I disagree! It's a fantastic domain for startups! Nanopore is readily available. I have sequenced stuff in my kitchen, and I'm a computer scientist.
I haven't looked into their new minion much yet, but how cheap are really talking about?
DNA sequencing is mature and, if anything, almost getting to be late in the game for new startup entries. Determining gene function through ML methods is a whole different thing, and that's what I, and the OP, was talking about. Are we all responding to the same article here?