• by Larissa Faw , March 13, 2017

Helix has appointed  Eleven as its first AOR following a formal review of 10 agencies.

The consumer genomics company competes with startups like 23andMe and known brands like Accenture's Genome to sequence and analyze personal DNA.

Launched last fall as a spin-off of Illumina, Helix has received more than $100 million in funding and is currently talking with labs, consumer products brands, and educational institutions to develop products based on genetic sequencing.

Eleven will lead all branding and national advertising efforts with the first work slated to launch later this year. The global account will first focus on the U.S. before rolling out to other markets.

Both companies are headquartered in San Francisco, though Helix also liked Eleven's previous experience in launching tech-specific companies.

"We want to empower every person to tap into this knowledge and improve his or her life through DNA,” stated  Robin Thurston, CEO, Helix. Eleven, Thurston added, has “a track record of bringing warmth and humanity to technology and brand thinking that goes beyond advertising, and can help guide how we think and talk about ourselves internally and with partners. We look forward to working with them on our story.”