MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 22 (UPI) -- Google Inc. said Tuesday it invested $3.9 million in a U.S. biotech company started by the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
Google's investment in 23andMe, co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, followed $2.6 million Brin provided in interim debt financing to the Mountain View, Calif., start-up, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing said.
Brin's loan was being repaid as part of the 23andMe financing, the filing said.
The filing also confirmed Brin and Wojcicki were married. Google had not commented on the couple's relationship, The New York Times reported.
A Google spokesman told the newspaper the search giant, which has invested in other start-ups, made the investment in 23andMe because it furthered Google's goal of organizing the world's information.
"By encouraging individuals to access and learn about their own genetic information, 23andMe will create a common, standardized resource that has the potential to accelerate drug discovery and bring personalized medicine to the public," the 23andMe's Web site said.
The company plans to launch by the end of the year.
