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23andMe history
23andMe company history timeline
In 2006, while pursuing her interest in the potential to influence health care through personal genetic testing, Wojcicki cofounded 23andMe with American biologist Linda Avey.
After raising $9 million from Google, Brin and a few outside investors like New Enterprise Associates and Genentech, 23andMe launched its first product in November 2007.
In 2008 a retail saliva genetic test developed by researchers at 23andMe was named Time magazine’s Invention of the Year.
Wojcicki’s responsibilities greatly increased in 2008 with Google’s acquisition of the company DoubleClick.
Google kept pace with the rapid proliferation of smartphones when Wojcicki arranged for the purchase of the mobile advertising network AdMob in 2009.
By 2011, four years after its launch, 23andMe had amassed only 100,000 customers.
In 2012, exponentially declining costs allowed 23andMe to drop its price to $99, sparking an uptick in sales.
By October 2013, 23andMe was in talks with Target and Wojcicki was pushing hard to enter stores before the holidays, a move that would have put the testing kit in the aisles alongside vitamins and thermometers.
First she had to overcome the public censure of the 2013 FDA order and rebuild.
In 2015, 23andMe also gained FDA approval to sell a genetic test capable of detecting more than 30 autosomal recessive disorders—conditions that manifest when two copies of a disease-causing gene are present in an individual, one inherited from each parent.
The year 2015 marked the beginning of a rebound.
By 2016, researchers at 23andMe had genotyped more than one million people worldwide.
Wojcicki’s next big breakthrough came in 2017.
So, in July of last year, Wojcicki inked a deal with U.K.-based giant GSK (formerly called GlaxoSmithKline; 2018 sales: $31 billion), which invested $300 million in 23andMe and signed a four-year exclusive partnership to identify new drug targets.
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23andMe competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilead Sciences | 1987 | $28.8B | 11,800 | 461 |
| Amgen | 1980 | $33.4B | 22,000 | 461 |
| PLOS | 2000 | $38.3M | 56 | - |
| Merck | 1891 | $64.2B | 74,000 | 1,773 |
| Broad Institute | 2003 | $451.4M | 2,876 | 7 |
| National Academy of Medicine | 1970 | $7.2M | 91 | - |
| Alphabet | 2015 | $350.0B | 156,301 | - |
| Amyris | 2003 | $269.8M | 595 | - |
| bluebird bio | 1992 | $3.7M | 518 | 9 |
| Centocor | 1979 | $110.0M | 3,000 | - |
23andMe history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of 23andMe, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about 23andMe. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at 23andMe. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by 23andMe. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of 23andMe and its employees or that of Zippia.
23andMe may also be known as or be related to 23andMe, 23andMe Inc, 23andMe Inc., 23andMe, Inc. and 23andme, Inc.