Cofactor Genomics YC Application

Summer 2015Active

Cofactor Genomics went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2015 batch as a Healthcare company. Below: what the company does, who founded it, and its application to YC, reconstructed question by question in the real YC form.

YC batch: Summer 2015
Industry: HealthcareDiagnostics
Team size: 13
Status: Active
Launched: 2015

Founders

Dave MessinaFounder/COO
Jarret GlasscockFounder/CTO

What Cofactor Genomics does

Cofactor uses RNA and Predictive Immune Modeling to build better biomarkers and improve patient outcomes. Led by Jarret Glasscock and a group of expert human genome scientists,Cofactor has built a new category of diagnostic technology powered by unique and powerful RNA data models built on terabytes of data. The team recently had their technology validation peer-reviewed by the organizations that set standards for diagnostic technology (CAP, AMP) and is publishing in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. In addition, the team made news when Cancer Physicians who sit on the committee for patient treatment guidelines (NCCN) presented a clinical study using Cofactor’s technology showing superiority in predicting the patients who will respond to immunotherapy. This initial application is an acute problem recognized widely in the rapidly developing immunotherapy industry and represents north of a billion dollar TAM. After a number of recent key milestones, the team is taking the technology more broadly to 50% of cancers diagnosed in the US. Current investors include Menlo Ventures, DCVC, and Ascension Ventures (this last investor representing the funding arm for 13 National U.S. Healthcare Systems).

Cofactor Genomics's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Cofactor Genomics, Summer 2015 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Cofactor Genomics

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Cofactor closes the precision medicine gap with predictive diagnostics

What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.

We build diagnostic tests using RNA sequencing and predictive immune modeling to create biomarkers that better predict patient responses, mainly for cancer immunotherapy. Our product helps doctors select which patients will respond to specific treatments, improving outcomes where current diagnostics fall short.

Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

We live and work in St. Louis, Missouri, and the company remains based there.

Explain your decision regarding location.

St. Louis grounds us with access to strong genomics talent and a supportive healthcare ecosystem, including relationships with national healthcare systems. We don't see a need to relocate right now.

21 more answers in the full application

Founders, Progress, Idea, Equity, Curious, Batch Preference are in the full version. Create a free account to open it in YC Insights, next to every other YC batch.

See full application

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the real Cofactor Genomics YC application?

No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from Cofactor Genomics's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like Cofactor Genomics would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.