Anne Wojcicki

Anne E. Wojcicki was born on July 28, 1973, in Palo Alto, California, the youngest of three sisters. Her parents, Esther Wojcicki, an educator and journalist, and Stanley Wojcicki, a Polish-born physics professor emeritus at Stanford University, fostered an environment of intellectual curiosity. Anne attended Gunn High School in Palo Alto, where she edited the school newspaper and earned a scholarship for her sports writing. She later pursued higher education at Yale University, graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in biology. During her time at Yale, she was an active member of the varsity women’s ice hockey team and engaged in molecular biology research at the National Institutes of Health and the University of California, San Diego.

After completing her education, Wojcicki worked as a healthcare consultant and investment analyst at Passport Capital and Investor AB for four years, focusing on biotechnology companies. This experience provided her with insights into the healthcare industry. Disillusioned by certain aspects of Wall Street’s approach to healthcare, she decided to shift her focus towards biological research. This redirection ultimately led to a pivotal moment in her career.

In 2006, Anne Wojcicki co-founded 23andMe with Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza. The company’s mission was to provide accessible genetic information to individuals, empowering them with insights into their ancestry and health risks. 23andMe’s direct-to-consumer DNA testing kits, which analyzed saliva samples, aimed to facilitate personalized healthcare and advance disease research. The company’s genome test kit was recognized as “Invention of the Year” by Time magazine in 2008. Over the years, 23andMe received approvals from the Food and Drug Administration for various health-related tests. She took 23andMe public in 2021 through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, which led to her becoming a self-made billionaire.