Startup focused on genomics data joins national health care accelerator

Karyosoft, a Purdue University-affiliated company, is among nine startups from across the globe selected for the Dallas-based seed accelerator Health Wildcatters. (Image provided)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue Foundry-affiliated company with a growing reputation as a search engine for genome sequence data in life sciences has joined a nationally ranked health care startup accelerator.

Karyosoft is among nine startups from across the globe selected for the Dallas-based seed accelerator Health Wildcatters. Startups receive investment from Health Wildcatters and a diverse curriculum to speed a startup’s growth.

“This is a magnificent opportunity to build connections and expand the reach of our startup,” said Rajesh Perianayagam, founder and CEO of Karyosoft. “It is such a good feeling to be part of this nationally known accelerator that has learning programs in place to help speed growth.”

The company markets a genomics intelligence data management software platform. It empowers life scientists to effectively manage and to quickly transform vast amounts of genomics data into meaningful insights and discovery within their secured on-premise or cloud IT environment.

Rajesh Perianayagam is founder and CEO of Karyosoft, a startup focused on genomics data. (Image provided)

“We have recently expanded our platform for the genomics data of higher organisms such as fungi, plants, animals and humans, in addition to microbes, and we are always looking for collaborations and partnerships with life sciences organizations,” Perianayagam said.

Karyosoft also took on its first pilot clients, including Milind Ratnaparkhe, a senior scientist at ICAR (Indian Institute of Soybean Research).

“I have been using the Karyosoft platform for the analysis of soybean genome data,” Ratnaparkhe said. “I found this web-based platform to be highly user-friendly, and it has helped us a lot in organizing, visualizing and exploring the sequence data. The information generated from this software is fast and gives an excellent overview of genomic data by large-scale comparison with other publicly available datasets. I am looking forward to collaborating with Karyosoft in the analysis of our genome datasets.”

Karyosoft previously received awards from the Purdue Ag-Celerator Fund. The Purdue Ag-Celerator was founded jointly by Purdue Foundry and Purdue’s College of Agriculture in 2015.

“'Data security is very important for our clients,” Perianayagam said. “We want to unify all genomics data in one place as a central data repository and connect to life scientists through a simple-to-use platform within their secured environment. This improved workflow will help them to easily access and analyze the data to solve global problems such as human and livestock health, along with crop improvement.”

Dr. Hubert Zajicek, CEO of Health Wildcatters, said, “We are proud to add Karyosoft to our portfolio as our second Indiana-based company. We are excited about the tremendous impact Karyosoft will have on agricultural and life science research and discovery.”

Karyosoft also is one of the startups taking part in the Purdue Foundry’s Double Down Experiment, a pre-accelerator program designed to help startups identify and overcome the challenges of launching a high-growth business.

Karyosoft was a finalist for two prestigious Mira awards, organized by TechPoint.

About Health Wildcatters

Health Wildcatters was founded in 2013 to address the need for a health innovation hub in the burgeoning Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex health care industry. Since its inception, the Health Wildcatters portfolio through the Accelerator Program has grown to 68 startups and has raised over $100 million, solidifying Health Wildcatters as one of the top health care accelerators in the country according to Seed Accelerator Rankings Project, a study conducted by MIT, the University of Richmond and Rice University. This accelerator program is a fast and furious time period in which Health Wildcatters connects startups to a vast network of mentors and investors and presents a diverse curriculum to accelerate the startups' growth.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub whose professionals help Purdue innovators create and grow startups. The Purdue Foundry is housed in the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. The Purdue Foundry has been involved with creating more than 300 companies. The Purdue Foundry is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org 

Source: Rajesh Perianayagam, 317-689-8493, rajeshpn@karyosoft.com