Hundreds of thousands of law enforcement cases remain unsolved in the United States, many of which have run cold for decades. Traditional forensic methods are unable to generate credible leads from the messy, often undetectable, DNA evidence left behind, and the DNA that is successfully tested matches with a known person only a fraction of the time. As a result, countless investigations go unresolved every year, leaving victims without closure and perpetrators without accountability.

Othram is pleased to announce that it has raised an $18 million Series B funding round to further develop the breakthrough technology that is helping investigators crack these unsolved cases. The round was led by Gigafund, a venture fund known for its large investments in companies like SpaceX. Gigafund only invests in companies that it believes will reshape the world's most important industries, and Othram is honored to be included in this portfolio. The Series B financing will accelerate Othram’s mission to create a safer, more just world through the power of advanced genomics.

“Far too many violent crimes remain unsolved,” said Stephen Oskoui, Managing Partner of Gigafund, who will join Othram’s board in conjunction with the funding. “Othram’s technology has helped investigators close an impressive number of cold cases, and we believe this will one day become standard practice for law enforcement. David and the Othram team are making us all safer.”

Othram is the world’s only laboratory purpose-built to combine genome sequencing with advanced human identification applications. The laboratory, based in The Woodlands, Texas, is also the only facility in the United States or Canada offering end-to-end, in-house processing from forensic evidence to investigative leads. Over the last three years, this technology has helped law enforcement crack cases at the local, state, and federal level, many of which had been unsolved for decades. With the new funding round, Othram will accelerate the development of its genetic testing platform and expand operations throughout North America.

“There is always someone waiting for answers. We need to match what we know and our genuine sympathy, with an urgency to provide answers,” says David Mittelman, Othram CEO. “The family and friends of victims will not be around forever, and once they are gone then the opportunity to do right by them is lost. We have technology that can bring answers and we need to make this technology available for all cases.”

About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world's first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram's scientists are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches fail. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. Visit dnasolves.com to learn how anyone can make a difference in helping solve the next cold case.

About Gigafund

Gigafund is a venture capital firm backing the world's most ambitious and transformative entrepreneurs. Gigafund was founded by former Founders Fund partners Luke Nosek and Stephen Oskoui and has over $1.5B in assets under management. Gigafund’s largest investments include SpaceX, Lambda School, Luminous Computing, the Boring Company, Veryable, Last Energy, and Sana Benefits. More information can be found at Gigafund.com.

Press Releases