Helix Appoints Former Under Armour Chief Digital Officer and Co-Founder and CEO of MapMyFitness Robin Thurston as Chief Executive Officer

SAN CARLOS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Helix, the personal genomics company that brings DNA-powered partner
apps and insights to consumers, today announced the appointment of Robin
Thurston as chief executive officer. Robin previously co-founded and
built MapMyFitness into one of the world’s largest open fitness tracking
platforms and most recently served as chief digital officer at Under
Armour, where he led the overall strategic direction of the company’s
Connected Fitness business. At Helix, his leadership will help build the
world’s first personal genomics platform.
“As an industry, we’re at the starting point of understanding how our
DNA impacts all aspects of our lives — from our ancestry and lifestyle,
to our health and wellness,” said Robin Thurston, CEO of Helix. “I’m
thrilled to join such a brilliant team and to partner with some of the
world’s biggest companies to help people make more informed everyday
life decisions based on their DNA.”
Bringing on a seasoned CEO with deep technology and consumer-facing
experience is a natural next step for the company. Robin joins a team of
70 people split between headquarters in the Bay Area and lab operations
in San Diego. Earlier this year, Helix completed construction on a
state-of-the art NGS laboratory in San Diego. The lab is core to Helix’s
operations and provides large-scale sequencing and database services to
high-quality partners. Helix is currently testing samples from a closed
Alpha program and is on track to operate one of the largest CLIA,
CAP-accredited NGS facilities in the world.
“Over the last several months, the Helix co-founders have been quietly
building a world-class team, a high-throughput lab and a secure genomics
data infrastructure,” stated Jay Flatley, Chairman of the Helix Board
and Executive Chairman of Illumina. “Robin is an exceptional choice for
CEO and will no doubt help take Helix to the next level as DNA
sequencing is poised to go mainstream.”
Helix’s vibrant partner ecosystem is growing to bring DNA-powered
insights to everyday products and experiences. Current partners include
Mayo Clinic, LabCorp, GoodStart Genetics and Duke University, and more
will be announced later this year. For information on Helix’s partner
program, visit www.helix.com.
About Helix
Helix is a rapidly growing startup focused on personal genomics. Helix
has a simple but powerful mission: to empower every person to improve
their life through DNA. We’re creating an ecosystem where people can
explore diverse and uniquely personalized applications provided by
high-quality partners. Helix handles sample collection, DNA sequencing,
and secure data storage so that our partners can develop on-demand
products in areas such as health, fitness, nutrition, lifestyle,
genealogy, and inherited traits. Helix is headquartered in the San
Francisco Bay Area and operates one of the world’s largest
next-generation sequencing laboratories in San Diego. You can learn more
at www.helix.com
or follow @my_helix.