Ultima Genomics

Ultima Genomics is an American biotechnology company focused on the development and manufacture of high-throughput DNA sequencing systems. Founded in 2016 by Gilad Almogy, an Israeli-born American engineer who previously led the display group at Applied Materials, the company was established around the goal of making large-scale genomic analysis more affordable, faster, and operationally efficient. Its technology is aimed at research and other applications that require substantial sequencing capacity, including population genomics, whole-genome analysis, and emerging clinical and cellular applications. The company’s approach differs from conventional sequencing instruments through the use of a rotating, flat silicon wafer rather than a conventional flow cell. Reagents are dispensed onto the wafer as it spins, while fixed-position cameras repeatedly capture sequencing data. Ultima’s chemistry introduces one nucleotide type at a time during each data-capture cycle, or flow. The company describes this flow-based method as reducing the need for conventional base calling and enabling long, high-volume sequencing runs. A typical run on its UG 100 platform is described as producing 10–12 billion reads and approximately 2.5–3.0 terabases of usable data, with a median read length of at least 300 bases before quality-control filtering and roughly 250 bases after filtering. Ultima attracted significant attention in 2022 when it announced $600 million in venture financing from a group of institutional and technology investors, including General Atlantic, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed, Playground Global, D1 Capital, and Founders Fund. The announcement was accompanied by pilot sequencing data generated with researchers at the Broad Institute, Whitehead Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the New York Genome Center. These collaborations positioned the company as a potential challenger in a sequencing market long dominated by Illumina and other established platform providers. In 2024, Ultima launched the UG 100 sequencing platform. The company said the system could sequence as many as 20,000 human genomes per year, complete a sequencing run in about 20 hours, and deliver variant-calling accuracy comparable to or better than competing Illumina instruments. The platform’s stated value proposition combines high throughput with lower operating costs, addressing the continuing decline in the price of human genome sequencing and the growing demand for population-scale datasets. The UG 100 is therefore marketed less as a general laboratory instrument than as an infrastructure platform for organizations needing very large amounts of genomic data. Ultima has also expanded its ecosystem through research partnerships. In 2025, it announced a partnership with the Arc Institute to support the institute’s virtual cell atlas and related competition. The company remains privately held, and publicly available reference material does not establish a broader corporate group, a public listing, or a definitive worldwide commercial footprint. Its competitive identity rests on a proprietary sequencing architecture, high data output, and an effort to lower the cost per genome while maintaining accuracy suitable for demanding genomic research.

Ultima Genomics was founded in 2016 by Gilad Almogy, an Israeli-born American engineer whose earlier career included leadership of the display group at Applied Materials. The company entered the biotechnology sector with an ambition to develop a new architecture for high-throughput DNA sequencing rather than simply compete as another instrument supplier using established flow-cell designs. Its platform replaces a conventional flow cell with a flat, circular silicon wafer. The wafer rotates during a sequencing run, allowing reagents to be distributed across its surface, while two fixed-position cameras continuously collect imaging data. The company’s chemistry introduces only one nucleotide species during each data-capture cycle, referred to as a flow. Ultima presents this design as a way to simplify the readout process and avoid some of the base-calling requirements associated with traditional sequencing-by-synthesis systems. The platform is designed for exceptionally large data output. Reference descriptions report 10–12 billion reads per wafer and approximately 2.5–3.0 terabases of usable data per run. Runs with a median read length of at least 300 bases take approximately 20 hours, while quality-control filtering reduces the median read length to about 250 bases. These specifications support the company’s emphasis on population-scale and other data-intensive sequencing projects. A major public milestone came in May 2022, when Ultima announced that it had raised $600 million in venture capital. The investor group included General Atlantic, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed, Playground Global, D1 Capital, and Founders Fund. In conjunction with the financing announcement, the company presented pilot data produced with researchers at the Broad Institute, Whitehead Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the New York Genome Center. The disclosure helped establish Ultima as an emerging competitor in a field historically associated with Illumina and other sequencing-platform companies. In 2024, Ultima launched the UG 100 sequencing platform. The company claimed that the system could process 20,000 human genomes annually and achieve variant-calling accuracy comparable to or exceeding that of Illumina instruments. The stated operating model involved a complete run of roughly 20 hours and a sequencing cost described in reference material as $100, although the precise cost definition and accounting basis are not specified there. Ultima placed these claims within the wider long-term decline in the cost of human genome sequencing. The company continued building relationships beyond its initial academic pilot sites. In 2025, it announced a partnership with the Arc Institute to support Arc’s virtual cell atlas and competition. Public reference material confirms Ultima’s continued activity as a private sequencing technology company, but does not provide enough information to document a complete current executive roster, headquarters, revenue profile, public listing, or detailed commercial deployment history.

