The Pioneers in Food Safety
We’re completely reinventing the way that food is tested and analyzed before it is consumed by billions of people each day.
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Our story
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2018July 2018Clear Safety launchesClear Safety is announced, becoming the only automated food safety platform for routine pathogen detection. By using Clear Safety, companies and labs can use next-generation sequencing on their own to modernize their food safety management systems Learn MoreRead
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2018April 2018NGS sequencing ready for remote deploymentClear Labs announced a pilot program for routine food safety testing. Until then, food labs and brands relied heavily on PCR or antigen-based methods for on-site testing.Read
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2017March 2017Clear Labs moves to its new homeTo accelerate product development, Clear Labs continued to expand, requiring the company to move to a larger office with more space and technology capabilities. The company is currently located at 3565 Haven Ave #2, Menlo Park, CA 94025 and has over 50 teammates.Read
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2016August 2016Mike Taylor, Former FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods, joins Clear Labs’ Board of DirectorsUntil June 1, 2016, Mike Taylor was Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As a board member, he has helped educate the food industry on the capabilities of next-generation sequencing in strengthening food safety management systems. He has been a driving force to bring industry and technology players together to safen the U.S. food supply.Read
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2015November 2015First customer onboardedThe onboarding of Clear Labs’ early customer marked the first use of NGS technology in a commercial, regulated setting. Since then, demand for NGS technologies has grown globally in the food safety space, and Clear Labs currently has customers across North America, Europe, and Asia.Read
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2015September 2015Clear Transparency introducedIn addition to announcing its $6.5M Series A round, Clear Labs unveiled its Clear Transparency products: food authenticity testing, GMO screening, microbiome testing, and whole-genome sequencing. With that announcement, NGS officially entered the food safety market. Learn MoreRead
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2014June 2014Largest molecular food database createdTo bring NGS to a broader market, Clear Labs needed to create the world’s largest food database. Today, our database has millions of entries in its database, far exceeding any other food database, including that of the U.S. government.Read
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2014January 2014Clear Labs foundedGenomic sequencing was at a critical inflection point. Costs were dropping faster than Moore’s Law, and Clear Labs co-founders Sasan Amini and Mahni Ghorashi saw the opportunity to develop applications for next-generation sequencing technologies beyond the clinical market to help food brands mitigate recalls and reduce foodborne illness and outbreak. So, they brought together experts in genomics, computer science, biology, and engineering, and Clear Labs was born.Read
Meet
Our team

About
Sasan combined his academic expertise and passion for healthy living when he co-founded Clear Labs with a mission to set a new paradigm for food safety and quality. Prior to serving as the CEO of Clear Labs, he worked in the Advanced Research department at Illumina. Sasan earned his PhD in Genomics from Princeton and holds multiple patents and publications in the field.Sasan Amini
Co-founder and CEO Show Bio
About
Ramin leads the vision and strategy for teams of dedicated scientists across 5 divisions at Clear Labs. He brings extensive experience from the industry, government and academia. Previously, he was CEO of Dapco, a Biotech R&D company and served as Sr Advisor to the Ministry of Health. Ramin was Associate Professor and Chair of Food Science at SBMU. He has published over 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals.Ramin Khaksar
Chief Scientific Officer Show Bio
About
Jeff brings more than 20 years of commercial leadership experience spanning the biotech, pharmaceutical, managed care and molecular diagnostics industries. Prior to Clear Labs, he’s scaled high-performing teams at 5 start-ups and has a passion for launching disruptive technology, transforming health and improving patient care. Jeff spent four years commercializing an NGS system targeting infectious diseases.Jeff Field
Chief Commercial Officer Show Bio
About
Henrik is an enthusiastic engineering leader and entrepreneur with 20+ years experience creating Software Applications. He earned his Master’s Degree in Copenhagen and has since been working at several Silicon Valley startups focusing on Enterprise SaaS. His expertise includes Cloud-based Systems, Data Analytics, and UX Design. He enjoys building great teams and leading projects through the product lifecycle.Henrik Gehrmann
VP of Engineering Show Bio
About
