Google’s Biotech Investment In Brin’s Wife’s Company, 23andMe

Raising some eyebrows this morning is Google’s investment in a biotech firm called 23andMe, which states as its mission to: “help you make sense of your own genetic information . . . [and] put your genome into the larger context of human commonality and diversity.”

Anne Wojcicki, Google cofounder Sergey Brin’s new wife, is a cofounder of 23andMe. Esther Dyson is a board member. According to regulatory filings, Google took a minority stake in the company for $3.9 million. Here are some more reports from SF Gate and the NY Times.

Joining Google in the series A investment round were New Enterprise Associates, MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures and Genentech.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.