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Sano Genetics

Personalised health research

21-100 employees
  • Healthcare
  • B2C
  • Big data
  • Biology
  • SaaS
  • MedTech
3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE

Company mission

To accelerate the future of personalised medicine.

Female leader
Top investors

Some candidates hear
back within 2 weeks

49% female employees

50% employee growth in 12 months

Otta's take

Theo Margolius headshot

Theo Margolius

COO of Otta

Unlocking the potential of personalised medicine would lead to tremendous progress in treating many diseases. Sano Genetics is working towards making this a reality through a user-centric genetic data marketplace that connects individuals directly to medical research institutions, acting as ethical brokers to facilitate a direct connection between individuals and research institutions.

This provides access to dynamic health and genetic data for genomics research to accelerate the pace of precision medicine, whilst promoting transparency and data privacy for participants. Anyone can sign up for the platform for free and participants gain access to cutting-edge medical reports on conditions relevant to them receive personalised genetic reports, and have the option to participate in research studies and clinical trials. Sano offers participants full transparency and control over how their data is used.

The company's current focus is on neurological and immune conditions - Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Long COVID, amongst others. Over the next year, Sano is expanding its product to be a 'patient portal' for national-scale precision medicine initiatives. such as Genomics England, with the potential to impact millions of people.

Benefits

  • Full health insurance with access to all UK private hospitals/specialists with zero excess (possibility to add family members at reduced price)
  • Life & Income protection insurance
  • 16 Weeks Full Pay Parental Leave (for both mothers and fathers)

Company values

  • Transparency is key. We value honesty with our colleagues, users, customers, and partners, and we're prepared to explain any secrets
  • Impact matters. We're focused on building things that truly help individuals, society, and the world. We might not be everything to everyone, but we can change lives
  • Collaboration is crucial. We value fresh perspectives and encourage feedback from everyone. We listen and are curious about what makes each other tick
  • Empathy drives us. We put ourselves in the shoes of our patients, clients, and team members. We're careful to consider all viewpoints and assess the consequences of our actions
  • Accountability is everything. We take responsibility for our actions and prioritize making things right for our users, customers, and employees
  • Choose Positivity! We welcome ideas, even difficult ones, and provide constructive alternatives. We're not here to undermine each other, but to move things forward

Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)

Jan 2024

$11.3m

EARLY VC

Aug 2023

$0.5m

GRANT

$26.3m

Total funding

This company has top investors

Founders

Experience in genomics and rare genetic disorders research at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge.

Co-Founder and COO @Sano Genetics. Previous risk analyst at JP Morgan. PhD at University of Cambridge.

Computer scientist previously working on deep learning and genetics at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge.

People progressing

Hamzah joined Sano as a Frontend Developer in 2020, and after three years he earned a promotion to Frontend Team Lead. In 2024, Hamzah will be managing a team of six.

Marisa joined Sano in March 2023 as a Product Designer. After just 8 months with the company, her role changed and she was promoted to Product Manager.

Diversity & Inclusion at Sano Genetics

Chantelle Ebhogiaye headshot

Chantelle Ebhogiaye (People Operations Manager )

  • Our platform is built with diversity and inclusion at its foundation, empowering pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to adopt a more inclusive approach to clinical trials, encompassing geographical and ethnic diversity. Our vision is to become the leading provider of ethical genomic and health data for precision medicine development.
  • As an employer, we're committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. While we're still in the early stages of our DE&I journey, our approach is deeply embedded in our core values, reflected in our hiring processes, company culture, and workplace policies.
  • We prioritise a diverse pipeline of candidates by employing methods like the Rooney Rule. Additionally, we gather meaningful data during the application and onboarding phases to track our hiring data, allowing us to identify and address areas for improvement.
  • 2024 is a big year for Sano's DE&I efforts. We're spearheading initiatives to enhance our inclusivity, including implementing a blind hiring process to eliminate unconscious bias from our hiring decisions. We're also developing a mentorship program to support new joiners and establishing a diversity and inclusion committee to oversee our DE&I endeavours.
  • Moreover, we're introducing interview training to eliminate bias and further strengthen our commitment to creating a truly inclusive workplace.

