23andMe Holding Co. and 23andMe, Inc., CCAA

23andMe Holding Co. and 23andMe, Inc. (collectively, “23andMe”), San Francisco, California-based companies that provide direct-to-consumer genetic testing through saliva collection kits, as well as online healthcare services, had their US Chapter 11 proceedings recognized as foreign main proceedings under Part IV of the CCAA on May 26.

23andMe was founded in 2006 as the first direct-to-consumer genetic testing company. It is a leading human genetics and telehealth company, having built one of the world's largest crowdsourced platforms for genetic research with data from over 15 million customers.

23andMe’s Chapter 11 filing was precipitated by, among other factors, difficulties with growth in its business, liquidity, and a cyber incident in October 2023 when a hacker accessed approximately seven million user accounts, including ancestry and health related information. This incident resulted in class action lawsuits being filed, including in Ontario.

Matthew Kvarda of A&M in his capacity as CRO of the companies is the foreign representative.

Counsel is Osler / Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison for the companies, McCarthy Tétrault for the foreign representative, and KND Complex Litigation for the class action plaintiffs.