What Delve Bio does

Delve Bio is a privately held, venture-backed biotechnology company that operates a metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) diagnostic platform focused on infectious disease. The company was founded in 2023 by a group of academic researchers from UCSF, the Broad Institute, and Harvard — including Joe DeRisi, Charles Chiu, Michael Wilson, Pardis Sabeti, and Matthew Meyerson — and is built on an exclusive license to UCSF's mNGS technology. Its flagship commercial product, Delve Detect, is a laboratory-developed test that sequences all DNA and RNA in a cerebrospinal fluid sample and identifies bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites against a curated database of more than 68,000 species, delivering results in 48 hours from sample receipt. The underlying Delve Decide platform handles bioinformatics pipeline, taxonomic classification, and clinical interpretation, and every test is paired with expert consultation through the Clinical Microbial Sequencing Board. Delve Bio's headquarters is in Boston, Massachusetts, and the company holds CLIA certification and CAP accreditation, with FDA Breakthrough Device designation for its mNGS assays.

Delve Bio generates revenue on a per-test basis as a CLIA-certified laboratory, with hospitals and reference laboratories ordering Delve Detect directly and submitting samples via a free Sample Transfer Kit and a Salesforce-integrated online portal. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; payment terms are advance or net 30 days, with multi-year contracts and the option to adjust pricing on 60 days' written notice. Go-to-market is a direct enterprise sales model with Clinical Account Executives covering defined U.S. territories (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Southwest), supplemented by a partnership with Broad Clinical Labs (a wholly owned Broad Institute subsidiary) for sequencing capacity. Customers include hospital laboratories, infectious disease specialists, neurology departments, and reference labs managing patients with suspected meningitis or encephalitis; the company cites a 60% diagnostic gap in CNS infections and clinical evidence showing that 22% greater diagnostic yield, 64% of microbiological tests avoidable with early mNGS, and 54% of mNGS-only diagnoses resulting in treatment changes. The company has raised $35 million in a Series A led by Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund II with Section 32 and Google Ventures, and was recognized in BioSpace's NextGen Class of 2024.

Name

Delve Bio

Legal name

Delve Bio, Inc.

Website

https://delve.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Delve Bio is a clinical metagenomics company that operates a CLIA-certified laboratory offering Delve Detect, an mNGS test that identifies bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites in cerebrospinal fluid for meningitis and encephalitis diagnosis. It serves U.S. hospitals, neurology and infectious disease departments, and reference laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infectious Disease Diagnostics

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST) (HLAHAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bioinformatics & Multi-omics Analysis Software (HLAGAJAD), Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (culture, rapid antigen, syndromic panels) (HLAAALAC)

Keywords

• Metagenomic sequencing diagnostics
• Infectious disease testing
• Clinical laboratory services
• Pathogen detection
• Meningitis encephalitis diagnosis

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Diagnostic Testing Services: Delve Bio operates as a CLIA-certified laboratory offering mNGS diagnostic testing services. Customers (hospitals, laboratories) submit cerebrospinal fluid samples for metagenomic sequencing analysis. The company performs the assay, analyzes results through its proprietary Delve Decide platform, and delivers clinical reports to ordering physicians. Revenue is generated per test performed, with pricing in U.S. dollars adjusted on 60 days advance written notice. Sample transfer tubes are provided free of charge for sample collection and shipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Delve Bio is a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited clinical laboratory that provides metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) diagnostic testing for infectious diseases, with a flagship test (Delve Detect) that sequences all nucleic acids in cerebrospinal fluid to identify bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites for diagnosis of meningitis and encephalitis. The service is powered by the proprietary Delve Decide bioinformatics platform and curated pathogen database of more than 68,000 species, with results delivered in 48 hours from sample receipt and bundled with expert clinical consultation through its Clinical Microbial Sequencing Board.

Product overview

Delve Bio offers a unified product portfolio anchored by its flagship mNGS diagnostic test, Delve Detect, which is powered by the proprietary Delve Decide bioinformatics platform. The portfolio consists of Delve Detect (the core laboratory-developed test for meningitis and encephalitis using cerebrospinal fluid), Delve Decide (the underlying bioinformatics pipeline, curated pathogen database of 68,000+ species, and clinical interpretation software), and a supporting ecosystem of sample collection and submission tools including the Delve Sample Transfer Kit and the Delve Bio Portal for online ordering and report access. Expert clinical consultation is bundled into every test through the Clinical Microbial Sequencing Board. The Delve Detect Cost Calculator provides an educational tool for institutions to model clinical utility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Delve Detect: Metagenomic sequencing (mNGS) test for detecting bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites in cerebrospinal fluid for meningitis and encephalitis diagnosis.
• Delve Decide

