LymeAlert
LymeAlert is an MIT-affiliated startup selling an at-home lateral flow assay kit that detects Borrelia burgdorferi in removed ticks in approximately 30 minutes. It serves families, pet owners, equestrians, outdoor enthusiasts, and veterinary practices via DTC e-commerce and wholesale channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What LymeAlert does
LymeAlert is an MIT-affiliated, venture-backed startup developing an at-home tick testing kit for early detection of Lyme disease risk. The product is a single-use lateral flow assay that detects Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen responsible for Lyme disease, directly in a removed tick rather than in a person or animal. Each kit includes the proprietary Tick Crusher device, which processes up to five ticks to the correct particle size for the chemically infused paper test strip to function, and produces results in approximately 30 minutes. A companion mobile application uses smartphone-based computer vision to interpret faint color changes on the test strip, connects users to third-party telehealth and televet providers, and aggregates anonymized test data for tick-borne disease hotspot mapping.
The company targets a deliberately broad consumer and prosumer base segmented into families and parents, pet and animal owners, equestrians, outdoor enthusiasts, and veterinary/medical practices. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the company's own e-commerce site (lymealert.com) with preorders open ahead of an August 2026 shipping launch, alongside a wholesale channel supplying veterinary clinics, medical practices, research institutions, and distributors. Pricing is anchored at $49.99 per single kit, with 3-Kit and 6-Kit bundles priced up to $254.95, positioning the product as a faster and cheaper alternative to lab testing ($50–$450 with multi-day turnaround) and to early-infection blood tests that carry 22–40% accuracy limitations within the critical 72-hour CDC treatment window.
LymeAlert is led by co-founders Erin Dawicki (CEO, former Boston Children's Hospital clinician and MIT Sloan Fellow), Dr. Michelle Ewy (CSO, Air Force veteran with 20+ years in diagnostic development), Brenda Ong (COO), and Lewis Shotton (Lead Researcher, bioengineer). The executive bench also includes CFO Craig McLaughlin (CPA), fractional CMO Casey Tilli, and a product leader. The company is headquartered in Massachusetts, governed under Massachusetts law, employs 1–10 people, and has raised early-stage venture funding from Fortify Ventures along with support from MIT Sandbox, Bay Area Lyme Ventures, and the Pet Care Innovation accelerator. Recognition includes MIT Sloan 'Startup to Watch' (2024), the CIC Social Impact Growth Stage Judge's Choice Award (2026), first place at the Outside Ignite pitch competition (2026), and a 2026 Presidential Leadership Scholar designation for the CEO. Revenue has not yet been generated and no specific funding amounts have been disclosed.
LymeAlert firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LymeAlert
- Legal name
- LymeAlert
- Website
- https://lymealert.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- LymeAlert is an MIT-affiliated startup selling an at-home lateral flow assay kit that detects Borrelia burgdorferi in removed ticks in approximately 30 minutes. It serves families, pet owners, equestrians, outdoor enthusiasts, and veterinary practices via DTC e-commerce and wholesale channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LymeAlert industry classification
Industry- Product category
- At-Home Diagnostic Test Kits
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rapid Antigen/Antibody Lateral Flow Tests (General Platform Category) (HLAHAOAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tick-Borne & Vector-Borne Diseases (HLAKAGAL), Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs) & Specialized Clinical Lab Assays (HLAAALAN)
Keywords
Where LymeAlert is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
LymeAlert business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Test Kit Hardware Sales: The company generates revenue primarily through the sale of its at-home Lyme disease tick testing kits. Products include single kits and multi-pack bundles sold directly to consumers and through wholesale channels.
- Telehealth Services (Potential): The companion app provides connections to telehealth providers for guidance on next steps after positive test results. Telehealth services are typically billed through the user's insurance company and provided by third-party providers, not directly by LymeAlert.
- Data Analytics and Mapping: The company collects anonymized data from tests and plans to use hotspot mapping to help improve awareness of tick-borne disease risk regions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Kit - Individual test kit for one-time use |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 3-Kit Bundle - Multi-pack for families or multiple tests |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 6-Kit Bundle - Large multi-pack for frequent outdoor users or practices |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
LymeAlert product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LymeAlert designs and sells an at-home lateral flow assay test kit that detects Borrelia burgdorferi (the pathogen that causes Lyme disease) in ticks within approximately 30 minutes. Each kit includes the proprietary Tick Crusher device, a Processing Solution Tube, and a Test Strip, and can test up to five ticks. A companion mobile application provides computer-vision-based result interpretation, telehealth service connections, and hotspot mapping for tick-borne disease risk areas.
