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      Helix

      Is this your company?

      Helix reviews

      3.8

      68% would recommend to a friend

      (118 total reviews)
      avatar

      James Lu

      86% approve of CEO

      65% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.1

      Compensation and benefits

      4.0

      Work/Life balance

      3.9

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.8

      Culture & values

      3.5

      Senior management

      3.5

      Career opportunities

      Helix has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 118 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Helix employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      118 reviews
      1.0
      Aug 8, 2019

      Going nowhere, fast!

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I cannot speak for the San Carlos office, the San Fran and Denver office are now gone but the people are San Diego office are like one big family. They are really great people to work with.

      Cons

      Substantial layoff took place, culture is now lacking, morale is down since then. The company pivoted, lost the main investor, now have to purchase supplies at full price. With uncertain revenue sources and limited investment, joining here is likely not a long term career as people continually leave. I know one person who departed about a month before the layoff who was aware of the burn rate and said before leaving that they would be surprised of the company was operating by the end of the year.

      avatar
      Helix Response
      6y
      Thanks for your post, and your acknowledgement of the great team in San Diego. I can confirm that the Bay Area team is also great! Unfortunately some of your information is incorrect. Firstly, we didn’t lose our largest investor. We have a very experienced and supportive group of investors including Warburg Pincus, Sutter Hill Ventures, Temasek, DFJ, Kleiner Perkins and Illumina. Secondly, given our pivot we have reorganized our business to focus completely on the population health market, and we have plenty of runway to achieve our goals without needing to raise additional funds. If you would like to discuss any aspects of our strategic shift, financial position, other changes we went through or our prospects please don’t hesitate to contact me. I always welcome an opportunity to transparently share the facts with our employees. The population health market holds tremendous promise, and I’m excited about the traction we now have, just 3 months into our dedicated focus on that space. That is testament to the wonderful team you referenced in your post and their shared passion to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. Regards, Marc
      2.0
      Jul 21, 2019

      What does "Potential" mean to you?

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The science behind the company is solid and it has a decent amount of potential.

      Cons

      Suffering from natural "start-up" difficulties (i.e high workloads for average compensation and a lack of certainty). Helix advertises an empowering and supportive culture, but various events over the last 6 months have made employees feel either disposable or uneasy, so the overall environment is a little unsettling.

      1.0
      Jun 14, 2019

      Over the brink

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      There are a few outstanding people still working at Helix.

      Cons

      In their quest to join the Bay Area's wealthy class, an impatient leadership team has given up on doing right by the customer; peddling sub-par products that prey on peoples' anxieties. Any discussion about this is out of the question, as is the overall transparency that once defined Helix's culture. Meanwhile the leadership is unable to make decisions for months at a time, resulting in long periods of directionless and self-defeating efforts, e.g. competing more directly with 23andMe, but offering a product that does 1/10th of theirs, only to pull the plug just a few months later. As the cherry on top, all the benefits and soft touches that once made Helix exceptional have successively been stripped away, with the messaging about these changes delivered with the precision and sensitivity of a sledgehammer.

      avatar
      Helix Response
      6y
      Thanks for your feedback. In April we changed our strategy to focus on the success we're seeing in population health. Through this process, we have made decisions quickly and communicated openly with our team as we agree with you that an empowered team armed with a lot of information has always been part of what makes Helix special. We want to continue the Helix culture of an inclusive environment where anyone can provide feedback and have conversations with anyone else at the company. Additionally, our benefits and perks have not changed. We’ve always tried to support employees so that they can focus on their impact at Helix and have a healthy balance for life outside of Helix as well. Nothing has changed regarding health benefits, 401(k) + matching, paid parental leave, etc. If you perceive that something has changed, please let us know.
 James and I strongly believe in the future of Helix. More than ever, we continue to pursue our founding mission, which has not changed: to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. We're grateful for your time at Helix and helping build the company - and there is much more ahead. Please reach out if you want to chat more. You know where to find me, and I'd value a direct conversation. Justin Kao
      Viewing 58 - 60 of 118 Reviews
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      Glassdoor has 153 Helix reviews submitted anonymously by Helix employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Helix is right for you.