Endorsements

All

Flexible working (5)

Career progression (3)

Meaningful work (3)

Open and honest communication (3)

Autonomy (2)

Nice people (2)

Focus on employee wellbeing (2)

Opportunities to learn (1)

Intelligent people (1)

My opinions are valued (1)

By valuing and celebrating employee achievements, Sano fosters a culture of excellence and innovation. People don't hold back from recognizing one's efforts.

Software Engineering

Great work is recognised

Mar 2023

By providing a detailed and clear career progression framework, Sano provides employees with all I need to take ownership of my career and develop the skills needed to succeed.

Software Engineering

Career progression

Mar 2023

Sano values open and honest communication, creating a culture of transparency and trust. All employees are encouraged to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback, and are empowered to contribute to the company's success.

Software Engineering

Open and honest communication

Mar 2023

There is a very clear career pathway which is transparent and well thought out. It makes me feel like the importance of my career development is recognized. It also comes off as very organized and that Sano puts high value on their People.

People, HR, Recruitment

Career progression

Mar 2023

Everyone on the team has been so welcoming, and I’ve been able to meet several members of the team in person. It seems like everyone is very happy and also it is clear that a team of nice, interesting, diverse, and intelligent people has been created.

People, HR, Recruitment

Nice people

Mar 2023

From the beginning, Sano has been supportive of my life circumstance, and has offered flexible working, which is very important and very attractive as an employee. It seems that the whole team benefits from this while remaining incredibly productive and hard-working.

People, HR, Recruitment

Flexible working

Mar 2023

With any growing startup we have lots of autonomy here at Sano. You can run with any idea that improves the experience for patients (which is really rewarding as you're impacting people's lives!) and you have the support of the entire exec team and managers!

Operations & Strategy

Autonomy

Mar 2023

Sano is the best company I can recommend at working flexibly. All that's cared is output and that you're there for core meetings. That can mean starting at 6am and finishing earlier or starting the day later and finishing later. Home life is really prioritised by the C suite as they're all working parents and know how much this can impact you're working life

Operations & Strategy

Flexible working

Mar 2023

For a Series A startup, the list of benefits we get and focus on employee wellbeing is the best I've come across. Amazing parental leave, private health + dental care, competitive salary, a genuine respect for people's personal lives. The founding team are putting so much time and effort into early hires who can scale the team and building a world class culture - so above the tangible benefits, knowing the C suite really want to build an amazing team is the best benefit of all

Operations & Strategy

Focus on employee wellbeing

Mar 2023

Sano is the first company I join with real opportunity to discuss the future progression from the first interview. It's an open and honest discussion with real and clear opportunity to progress in your role

Operations & Strategy

Career progression

Mar 2023

Sano contributes to the future of precision medicine and has a real focus on patient advocacy. Being part of this team and seeing the results of our work really is meaningful.

Operations & Strategy

Meaningful work

Mar 2023

When I joined Sano I was pregnant 5 months, the whole team help me to plan the before, during and after maternity leave. I always felt supported and being able to balance my family and work life without stress.

Operations & Strategy

Family friendly

Mar 2023

I pivoted from higher education marketing to Sano, and I finally feel like I’m marketing a product and a service I believe in. We’re truly making a difference to peoples’ lives, and having a hand in writing the next chapter of precision medicine.

Marketing

Meaningful work

Mar 2023

I have two dogs that need a lot of attention, and generally find I work best first thing in the morning or late at night. There’s lots of respect for conflicting schedules, and never any judgement if you need to move meetings to fit around your life or plans.

Marketing

Flexible working

Mar 2023

I’ve been with Sano for less than 6 months, and it feels as though there’s a new starter every other week! My role is evolving quickly, and I’m being given the autonomy to shape and define it.