Product overview
LymeAlert offers a single core product—the At-Home Tick Testing Kit—augmented by a companion mobile application. The test kit is a lateral flow assay designed to detect Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks within approximately 30 minutes. The kit is sold in three configurations (Single Kit, 3-Kit Bundle, 6-Kit Bundle) and includes the proprietary Tick Crusher, Processing Solution Tube, and Test Strip. The companion mobile app provides computer-vision-based test strip scanning for definitive results, telehealth/televet connections, and tick-borne disease hotspot mapping. The product tests the tick (not the person or animal) and is designed for use by humans, pets, and animals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LymeAlert At-Home Tick Testing Kit An at-home lateral flow assay test kit that detects Borrelia burgdorferi (the pathogen that causes Lyme disease) in ticks within approximately 30 minutes. Users place a removed tick into the included Tick Crusher, activate the test strip, and interpret results visually or through the companion mobile application. Each single-use kit tests up to five ticks. Sold as Single Kit, 3-Kit Bundle, and 6-Kit Bundle.
- LymeAlert Mobile Application A companion mobile application to the tick test kit that provides definitive test result scanning via smartphone camera using computer vision, telehealth/televet service connections for guidance on next steps, and hotspot mapping to track tick-borne disease expansion and identify high-risk geographic areas.
Companies that use LymeAlert
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
LymeAlert technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
LymeAlert partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Pet Care InnovationminorLymeAlert joined Pet Care Innovation's accelerator program along with ChefPaw, PetPax Co., and CoVet for grant funding. This suggests strategic alignment and accelerator support from the pet care ecosystem.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LymeAlert competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Quest Diagnostics: Largest U.S. clinical reference lab, offering physician-ordered Lyme and tick-borne disease serology. Represents the incumbent workflow LymeAlert is attempting to disintermediate for early detection, and a potential channel partner through physician offices.
- Abbott: Global diagnostics leader with the Binax lateral flow franchise and rapid test manufacturing scale. Could enter the tick-borne LFT category and overwhelm LymeAlert on distribution and pharmacy-shelf placement.
- Labcorp: Major U.S. clinical lab with Lyme disease and tick-borne serology panels. Same incumbent dynamics as Quest — the entrenched lab-based standard LymeAlert positions against on speed and convenience, with Pixel by LabCorp adding a DTC adjacency.
- IGeneX: Specialty reference lab focused on tick-borne disease testing (Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella, etc.). Operates as a CLIA-certified lab rather than a consumer product, but competes for the same end-patient/physician decision and is a likely B2B channel partner or acquirer for LymeAlert.
Direct peers
- TickReport (UMass Amherst): Mail-in tick testing service operated out of UMass Amherst that screens removed ticks for Borrelia burgdorferi and other pathogens. Most direct head-to-head competitor to LymeAlert's value proposition, but trades off speed (3–7 day turnaround) for broader multi-pathogen panels.
- Scanwell Health: At-home diagnostics company that pairs smartphone-based computer vision with rapid test strips for UTI and kidney disease. Closely mirrors LymeAlert's smartphone-CV-over-lateral-flow approach and is a strong template for the digital diagnostic experience.
- TICKNOLOGY: Mail-in tick identification and pathogen testing service. Targets the same 'test the tick' use case as LymeAlert with an established consumer/agency base, again competing primarily on turnaround time and price rather than on integrated sample-prep hardware.
- Cue Health: At-home molecular diagnostic platform with connected reader and app-based results. Comparable consumer-grade hardware + app + cloud data architecture, though Cue targets respiratory and other infectious diseases using molecular rather than lateral flow chemistry.
- Everlywell: Direct-to-consumer at-home diagnostic testing brand (parent company Everly Health). Overlapping business model — DTC health tests with digital results — but focused on blood/urine biomarkers rather than tick-borne pathogen detection.
Emerging players
- Binx Health: Rapid molecular diagnostics company with a focus on decentralized CLIA-waived infectious disease testing. Emerging competitive threat if it extends rapid POC STI/respiratory testing into tick-borne disease, and a potential strategic acquirer for LymeAlert's consumer brand.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
LymeAlert social profiles
Digital presenceLymeAlert financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LymeAlert leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
LymeAlert funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LymeAlert M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LymeAlert
What does LymeAlert do?
LymeAlert designs and sells an at-home lateral flow assay test kit that detects Borrelia burgdorferi (the pathogen that causes Lyme disease) in ticks within approximately 30 minutes. Each kit includes the proprietary Tick Crusher device, a Processing Solution Tube, and a Test Strip, and can test up to five ticks. A companion mobile application provides computer-vision-based result interpretation, telehealth service connections, and hotspot mapping for tick-borne disease risk areas.
Is LymeAlert a public or private company?
LymeAlert is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was LymeAlert founded?
LymeAlert was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is LymeAlert based?
LymeAlert is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does LymeAlert make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Test Kit Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are telehealth Services (Potential) and data Analytics and Mapping.
Who are LymeAlert's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Quest Diagnostics, Abbott, Labcorp and IGeneX. Direct peers are TickReport (UMass Amherst), Scanwell Health, TICKNOLOGY, Cue Health and Everlywell. Binx Health is listed as an emerging player.
Does LymeAlert have an API?
No public API is recorded for LymeAlert.
What industry is LymeAlert in?
LymeAlert's product category is At-Home Diagnostic Test Kits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHAOAH, Rapid Antigen/Antibody Lateral Flow Tests (General Platform Category), with a secondary code of HLAKAGAL, Tick-Borne & Vector-Borne Diseases. Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 2835.