Bright Beyond the Lights Businesses: Heligenics
Home to a diverse range of thriving industries, Clark County is rapidly emerging as a hub for health and life sciences. Within the region’s vibrant business ecosystem is Heligenics – a biotechnology company focused on functional genomics research and services.
Founded in 2019, Heligenics is pioneering solutions to prevent disease and heal patients afflicted with illness through genomics. With the region’s proximity to world-class knowledge institutions, growing startup ecosystem and exceptional quality of life, Clark County’s health and life sciences industry provides fertile ground for businesses like Heligenics to pursue new avenues of growth.
Proximity to Education Institutions
Heligenics Founder & CEO, Martin Schiller, Ph.D
Clark County is elevated by its proximity to esteemed research and education institutions like the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), College of Southern Nevada (CSN), and Nevada State University. With proven results in providing quality education to the region’s workforce, companies benefit from the ability to develop strong ties with local universities. Between UNLV’s fruitful partnerships with local businesses and Nevada State University’s consistent pipeline of over 250 graduates from healthcare & related fields, Clark County businesses gain access to a well-educated and reliable workforce.
Founder and CEO of Heligenics and Executive Director at the Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine
at UNLV, Dr. Martin Schiller, created Heligenics as the first genomics spinoff company to come from UNLV.
Providing a richer educational experience for students in Clark County, Heligenics collaborates with Roseman University of Health Sciences, leveraging nearly 70,000 square feet of wet lab and office space at Roseman’s Summerlin campus. This unique partnership is helping to advance the region’s biotech industry and capabilities while giving Roseman students the opportunity to dive deeper into the field before graduation.
From leaders in education to local officials, stakeholders in Clark County are working to create a solid foundation for new and existing companies to flourish. “There’s a strong community of people working toward developing the startup ecosystem,” said Dr. Schiller.
Competitive Infrastructure
Clark County offers access to world-class infrastructure, low taxes and a pro-business environment, offering a great deal of advantages for business owners looking to scale or launch new ventures.
Having evolved into a highly sophisticated biotechnology startup, Heligenics was launched with just $4.5M in initial investment. With October 2024 marking five years of operation in Clark County, the business has advanced tremendously and positioned itself advantageously for continued growth in a relatively short period of time.
Thanks to Southern Nevada’s unparalleled access to neighboring markets like Santa Barbara, San Diego and Provo, Utah, along with one of the nation’s most reliable airports, Clark County has become an increasingly attractive location for companies looking for business opportunities beyond the lights of the Las Vegas Strip.
An Unbeatable Quality of Life
In addition to the region’s access to nearby education institutions and robust infrastructure, Clark County offers a quality of life that surpasses that of competing markets across the country.
When it comes to attracting talent to the region, Dr. Schiller noted the sizable impact quality of life has on the decision. “People like to move here, that really helps,” said Dr. Schiller. “The quality of life is a big influence. People enjoy living here. My wife and I wished we had moved to Las Vegas earlier.”
A leading innovator in Clark County’s biotech sector, Heligenics is paving new pathways within the region’s burgeoning health and life sciences industry.
“In the last year, we’ve produced a lot of products that showcase our capabilities. Because of that, we have attracted some of the top people in the world to be a part of our company, who you may be surprised are working for a small startup,” said Dr. Schiller.
Heligenics team (From left to right, top: Allison Stone, Christopher Giacoletto, Sandra Cardozo | bottom: Lancer Brown, Liz Valente, Ph.D, Brandon Murphy, Ph.D)
Ready to become part of Clark County’s growing health and life sciences industry? Get in touch with our team at the Clark County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) to see how we can help your business shine #BrightBeyondTheLights.
