Harvard, Merck, and BMS, boasting three FDA-approved therapies and over 120 patents. Based in Cambridge, MA, we are backed by Hummingbird Ventures, Amgen Ventures, HBM, and even NASA. With roots at MIT, Harvard and Biopharma, Kernal’s management team has deep expertise in mRNA therapeutics space. CEO Yusuf Erkul, M.D., M.B.A. is a successful drug hunter whose research at Merck enabled an FDA-approved drug for ovarian cancer. President Burak Yilmaz, M.S., previously founded Sentegen, a thriving synthetic biology company which commercializes synthetic DNA, RNA, and diagnostic kits for genetic and infectious diseases. Sr. VP of R&D Manfred Kraus is a leader in immuno-oncology, who was most recently Scientific Sr. Director at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS).

Ochre Bio is a biotechnology company developing RNA medicines for chronic liver diseases.

90% of drug candidates fail, delaying help for those in need. We’re on a mission to change that. Better drug target discovery powered by the Newfoundland founder effect.

DNA has emerged as a compelling data storage medium due to its density, longevity, and eternal relevance compared to current memory technologies. However, the high price of synthesizing DNA remains a major bottleneck for adoption of this promising storage solution. We are pioneering new approaches to synthesizing DNA for data storage with enzymes and custom digital codecs. We are building an interdisciplinary team to build the world's most scalable information infrastructure in DNA. We seek technical experts in enzyme engineering, chemistry, hardware engineering, and information theory. We also seek business development to identify emerging markets for early use cases of our technology.

Arpeggio Bio is a pioneering pharmaceutical company that develops drugs targeting transcription factors using AI and high-throughput RNA-sequencing. With $20M in venture funding, we've targeted "undruggable" proteins like NRF2, TEAD, and GPX4 where our lead program is rapidly progressing towards a DC for the treatment of IO-resistant melanoma. With partnerships with J&J and FORMA, we've validated our platform in rare disease and inflammation with a significant Phase I success.

At XGenomes, we are building a technology comprising novel biochemistry, hardware and algorithms for sequencing DNA. Our product will be streamlined: there is zero library preparation; we sequence directly on unadulterated single molecules of DNA; DNA extraction will be integrated with sequencing; there is no bioinformatics bottleneck. The sequence we produce will be of unprecedented accuracy due to several layers of in-built redundancy including the sequencing both strands of the double-helix concurrently. The sequence we produce will be complete, encompassing: structural as well as single nucleotide variants; long-range haplotype phase; the repetitive "dark matter" of the genome. The cost of goods (consumables) of sequencing will be <$10, which will allow us to price our product at a level that will help grow the market while still achieving >90% margin. We will start by offering access as a service to high value customers, which be followed by a razor and blade model of selling instruments and consumables.

Probably Genetic is changing the lives of patients living with severe, complex diseases. Our data platform is used by drug developers and patient advocacy groups to develop and launch treatments for these patients. Our technology discovers undiagnosed patients online, analyzes their disease state using machine learning and at-home testing, and enables compliant communication with patients. In doing so, we help patients access diagnoses, clinical trials, and treatments as early as possible.

Sigma Genetics develops devices that can deliver DNA, RNA, and other charged molecules into cells by using magnetic fields. When compared to conventional electroporation, this technique has several key advantages, which include: the absence of arcing, the ability to scale, and the benefit of being non-invasive for in vivo applications. This platform technology can be applied to a wide range of applications- cell therapies, cancer drug delivery, DNA vaccines, biopharma manufacturing, and cosmetics.

Technology finds information and delivers physical products to us almost instantly. mRNA does the same for biology. At HelixNano, we see a world where treatments are cheap, progress is decentralized, and you can modify biology at the push of a button. By focusing on mRNA improvements from first principles, we’re getting there faster than we thought. Experiments that used to take months or years can be done in weeks and cost thousands instead of millions. The rate limiting step for our progress is now scientific curiosity. Rigid hierarchies and top-down decisions will miss the magic. Some of our most powerful technologies started out as side projects of junior team members. At HelixNano, every individual scientist can have a massive impact on the company's direction. And the more diverse our team, the faster we’ll find the really cool ideas. We've started rolling out some of our new tech — moving a COVID-19 vaccine candidate for the immunocompromised towards the clinic, and testing an intervention with massive environmental impact. But we’re scientists at heart, and team focus is solidly on the horizon.

BillionToOne has developed a DNA molecular counter that increases the cell-free DNA diagnostics resolution by over 1,000 fold, which unlocks transformative improvements in prenatal screening and liquid biopsy for cancers. Unity Screen, BillionToOne's commercially available non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT), is the only NIPT that can assess fetal risk for both recessive conditions and aneuploidies from maternal blood. UNITY Screen continues to grow exponentially and is on its path to becoming the next standard-of-care, with an increasing number of publications showing its accuracy and advantages over other screening methods. We have also recently used our molecular counting technology to develop liquid biopsy tests, which have the potential to completely transform oncology care.

Mable is a personalized migraine clinic using DNA to find and provide the right medication alongside continuous expert care Using our approach, patients have an 80% higher treatment satisfaction rate, have one extra day per week to enjoy their life and get 55% pain reduction.

Coral integrates molecular, functional, and clinical factors to create new clinical laboratory tests that predict optimal treatments for autoimmune diseases. We have also identified a unique subpopulation of patients who do not respond to current therapies and are working towards addressing this unmet medical need.

Who we are? We write software that understands the activity of individual cells as opposed to all cells. This approach is novel because we are no longer looking at average signals and can be precise. It is like a police person trying to identify the speeding car, they won’t find it if they look at all the cars at once, rather they need to look at the speed of each individual car. This is the beauty of single cell genomics, we can now identify that speeding car. Why now? The biggest barrier for entry into the single cell genomics market are cost and data analysis. To that end, we have reduced the cost by 10-fold and built the computational infrastructure for scalability. Although single cell sequencing has only been around for about five years, we come from one of the top single cell genomics labs and were the first to process and analyze millions of immune cells. Thanks to our software solutions, we have been able to bring big data solutions to the immune system. Where are we and where are we going? We have generated a database of over 1 million immune cells spanning healthy, cancerous, and autoimmune immune cells and are growing through paid partnerships. Harnessing out database and ML software, we can take a data-centric approach for better target discovery. Fortunately, as our database continues to grow, our models will continue to learn for more precise, unbiased, and automated single cell genomics. Thank you!

Luminist developed a non-invasive diagnostic test for the early detection and staging of liver fibrosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Luminist was acquired in 2020 by DiscernDx.

One Codex is a data platform for applied microbial genomics, enabling new and valuable applications in clinical diagnostics, food safety, and biosecurity. Acquired by Invitae (NVTA) in February 2021. Spun out as an independent company in September 2022.