Yemaachi Biotech, a cancer research and diagnostics company based in Washington, DC, has raised $3 million in an initial round of funding to help it achieve its aim of global accuracy oncology diversification.
V8 Capital led the round, which included LifeLine Family Heritage Fund, Y Combinator, Tencent, LoftyInc Capital, VestedWorld, V Square Capital, and Ethan Perlstein as investors.
Yemaachi was founded in 2020 by Yaw Bediako, David Hutchful, Joyce Ngoi, and Yaw Attua-Afari with the purpose of improving precision oncology across Africa and beyond by boosting access to research and diagnostics.
Yemaachi’s first-of-its-kind pan-African genomic and clinical expertise and experience, as well as broad clinical relationships across Africa, are paving the way for ground-breaking products and partnerships aimed at generating new molecular diagnostics and therapeutic targets.
In addition, the company provides clinical testing services tailored to indigenous people’s needs, such as NGS-based screening and diagnostic testing.
Yaw Bediako, Ph.D., Yemaachi’s co-founder and CEO, indicated that they had only scratched the surface of genomic data and comprehension. They recognize that genetic outcomes, including those inside the genome, are context-dependent.
Generating a dataset with the most genetic variation can result in rapid findings with long-term ramifications for cancer research, medication innovation, and patient care, not just in Africa but around the world.
When paired with Yemaachi’s skills in immunogenomics, bioinformatics, and deep learning, the company’s large datasets can be a major facilitator for rapid cancer discovery.
Yemaachi was recently selected as a recipient of a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship awarded to Bediako. The prestigious fellowship seeks to aid scientists in developing solutions to pressing global health concerns.