Arima Genomics – a company utilizing whole-genome sequence and structure information to provide comprehensive cancer therapy selection insights – announced the appointment of Tom Willis, PhD, as CEO and the closing of a $22 million Series C funding led by Illumina Ventures. The funding round includes participation from genomics pioneers John Stuelpnagel and Mostafa Ronaghi, PhD, as well as existing backers Co-Win Ventures and Berkeley Catalyst Fund. The leadership transition and new capital mark a strategic pivot as Arima strengthens its focus on transforming oncology testing.
Arima’s platform captures how DNA is organized inside the nucleus, uniting chromatin architecture with sequence data in a single readout. The technology is already reaching patients through the company’s CLIA-certified Aventa clinical testing laboratory, which routinely uncovers gene fusions and rearrangements that are often overlooked by other clinical tests. These insights define diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy selection across multiple cancers. Under the leadership of Willis, Arima will build on a decade of discovery-driven research to launch a focused pipeline of clinical assays that expands this technology’s impact.
Willis brings over 20 years of company-building experience to Arima. He founded and served as CEO of ParAllele BioScience (acquired by Affymetrix) and Sequenta, whose ClonoSEQ minimal-residual-disease assay became a National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-endorsed standard after Sequenta merged with Adaptive Biotechnologies in 2015. Earlier, he had directed technology development at the Stanford Genome Technology Center during the Human Genome Project. Willis earned a PhD in Physics from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Yale University.
Founder and former CEO: Sid Selvaraj, PhD, will continue in an executive role as President and Chief Operating Officer.
KEY QUOTES:
“During my decade at Illumina Ventures, I evaluated countless genomics innovations, yet Arima’s approach stands out for its ability to illuminate aspects of the genome most tests never see. I’m joining from the inside because I believe Arima is uniquely positioned to help save patients’ lives by enabling access to highly effective therapies today and new treatment paradigms going forward.”
Tom Willis
“Arima has spent years perfecting its assays and setting the pace for the field. With Tom at the helm, the company is poised to turn that mastery into a definitive diagnostic platform—one that captures the genomic drivers of cancer at every scale and delivers actionable answers for more patients.”
Malek Faham, MD, PhD, chief scientist at Illumina Ventures
“Guiding Arima from concept to a category-defining platform that is already benefiting patients through the Aventa lab has been the privilege of my career. Tom’s proven ability to take breakthrough tests and turn them into standard of care makes him the ideal leader for our next phase, and I look forward to partnering with him as we collectively attempt to turn cancer into a manageable disease.”
Sid Selvaraj