Having more than 24 years dedicated to customer care, Will brings a diverse skillset to Clear Labs. He is a Navy veteran and was previously the head of Customer Support at Leica Biosystems where he led the service, logistics, and customer service teams. Will leads our Customer Success department ensuring our customers have a world-class experience and confidence in our commitment to transforming food safety.William Parker
VP of Customer Success Show Bio
About
A molecular biologist by training, Joe holds 17+ years of applied markets expertise across animal health, food safety, pharmaceutical and clinical diagnostics. Prior to Clear Labs, he successfully led sales at Thermo and brings a record of execution to the start-up. Joe has scaled teams to creatively advance genomics, molecular, immunological and culture-based methods, shaping a broad view of the modern lab.Joe Schroeter
VP of Global Sales Show Bio
About
After starting his career as a microbiologist, Kyle joined DuPont in 2010, where he supported and developed industry-leading foodborne pathogen detection and identification platforms. With an intimate knowledge of the needs of laboratories and food manufacturers, Kyle leads the development of next-generation testing solutions that aim to revolutionize food safety and quality monitoring.Kyle Rhoden
Director of Product Management Show Bio
About
Since starting her career in the field of mental health, counseling and human resources, Sahar joined Clear Labs in 2018. With a diverse skillset and years of experience, she leads the Human Resources department and serves as Chief of Staff. Sahar was chosen as one of 25 outstanding women making a difference in their company’s culture, innovation, and growth in the future of technology and life sciences by GVSahar Zandi
Chief of Staff/HR Show BioMostafa Ronaghi
Mostafa was a principal investigator at Stanford University from 2002 until 2008 and focused on the development of novel tools for molecular diagnostic applications. He earned his Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. He holds more than 50 pending and issued patents and has written more than 70 peer-reviewed publications in journals and books.
Sasan Amini
most state-of-the-art Genomics approaches and platforms. Sasan received his B.Sc. in Biotechnology from the University of Tehran, where he entered as a gold medalist in the International Biology Olympiad. While in college, he served as the youngest Board member of the Iranian National Biology Olympiad Committee and authored a problem book on Mendelian Genetics which has been re-printed 10 times over the past decade. He holds multiple patents and publications in the field.
Gaurav Garg
that staged successful exits via IPOs or acquisitions such as NetScaler and MobileIron. He also worked extensively with, and co-sponsored investments in, Aruba and RingCentral. Gaurav was a partner at Sequoia Capital from 2001 to 2010, and a Special Limited Partner at the firm from 2010 to 2012. Prior to joining Sequoia, he founded Redback Networks in 1996, and served as a board member and Senior Vice President of Product Management. Prior to Redback Networks, he held various engineering positions at SynOptics and Bay Networks. Gaurav holds a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering and a BS in Computer Science, all from Washington University in St. Louis.
Michael R Taylor
Until June 1, 2016, Mr. Taylor was Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He led the comprehensive overhaul of FDA’s food safety program Congress mandated in the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 and oversaw all of FDA’s food-related activities, including its nutrition, labeling, food additive, dietary supplement, and animal drug programs.
Mr. Taylor served previously at FDA as a staff attorney and as Deputy Commissioner for Policy (1991-94) and at USDA as Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety (1994-96). Prior to joining FDA in July 2009, he spent nearly a decade in academia conducting food safety, food security and public health policy research, most recently at George Washington University’s School of Public Health. He also served during that time as a Senior Fellow at the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, where he conducted research on U.S. policies affecting agricultural development and food security in Africa.
In the private sector, Mr. Taylor founded the food and drug practice and was a partner in the law firm of King & Spalding, was Vice President for Public Policy at Monsanto Company, and served on the boards of the Alliance to End Hunger and RESOLVE, Inc. He is currently co-chair of the board of STOP Foodborne Illness and a member of the board of Clear Labs, Inc. Mr. Taylor is a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Michael Robach
Currently, Robach serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and a member of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association’s Research Advisory Committee. His memberships include the American Meat Institute, the National Turkey Federation, the International Association of Food Protection, the Institute of Food Technologists, and the American Society for Microbiology.
Additionally, Mike has worked with the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on harmonized animal health and food safety standards. He is also a former member of the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Council Executive Committee for the Grocery Manufacturers Association and he has worked closely with the USDA and FDA regarding food safety policy, HACCP, and regulatory reform based on science.
