Halifax-based sports genetics company Athletigen Technologies Inc. has raised more than C$2 million to help to fund the growth of its flagship product, the Athletigen Performance Platform.

The company said in a statement today that the financing was led by Exponential Partners, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based venture capital fund that specializes in health and human performance innovations.  It invested US$1.55 million ($2.14 million). CEO Jeremy Koenig said there was additional angel financing in the round, though he declined to provide specifics.

Athletigen’s platform helps elite athletes to understand their athletic genetic strengths and weaknesses, so that they can improve their training regime. The company works with partners, allowing athletes to submit a sample of saliva and find out details of their genetic makeup.

"Athletigen is leading the charge of a genomic revolution, making this an exciting investment opportunity,” Exponential General Partner Pat Wilkison said in the statement. “Their unique ability to analyze individual athletic traits and recommend effective action holds tremendous potential, particularly as advances in technology have made genetic testing so affordable.”

Athletigen uses an online interface to present genetics analysis in a format that athletes and coaches, looking to improve performance, can easily understand and incorporate into their training plan. For example, if the analysis reveals that athlete has tendency toward muscle or joint injury, then he or she can adjust the training schedule to avoid injury.

The company says it has been working extensively with Olympic coaches and athletes ahead of the Olympic games this year in Rio de Janeiro.

Athletigen has also partnered recently with Santa Clara, Calif.-based Affymetrix, a global leader in genotyping microarray technology. Under the partnership, Athletigen will enhance the California company’s expert-informed proprietary DNA analysis, which analyzes 850,000 genetic variants to inform human athletic performance research.

The Halifax company said it will use the new funds to take advantage of the fast-growing consumer genomics market and advance its human performance platform to help athletes unlock their potential.

"We are proud of what our outstanding team has accomplished to date, launching the world’s most comprehensive sports genetics analysis platform,” said Koenig in the statement. “We welcome the confidence and guidance of Exponential Partners and our other investors and look forward to using these new resources to establish Athletigen as the leading human performance brand in the field of genomics."

The existing investors in Athletigen include: medical doctor Ray Muzyka, who is Co-Founder of Bioware and CEO of Threshold Impact, an angel fund that invests in information technology, new media and medical innovation; and Content Bloom, a digital agency that helps companies approach, implement and evolve technology solutions.