Science that doesn’t slow you down.

Veil was founded by PhD genomics researchers who got tired of watching good science get bottlenecked by expensive, low-throughput sequencing. So they decided to build a better way.

OUR ORIGIN

Built from the bench, not the boardroom.

Josh Clevenger and Alex Harkess weren't looking to start a company. They were running active genomics labs at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, watching talented researchers design studies around sequencing cost constraints — not scientific questions.

The problem wasn't that long-read was better. Everyone knew that. The problem was that standard long-read WGS cost $1,000–$1,500 per sample, making population-scale studies prohibitively expensive. Researchers were forced back to short-read methods — or scaling down studies to a fraction of their intended size.

Together with Kendall Lee, they developed and validated a low-read, low-pass (LRLP) protocol on PacBio HiFi that achieves 96x throughput compared to standard long-read sequencing. That protocol was published in peer-reviewed research in January 2025. Veil Genomics was built to commercialize it.

The goal is simple: eliminate what slows science down.

Veil Genomics co-founders Josh Clevenger, Kendall Lee and Alex Harkess

HOW WE WORK

Partner, not vendor.

Built by Scientists

The people who answer your questions are the same people who developed the protocol. No sales layer or middlemen. Direct scientist-to-scientist communication on every single project.

Cite the Primary Source

We don't market with unverified claims. Our 96x throughput number comes from a published, peer-reviewed paper. We expect the same standard from each and every data point we publish.

Design Before You Run

Sequencing cost is low enough now that the expensive mistake isn't the sequencing. It's designing a study that doesn't fully answer your question. We consult on experimental design first.

THE TEAM

Meet the people behind the protocol.

Josh Clevenger, PhD

Co-Founder

16+ years in plant breeding and genomics. Expert in building faster, more affordable genomic tools for farmers and breeders worldwide. Leads an internationally recognized team at HudsonAlpha working with industry, academia, and nonprofits.
Alex Harkess, PhD

Co-founder

15 years in plant genomics. Focuses on complex sex chromosome assembly across plants and animals, with a commitment to democratizing accessible genomics. NSF CAREER Award recipient — NSF's most prestigious early-career grant.
Kendall Lee, PhD

Co-founder

PhD in Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics. Lead author on the 2025 peer-reviewed publication validating Veil's 96x throughput LRLP protocol. Currently advancing blueberry breeding research in collaboration with UGA.