Products and services

• Delve Detect A metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) laboratory-developed test that detects bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for diagnosis of meningitis and encephalitis. Delivers results in 48 hours from sample receipt with 22% greater diagnostic yield than traditional testing. Requires only 1mL of CSF shipped at room temperature.
• Delve Decide The proprietary bioinformatics platform powering Delve Bio's metagenomic testing. Includes a curated pathogen database of more than 68,000 unique species, preprocessing filtering and human host background subtraction, taxonomic classification, and automated sequence matching for identifying bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites.
• Delve Sample Transfer Kit A free sample transfer kit containing tubes with proprietary stabilization buffer, aliquoted pipettes, safety bags, and packaging for overnight shipping of cerebrospinal fluid samples at room temperature. The stabilization buffer deactivates potential pathogens and stabilizes nucleic acids for up to 1 month at room temperature after transfer.
• Delve Bio Portal A web-based customer portal through which clinicians and laboratories submit orders for Delve Detect, access and download clinical reports, and manage their accounts and authorized users.
• Clinical Microbial Sequencing Board

Quantifiable outcome

• 22% greater diagnostic yield compared to all other infectious disease tests combined
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Broad Clinical LabscoreTechnology or Integration · 9 October 2024Delve Bio partnered with Broad Clinical Labs, a CLIA-licensed and CAP-accredited, wholly owned subsidiary of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, for sample processing and sequencing services. Broad Labs brings over three decades of experience at the cutting edge of genomic research and application.
• University of California San Francisco (UCSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive licensee of UCSF's metagenomic sequencing (mNGS) technology. Delve Bio is the exclusive provider of the UCSF mNGS test. Multiple co-founders (Joe DeRisi, Charles Chiu, Michael Wilson, Pardis Sabeti) are affiliated with UCSF. Collaborative research published on clinical utility of mNGS for CNS infections.
• Chan Zuckerberg BiohubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelve Bio co-founder Joe DeRisi serves as President of Chan Zuckerberg Biohub SF. Strategic research collaboration and academic partnership leveraging Biohub expertise in infectious disease research.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Karius: Karius is the leading commercial blood-based mNGS infectious disease diagnostic, directly competing with Delve's CSF test. Both companies offer hypothesis-free sequencing-based pathogen detection to hospitals, with Karius currently ahead in commercial traction and blood-sample adoption.
• IDbyDNA (acquired by Illumina): IDbyDNA developed a metagenomics-based infectious disease testing platform analogous to Delve's, and was acquired by Illumina in 2022. Delve's CCO Jeff Field was previously CCO at IDbyDNA. Closely comparable in technology and target market.
• Clear Labs: Clear Labs is a NGS-based pathogen detection company (initially food safety, now expanding into clinical microbiology). Delve's CCO Jeff Field was previously CCO at Clear Labs. Comparable in core NGS microbiology technology and clinical lab business model.

Emerging players

• Day Zero Diagnostics: Day Zero Diagnostics is an emerging sepsis diagnostics company combining whole-genome sequencing with AI-based pathogen ID and antibiotic resistance prediction. Overlapping technology category (NGS + bioinformatics) for infectious disease with potential to expand into CNS.
• Adaptive Biotechnologies: Adaptive Biotechnologies applies immune repertoire sequencing to infectious disease and immune-mediated disease diagnosis. Pardis Sabeti (Delve co-founder) is an Adaptive co-founder. Adjacent in next-gen sequencing approach to clinical diagnostics.
• Sherlock Biosciences: Sherlock Biosciences uses CRISPR-based molecular diagnostics for infectious disease detection, founded by Delve co-founder Pardis Sabeti. Adjacent technology category (novel molecular diagnostics) and shared founder network; potentially complementary.
• Arc Bio (formerly Pathogenomix): Arc Bio (formerly Pathogenomix) is an early-stage mNGS-based pathogen detection company focused on clinical infectious disease. Comparable in technology approach (metagenomic NGS for pathogen ID) and target market (hospitals/clinical labs).

Broad incumbents

• bioMérieux: bioMérieux is a global leader in in vitro diagnostics and clinical microbiology, including the BioFire FilmArray syndromic panels that compete with Delve for CNS infection diagnosis. A broad incumbent whose existing hospital relationships and reimbursement infrastructure could be leveraged to challenge Delve.
• QIAGEN: QIAGEN is a major molecular diagnostics and sample-prep technology provider whose QIAstat-Dx syndromic panels compete in CNS infection diagnosis. Comparable in serving the same clinical microbiology hospital buyers.
• Roche Diagnostics: Roche Diagnostics is a global leader in molecular and clinical lab diagnostics, owning Foundation Medicine. Sudeb Dalai (Delve VP Medical Affairs) held roles at Roche Diagnostics. A broad incumbent with potential to enter the mNGS space or partner with/compete against Delve.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/delve-bio

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Delve Bio