SAGA Diagnostics
SAGA Diagnostics develops cancer monitoring technology using circulating tumor DNA analysis. The 91-person biotech company raised $18M in a Series A round in June 2021.
The growth story
SAGA Diagnostics grew from 27 to 91 employees between 2022 and 2026, raising $18M along the way, most recently a Series A in June 2021.
About
SAGA Diagnostics provides molecular genetic testing services for cancer monitoring, analyzing circulating tumor DNA and tissue biopsies. Its technology enables personalized medicine approaches for cancer treatment.
The company has grown to 91 employees since its 2016 founding. Its $18M Series A in 2021 included investments from Hadean Ventures and the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Foundation, among others.
Founders and leadership
Engineering is SAGA's largest function with 11 employees. The company's leadership team includes investors Christer Fahraeus and representatives from Faro Capital.
The SAGA Diagnostics org chart
Lao Saal (Founder) leads 43 mapped leaders with 3 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Research 24 (+9% YoY), Healthcare Services 12 (-8% YoY), Sales 9 (+29% YoY), Business Development 8 (-33% YoY), Engineering 7 (-22% YoY), Finance 4 (0% YoY).
Talent flow
SAGA recruits heavily from cancer diagnostics firms, with 8 hires from Guardant Health and 7 from Myriad Genetics. Lund University is the top alma mater, accounting for 8 employees. Median tenure is just 1 year.
Most common previous employers of SAGA Diagnostics staff: Guardant Health (8), Myriad Genetics (7), Foundation Medicine (6), Tempus AI (6), Labcorp (6), Caris Life Sciences (5). Former SAGA Diagnostics employees most often moved to AstraZeneca (3), Fåhraeus Startup & Growth (2), Foresite Labs (1), Laven Williams Search (1), Swifton CFOs (1), Convergent Therapeutics (1).
Alumni worth knowing
The SAGA Diagnostics mafia
Three alumni have founded companies, including CelLBxHealth (37 employees) and Amplifyer Bio (10 employees).
3Peter Collins, was CEO until 2025Eric Huang, was Chief Operating Officer (interim) until 2023Christian Brueffer, PhD, was Senior Bioinformatician and Team Lead until 2023Web traffic
Traffic mix: 0% direct, 0% search, 0% social, 0% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at SAGA Diagnostics: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (27), Molecular Biology (26), Biotechnology (25), Leadership (25), Project Management (24), Communication (24), Life Sciences (23), Microsoft Office (21).
Where the team actually sits
SAGA Diagnostics people are concentrated in North Carolina, United States (21), Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area (11), Skåne County, Sweden (10), Greater Malmö Metropolitan Area (5).
Search footprint
SAGA Diagnostics attracts about 41 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $0K a month if bought through ads. It gained 11 ranking keywords and lost 16 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 3.50 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 2.50 / 5
- Senior management
- 1.30 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.50 / 5
Frequently asked
SAGA Diagnostics has 91 employees as of September 2026.
SAGA Diagnostics has raised $18M in total, most recently a Series A round in June 2021.
SAGA Diagnostics was founded in 2016 by Lao Saal, Anthony George.
Lao Saal (Founder) sits at the top of SAGA Diagnostics's reporting structure, with 3 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current SAGA Diagnostics staff are Guardant Health (8 people), Myriad Genetics (7 people), Foundation Medicine (6 people).
Former SAGA Diagnostics employees most often move to AstraZeneca (3), Fåhraeus Startup & Growth (2), Foresite Labs (1).
At least 3 companies have a founder who previously worked at SAGA Diagnostics, including CelLBxHealth, Amplifyer Bio, InSilico Consulting AB.
SAGA Diagnostics attracts about 41 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $0K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among SAGA Diagnostics staff are Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Leadership, Project Management.
SAGA Diagnostics staff are concentrated in North Carolina, United States (21), Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area (11), Skåne County, Sweden (10).
SAGA Diagnostics has about 24 people in Research, up 9% over the past year, as of September 2026.
SAGA Diagnostics has about 12 people in Healthcare Services, down 8% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 85 current and 51 former SAGA Diagnostics profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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