Marketing

Growing fast

Mar 2023

Inexperienced first time founders, but developing a strong culture of supporting employees that works for a range of backgrounds and lifestyles at various career stages. Be that parents, digital nomads, part timers, or geographically distributed team members.

Software Engineering

Supportive management

Mar 2023

Fully remote a distribution organisation with a range of resources available to support a workplace that works for each individual. Be that a home office, co-working space, or something else. Supports people working hours that suit them, and can be varied around their lives when necessary.

Software Engineering

Flexible working

Mar 2023

Empowers employees to take initiative and deliver project they see as important to the company. And acknowledge and reward such ways if working, both within and between teams.

Software Engineering

Autonomy

Mar 2023

At Sano, our weekly all-hands are rotated across departments. Information that typically wouldn't be in other businesses is shared in these. Everything is open and questions are encouraged.

Software Engineering

Open and honest communication

Mar 2023

At Sano, we believe contributing to research should be engaging, supportive, and meaningful for participants. We building ways to connect people to research opportunities that support the future of personalized medicine through genetic testing.

Software Engineering

Inspiring mission

Mar 2023

The people at Sano are awesome. I was made to feel welcome even before day one by being invited to the Xmas get-together. This has continued both in the team working environment and our regular meet-ups.

Software Engineering

Nice people

Mar 2023

Everyone at the Sano team is smart and driven. The team is passionate about the company mission, and there's a real sense of camaraderie around achieving our goals as a team. Not only that, everyone on the team is incredibly nice and fun to work with.

Product

Intelligent people

Mar 2023

While we are a completely remote company, with some in person days from time to time, it doesn't feel like that at all. The energy that has been created and maintained by everyone is one of togetherness and getting things done. Because of this, we get all the perks of remote work without feeling like we're far apart.

Product

Team energy

Mar 2023

One of the things that most surprises people when they join is how open we are as a company. This resonates from the leadership all the way down to how we work at an individual level. The exec team are so open about the company strategy and the challenges and opportunities we have ahead. You can easily drop into any meetings if you are interested in the topic, and nothing is behind closed doors. At an individual level, this means that lots of members in the team get involved cross-functionally to understand the company and feedback from anyone is always valued highly - whether they are a specialist in that field or if they just noticed something that needs digging deeper.

Product

Open and honest communication

Mar 2023

Sano is a very mission-drive organization with a focus on ensuring the right experience for our users. The focus on putting our users first comes from the top and permeates everything we do as a team. It's a fantastic place to work for anyone looking to make a meaningful contribution to this industry.

Marketing

Meaningful work

Mar 2023

From the moment I began conversations about joining Sano, I knew the leadership team was unlike any I had encountered before. From a focus on personal growth, meaningful time off, and manageable workloads, to well-timed, personalized "thank you" or "thinking about you" gifts, the team has maintained its culture while more than doubling in size since I joined.

Marketing

Focus on employee wellbeing

Mar 2023

Sano is a wonderful place to work for anyone looking to collaborate with well-intentioned, kind, and growth-minded individuals. There are truly no egos on the team to manage and everyone's opinion matters and is valued.

Marketing

My opinions are valued

Mar 2023

Sano Genetics has a really strong team who are willing to support and mentor others. I had no experience working with Genetics data or Bioinformatics before joining and the team have been very supportive and taken the time to help me get up to speed. This has completely alleviated any concerns I had about lacking industry knowledge and the team has done everything possible to help me understand out customers and markets.

Other Engineering

Opportunities to learn

Mar 2023

Sano truly lives by its "Flexible Working" claims - The team are super flexible around working hours. I finish early some days and start late others and everyone is really accommodating. Provided you communicate your plans and set expectations with teams flexible working isn't an issue.

Other Engineering

Flexible working

Mar 2023

The leadership team at Sano Genetics have a really strong vision for the future of the organisation. The product is directly solving an industry problem and the feedback from customers is overwhelmingly positive! Helping to break down barriers between participants and study providers.

Other Engineering

Innovative product

Mar 2023

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