Female Led NeuroKaire (formerly Genetika+) Grew and Gained Funding Through MassChallenge

How did a female-led startup from the MC18 Israel cohort turn their MassChallenge experience into a $10 million Series A funding round? Learn more about NeuroKaire (formerly Genetika+) and its co-founders, Talia Cohen Solal and Daphna Laifenfeld, in our most recent case study.

Talia Cohen Solal, Founder and CEO of Genetika+, was introduced to investor Aaron Zucker of Sapir Venture Partners and MassChallenge Mentor by Yoni Sherizen, the Co-Founder and CEO of Gabriel (MCIL 2017), a MassChallenge alumni.

Zucker encouraged Solal to apply to MassChallenge and became her mentor through the accelerator. At MassChallenge, Solal met Gila Weiss and Ilana Meskin through workshops and mentor sessions, both of them ended up working for as consultants to assist the growth of Genetika. Additionally, Solal significantly honed her deck and selling points through the accelerator.

“Through MassChallenge, I met Gila Weiss and Ilana Meskin through workshops and mentor sessions, both of whom ended up working for us as consultants to assist the growth of Genetika. One of our main mentors, Aaron Zucker, of Sapir Venture Partners, became an early round investor. Throughout the accelerator, I was able to significantly honed our deck and selling points. MassChallenge has had a tremendous impact on Genetika+’s growth.” - Talia Cohen Solal, Founder and CEO of Genetika+

On September 30, 2021, Genetika+ announced a $10 million Series A funding round led by GreyBird Ventures, a Boston-based VC focused on precision medicine. Also participating in the round are Meron Capital, Jumpspeed Ventures, Sapir Venture Partners, Howard Morgan Chairman of B Capital Group and Michael Zeisser of FMZ Ventures and former Chairman, Investments at Alibaba Group.

About Genetika+

Genetika+, founded in 2018 by Talia Cohen-Solal, Ph.D., and Daphna Laifenfeld, Ph.D., is developing personalized medicine solutions to optimize treatment for psychiatric and neurological diseases. The company’s Brain-in-a-Dish technology helps physicians find the best treatment for their patients. In its first indication, depression, Genetika+ uses patented technology to rapidly test more than 70 approved antidepressants and drug combinations against an individual patient’s unique neurological biomarkers. Combined with patients’ genetic and medical history, Genetika+ can predict the optimal drug or combination therapy for each patient. This opens the door to faster treatment, fewer side effects, and lower dosing, and the elimination of arduous trial-and-error treatment protocols and needless loss of life. To learn more, visit http://www.genetikaplus.com or follow us on LinkedIn or on Twitter @Genetikaplus.