About
Clear Labs is a genomics and AI company that leverages next-generation sequencing (NGS) and advanced data analytics to provide actionable insights that protect human life. Founded by genomics scientists and software engineers, Clear Labs offers two flagship product lines: Clear Safety™ for food safety testing, targeting pathogens like Listeria and Salmonella through whole genome sequencing; and Clear Dx™ for clinical diagnostics, covering infectious disease research (WGS & tNGS) and oncology workflows with full laboratory automation. The Clear Safety™ platform completely reimagines food testing by replacing traditional culture-based methods with high-throughput NGS, enabling food producers and safety labs to identify and trace pathogens with greater precision and speed. The Clear Dx™ platform accelerates detection of infectious disease outbreaks, supporting public health surveillance and clinical decision-making. The company recently expanded into oncology, announcing collaborations with Labcorp and integrating Pillar Biosciences' SLIMamp® chemistry for streamlined cancer genomics workflows. Clear Labs has raised $30 million in Series D financing from top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, GV, Menlo Ventures, and Morgan Stanley's Counterpoint Global. Their end-to-end automation reduces hands-on lab time and delivers next-day pathogen identification from sterile site specimens. Designed for food manufacturers, clinical research labs, and public health agencies, Clear Labs combines robotics, genomics, and AI to modernize pathogen surveillance at scale.
Key Features
- Clear Safety™ Food Pathogen Sequencing: Whole genome sequencing of Listeria and Salmonella in food samples, replacing traditional culture-based methods with faster and more precise NGS-based detection.
- Clear Dx™ Infectious Disease Platform: Automated WGS and tNGS workflows for rapid identification of bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens from clinical specimens, enabling next-day results.
- Oncology NGS Automation: Streamlined, fully automated oncology genomics workflows integrating with partners like Labcorp and Pillar Biosciences for scalable in-house cancer sequencing.
- AI-Driven Data Analytics: Proprietary software layer transforms raw sequencing data into actionable clinical and food safety insights, reducing interpretation time and human error.
- End-to-End Lab Automation: Fully automated sample-to-answer workflows minimize manual handling, reduce turnaround time, and improve reproducibility across food safety and clinical labs.
Use Cases
- Food manufacturers using Clear Safety™ to screen for Listeria and Salmonella contamination before products reach consumers.
- Public health agencies deploying Clear Dx™ WGS workflows to rapidly identify and trace infectious disease outbreaks across populations.
- Clinical research labs using automated tNGS assays for next-day bacterial and fungal identification from sterile site specimens.
- Oncology centers implementing streamlined NGS automation for in-house cancer genomic profiling in collaboration with partners like Labcorp.
- Food safety regulatory bodies leveraging genomic sequencing data and AI analytics to inform recalls, trace contamination sources, and enforce standards.
Pros
- Comprehensive Pathogen Coverage: Detects and characterizes a wide range of pathogens across food safety and clinical settings using a single unified NGS platform.
- Full End-to-End Automation: Reduces hands-on time dramatically compared to traditional methods, improving throughput and consistency in high-volume laboratory environments.
- Actionable AI Insights: Integrated analytics software converts complex genomic data into clear, decision-ready reports for food producers, clinicians, and public health agencies.
- Strong Investor & Partner Backing: Backed by $30M Series D and partnerships with Labcorp and Pillar Biosciences, signaling credibility and long-term platform development.
Cons
- Enterprise-Only Pricing: Clear Labs is designed for large-scale food manufacturers, clinical labs, and research institutions — pricing and access are not suited for small businesses or individuals.
- Research Use Only Restriction: Some products are labeled 'For Research Use Only' and are not cleared for in vitro diagnostic procedures, limiting their use in certain clinical contexts.
- High Implementation Complexity: Deploying NGS automation in an existing lab environment requires significant infrastructure investment and specialized technical expertise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Clear Safety™ and how does it help with food safety?
Clear Safety™ is Clear Labs' food safety testing platform that uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect and characterize pathogens such as Listeria and Salmonella in food samples. It replaces traditional culture-based testing with faster, more precise genomic analysis.
What is Clear Dx™ used for?
Clear Dx™ is an automated NGS platform for infectious disease research and oncology. It supports whole genome sequencing (WGS) and targeted NGS (tNGS) workflows for identifying pathogens from clinical specimens and analyzing cancer genomics.
Is Clear Labs suitable for clinical diagnostic use?
Some Clear Labs platforms are for Research Use Only (RUO) and are not intended for in vitro diagnostic procedures. Their clinical diagnostic solutions are designed to support infectious disease outbreak detection and public health surveillance.
Who are Clear Labs' typical customers?
Clear Labs serves food manufacturers and food safety labs, clinical research institutions, public health agencies, and hospital labs looking to modernize pathogen detection and genomic workflows with automation and AI.
Has Clear Labs received external funding?
Yes. Clear Labs has raised $30 million in Series D financing, with investors including Khosla Ventures, GV, Menlo Ventures, Felicis, HBM Genomics, and Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley).