• 2025

  Partnership with Arc Institute announced

  [1]Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org

  Ultima announced a partnership supporting the Arc Institute’s virtual cell atlas and related competition.

• 2024

  UG 100 platform launched

  [1]Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org

  Ultima launched the UG 100, a wafer-based sequencing platform designed for high output, with the company reporting a capacity of up to 20,000 human genomes per year.

• 2022

  Major venture financing announced

  [1]Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org

  Ultima announced $600 million in venture financing from investors including General Atlantic, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed, Playground Global, D1 Capital, and Founders Fund, alongside pilot data from multiple research institutions.

• 2016

  Company founded

  [1]Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org

  Gilad Almogy founded Ultima Genomics as a biotechnology company developing a new high-throughput DNA sequencing architecture.

A high-throughput genomic sequencing technology provider seeking to reduce the cost and increase the scale of DNA sequencing for research, population genomics, and potentially clinical applications.

• High-throughput DNA sequencing platform · 2024

  UG 100

  The UG 100 is Ultima Genomics’ flagship sequencing instrument, launched in 2024. It uses a rotating circular silicon wafer in place of a traditional flow cell. Reagents are dispensed during wafer rotation and fixed-position cameras acquire sequencing images. The company describes a flow-based chemistry in which one nucleotide species is introduced per data-capture cycle. Reported specifications include a roughly 20-hour complete run, 10–12 billion reads per wafer, approximately 2.5–3.0 terabases of usable data, and a median read length of at least 300 bases before quality-control filtering.

• DNA sequencing technology

  Ultima sequencing technology

  Ultima’s underlying technology is a high-throughput sequencing system architecture built around wafer-based reagent delivery and imaging. It is intended to support large genomic datasets and to lower the cost and operational burden of sequencing at scale. Public descriptions associate the technology with pilot work involving the Broad Institute, Whitehead Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the New York Genome Center.

• 2025Arc Institute virtual cell atlas partnership

  International research community

  Ultima Genomics partnered with the Arc Institute to support Arc’s virtual cell atlas and associated competition, extending the company’s research ecosystem beyond instrument development.

  Source

• 2024

  Launch of the UG 100 platformProduct launch

  Background

  Ultima sought to address demand for high-volume sequencing by introducing a platform based on a wafer architecture rather than a conventional flow cell.

  Action taken

  The company launched the UG 100 and presented claims concerning throughput, run time, data output, sequencing cost, and variant-calling accuracy relative to competing instruments.

  Aftermath

  The launch established the UG 100 as Ultima’s flagship commercial offering and positioned the company as a potential challenger to established sequencing-platform suppliers.

  Source

• 2025

  Ultima Genomics partners with Arc Institute[1]Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Ultima announced a partnership with the Arc Institute to support Arc’s virtual cell atlas and an associated competition.

• 2024

  Ultima Genomics launches the UG 100 sequencing platform[1]Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Ultima introduced the UG 100, a high-throughput sequencing system based on a rotating silicon wafer architecture and designed for large-scale genomic sequencing.

• 2022

  Ultima Genomics announces $600 million venture financing and pilot sequencing data[1]Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company announced a $600 million venture financing round involving several major investment firms and released sequencing results from pilot collaborations with academic and research institutions.

1. 1Ultima Genomicsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ultima Genomics Launches Paired-End Sequencing and Solaris 2.0 Max at ASHG 2026, Doubling Output and Enabling the $60 Genomeprnewswire.com
3. 3Ultima Genomics Selected for Landmark Large-Scale Immune Profiling Study with IMU Biosciences, UK Biobank and Waters Corporation - PR Newswirenews.google.com