Greg Yap
Prior to Menlo, Greg was at Illumina Ventures as entrepreneur-in-residence, where he focused on new investments related to genomics. Previously, Greg was CEO and cofounder of Biodesy, a next-generation protein analysis company, and then CEO and cofounder of PyrAmes, a digital health remote monitoring company. Greg also worked at Roche Diagnostics / Ventana, where he led a global market-leading cancer diagnostic assay business, serving 20 million patients and delivering $500 million revenue per year. Greg’s operating experience also includes roles as the first healthcare entrepreneur-in-residence at GE, chief operating officer at Cellpoint Diagnostics, an early liquid biopsy startup, vice president and general manager for genetics and molecular diagnostics at Affymetrix, and consultant for McKinsey & Company.
Greg received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology (summa cum laude) from Princeton University, and his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business
Don Schaffner
served as an Editor for the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology since 2005. Dr. Schaffner was the president of the International Association for Food Protection in 2013-2014. In his spare time he co-hosts a food safety podcast at foodsafetytalk.com.
Gary Acuff
of the Editorial Committee for the 5th Edition of the Compendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods and was a member of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food from 1992 to 1997. He currently serves as a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Advisory Committee. Acuff has published more than 80 articles in technical journals and has authored several chapters on food microbiology in various references and textbooks.
Kent Juliot
food service and private label businesses. Kent spent the first 19 years of his career with Kellogg’s, where he served as associate director of operations quality, overseeing corporate internal auditing, laboratory analytical method standardization, manufacturing plant food safety & environmental management. Kent holds Bachelors & Masters degrees in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin.
Charlie Piper
and VP of Corporate Retail Operations of Safeway, Inc. He received his MBA from Regis University.
Samuel Godefroy
Platform (FRAREP) hosted by the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) of Université Laval.
Dr. Godefroy currently serves as a senior food science and regulatory expert on a number of advisory bodies and committees domestically and internationally, including expert advice to food safety projects led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and serving on the International Advisory Committee of the China Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA). Samuel authored over 70 scientific publications and book chapters and serves on a number of international editorial boards of scientific journals related to food safety and nutrition. Dr. Godefroy received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI). He holds degrees in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering from the same University and from the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, France,
Rick Roop
Tyson's Director of Corporate Quality Assurance, Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance before becoming Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance in 2004. He was responsible for the company's efforts in food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, laboratory services, statistics, animal well-being, and consumer relations. Over his career, the policies and procedures developed and executed by Rick and his team of approximately 2600 impacted over 100 production and distribution facilities, 11 fresh meat laboratories, 6 corporate laboratories, and 54 plant-based testing laboratories in the United States, China, India, Mexico, and Brazil. Rick officially retired from Tyson in the Fall of 2017.
Dr. Roop holds a bachelor's degree in biology and a Ph.D. in food science from Purdue University. He has been active in several industry organizations. He has served as President of the Ozark Food Processors Association, Chairman of the Technical and Regulatory Committee for the National Chicken Council, committees or advisory boards for U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, In-flight Food Service Association, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, and served on the Board the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
Meet Our Investors
We were one of the first investors in Clear Labs because we know food safety and quality is imperative to the future of human health and in solving one of the world’s grandest challenges: food scarcity. The company is uniquely positioned at the intersection of genomics and food tech, and we’re excited about the future they are building at Clear Labs.

Aydin Senkut
Founder and Managing Director at Felicis Ventures
Clear Labs is one of Wing’s most exciting portfolio companies, and we are proud to have led their Series B round. The company is a great example of a data-first company, and their genomics and software platform will be transformative through the food industry. I have been hugely impressed with the leadership team, and I am excited to work alongside the experts in genomics and food safety on the board to help build a multi-billion dollar company.

Gaurav Garg
Founding Partner at Wing
Clear Labs brings novel genetic sequencing techniques to the food quality industry, paving the way toward a new model of how we buy, sell, and consume food every day. Drawing upon the strong technical backgrounds of the founding team, the company has created an unparalleled technology-first approach to food quality and safety programs.

Krishna Yeshwant
General Partner at GV
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We’re seeking talented individuals with background in data science, genomics and food safety to join our growing team.
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