Color Health

Did You Know?

• Color's initial products focused on affordable genetic testing for hereditary cancer, analyzing genes including BRCA1 and BRCA2 and 27 other genes associated with various cancers.
• The company's CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory continues to provide genomic testing and genetic counseling.

History

Color Health was founded in Burlingale, California, in 2015 by Elad Gil, Nish Bhat, Taylor Sittler, and CEO Othman Laraki. A $100 million Series E round led by General Catalyst closed in November 2021. In 2023, the company shifted from population genomics and COVID-19 testing to cancer care, launching its Virtual Cancer Clinic.

Cancer Care Model

Color Health’s Virtual Cancer Clinic, launched in 2023, handles cancer risk assessment, early detection, treatment coordination, and survivorship support. Clinicians trained in oncology, primary care doctors, and genetic counselors—all licensed across all 50 states—deliver care based on standard clinical guidelines. The company says that in the first year, 20 to 30 percent of eligible people typically take part, with screening adherence rising as much as 77 percent and the time from screening to diagnosis shrinking by up to 55 percent. Outside reports have noted that Color tested artificial intelligence tools to generate cancer screening and diagnostic plans, aiming to cut down on missed workups and produce uniform recommendations. The clinic also offers behavioral health support, a national imaging network, and care advocacy. At the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, Color shared results from telehealth-based colorectal and lung cancer screening programs that used at-home tests and virtual check-ins to boost access to early detection. Color has teamed up with the American Cancer Society to push screening through employers and unions, and with MSK Direct to give employees nationwide access to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s oncology expertise via the Virtual Cancer Clinic. Other partnerships include Carrum Health for merging early detection and post-diagnosis care with its Centers of Excellence model, Collective Health for portal-based access and tracking, and a joint effort with UCSF and OpenAI to build an AI “Cancer Copilot” that showed over 95 percent agreement on patient cases in early tests.

COVID-19 Testing Programs

In 2020, Color redirected its laboratory and logistics operations to focus on COVID-19 testing, operating a CLIA-certified laboratory and some of the highest-capacity testing sites in the United States at the time. The company provided testing for the City of San Francisco's CityTestSF program, Alameda County Health Services, and several universities and employers, including the University of Southern California and United Airlines. By 2022, the company had processed millions of tests nationwide, though demand declined and operations were scaled back.

Research

Since 2018, Color has operated as a genome center for the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, a project designed to sequence over one million people in the United States to further precision medicine. The following year, Color took on the role of delivering genetic counseling for the entire program. Within All of Us, Color is one of three Clinical Validation Laboratories and the only provider of genetic counseling. Color also sequenced data for the FLOSSIES Cohort, working with Mary-Claire King and the University of Washington to build a public dataset of hereditary cancer variants found in older women. The company released Color Data, an aggregated collection of genetic and clinical information from 50,000 individuals who used its tests, intended to support research into genotype–phenotype connections and drug development. Through the MAGENTA Study, Color partnered with the Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team to offer genetic testing and tele-counseling to people at higher risk for hereditary cancer syndromes. Color is the exclusive genomic testing partner for the WISDOM Study, a trial involving 100,000 participants that compares annual mammograms with risk-based screening, led by the University of California system and Sanford Health. For the PROMISE Study, run by Johns Hopkins and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Color provides clinical genetic testing to investigate inherited mutations in prostate cancer outcomes and treatment. With Fred Hutchinson and the University of Washington, Color runs the GENtleMEN Study, which offers genetic testing and counseling to men with advanced prostate cancer, aiming to reduce cost and geographic barriers. Through the Cleveland African American Prostate Cancer Project, Color works with Case Western Reserve University to deliver hereditary cancer testing and counseling in community settings like barbershops, increasing access for Black men.