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Foster City, Calif. – Illumina Ventures, an independently-managed, healthcare-focused venture firm in a strategic partnership with Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), today announced the promotion of Wouter Meuleman to Partner.

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Wouter was part of the founding team at Illumina Ventures, initially seconded from Illumina Inc., and later joined full-time in the role of Principal. He led investments in Biota Technology, Inc., Delfi Genomics, Inc., Fluent Biosciences Inc., and Ribometrix; and played a pivotal role in identifying and evaluating numerous other investments. He currently serves on the boards of Fluent Biosciences, Inc. and Biota Technology, Inc.

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“Wouter’s scientific, technical and business experience makes him an indispensable member of the Illumina Ventures team. His promotion reflects his ability to identify exceptional investment opportunities and his talent and experience to help build the next generation of genomics companies,” said Nick Naclerio, Illumina Ventures Founding Partner. 

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Prior to joining the firm, Wouter spent nine years at Illumina, Inc., most recently as the Director of Corporate Development, where his primary focus areas were venture investing, competitive benchmarking, and technology acquisitions. Previously, as principal scientist, he was instrumental in the development of Illumina’s sequencing platforms. 

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Wouter also has first-hand experience in the early-stage startup environment. As first employee at Oxford University spin-out Oxamer, he worked with genomics pioneer and Lasker Award winner Professor Sir Edwin Southern to develop one of the first benchtop DNA microarray fabrication platforms. Following the company’s integration into Oxford Gene Technology (later acquired by Sysmex Corporation), he led R&D on single cell gene expression analysis and novel applications for DNA microarrays. He holds a joint BSc/MSc in Chemistry from the University of Ghent, Belgium, a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Newcastle, U.K., and a MBA from the University of Cambridge, U.K.

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“During this unprecedented time, the public has become keenly aware of the importance of the biotechnology industry, whose advancements in testing, treatment, and vaccination could ultimately save millions of lives,” said Meuleman. “I am proud to be a member of the Illumina Ventures team, as we continue to support those life science companies who are taking bold steps to bring to market, groundbreaking innovations in genomics and genomics-related technologies.”

About Illumina Ventures Illumina Ventures is an independently managed, healthcare-focused venture firm in a strategic partnership with Illumina, with the vision to unlock the power of the genome. As an early-stage, value-add investor, Illumina helps entrepreneurs develop breakthrough science and technologies into market-leading companies to transform healthcare. The firm focuses on investment in life science tools, therapeutics, and diagnostics. For more information, visit www.illuminaventures.com.