54gene的非洲基因组学赌局：融资4500万美元，建成10万样本库，2023年倒闭

做的是什么生意

54gene was a Lagos-based genomics company that built a biobank of African DNA samples and ran sequencing and diagnostics services, aiming to supply pharma with data from the world's most genetically diverse continent.

启动资金：US$45M+ across three rounds ($4.5M seed in 2019, $15M Series A led by Adjuvant in 2020, $25M Series B led by Cathay AfricInvest in 2021)

起因

Founded in early 2019 in Lagos by Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, a geneticist and former pharma consultant, 54gene set out to build the continent's largest biobank. It joined Y Combinator and Google for Startups, raised a then-record $4.5M seed for Nigerian healthtech, and closed a $15M Series A with Adjuvant Capital in April 2020.

经过

A $25M Series B in September 2021 funded a whole-genome sequencing lab and a diagnostics arm, Seven River Labs. During COVID 54gene scaled Nigeria's daily testing from about 100 to over 1,000 samples and booked $20M+ in revenue; its biobank reached 100,000 Nigerians across 300 ethnic groups and its valuation peaked around $170M. When COVID demand collapsed, a planned $100M Series C failed, 95 staff were laid off, and the CEO changed twice within a year.

结果

In July 2023 54gene began winding down — "could not continue to operate financially," said then-CEO Ron Chiarello — and by September its website was gone. In August 2025 a Lagos Federal High Court blocked the sale of its assets, including biodata of 100,000 Nigerians priced at $3M, while founder Ene-Obong alleged the lead investors engineered the collapse; the case was pending.

可借鉴之处

数据资产的价值只取决于今天客户愿意付多少钱：54gene证明了非洲基因组学的需求，但一旦疫情检测收入消失，价值就成了空头承诺。