Sequencing

Sequencing.com is a direct-to-consumer DNA interpretation company that sells at-home genetic testing kits and turns genomic data into health, wellness and ancestry reports. Its core offering is 30x whole genome sequencing from a saliva or cheek-swab collection kit, covering approximately 3 billion genomic positions and reporting single nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions and deletions, structural variations, copy number variations and mitochondrial heteroplasmy. Customers can download raw and analyzed data files (FASTQ, BAM, VCF) at no additional fee. As an alternative to buying a kit, users can upload or import raw DNA data generated by other testing services such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com and have it analyzed on the platform.

On top of testing, the company operates a marketplace of DNA apps and reports, both first-party and third-party, spanning categories including health, ancestry, nutrition, fitness, beauty, lifestyle, children, bioinformatics, clothing and art. Reviewers have counted over 100 apps, priced from free to several hundred dollars, with examples including Carrier Status ($29), Genetic Ancestry With Haplogroups ($59), DNA Diet ($59), Inherited Traits Genetic Analysis ($129), Genetic Counseling ($179), Wellness & Longevity ($199) and an Alzheimer's DNA Screen WGS Bundle ($449). Proprietary applications include Genome Explorer, a browser and search engine for a customer's genome, and Next-Gen Rare Disease Screen, which screens for the risk of thousands of rare diseases, conditions and traits. The company also markets an optional subscription under which a customer's genome is periodically reanalyzed against newly published research without additional testing.

Founding story

The company was founded by Dr. Brandon Colby, a physician who holds an MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and wrote a book on predictive medicine and genetics, "Outsmart Your Genes."

Business model

Sells one-time DNA testing kits and bundles, individually priced reports and apps through a marketplace, and recurring memberships that bundle data storage, report credits, alerts and access to licensed genetic counselors. Free DNA data upload and storage act as an entry point to paid analyses.

Product sales (test kits and bundles, for example a $399 whole genome sequencing kit and a $69 genotyping test), à la carte purchases of reports and apps, and tiered monthly subscriptions (reviewers cite Silver $9.99, Gold $29.99 and Platinum $49.99 per month in 2022, and membership starting at $19 per month in 2024).

Traction

Reviewers report an app marketplace with more than 100 apps and support for raw data formats from many genetic testing companies. Published customer reviews describe results turnaround of roughly four to eight weeks and use of whole genome results in clinical decision-making, while critics note added costs for third-party reports, absence of native relative matching, variable third-party report quality and occasional reports with unreportable results due to missing data.

Latest developments

As of its current website the company markets a Rare Disease Carrier Screen whole genome sequencing bundle at $399 (with a $999 ultra-rapid option), AI-generated reports, risk assessment across 15,000+ diseases, conditions and traits, and an optional subscription providing monthly reanalysis of the stored genome.