SEQUENOM INC. EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

Exhibit 10.24

SEQUENOM INC.

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This Agreement is entered into between Sequenom, Inc. a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and Clarke Neumann (the “Employee”) on July 19, 2004 (the “Effective Date”). In consideration of, and as a condition of Employee’s continued employment by Company, and of the compensation to be paid to Employee by Company, and in recognition of the fact that Employee will have access to the Company’s confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information, Company and Employee agrees to the terms and conditions set forth in this agreement as follows:

1. Employment Status. Employee has the position of General Counsel and will perform for the Company such duties as may be designated by the Company from time to time. Employee agrees that Employee’s employment with the Company is on an at will basis, is for no specified term and may be terminated by the Company at any time, with or without Cause (as defined in Section 10(c) herein) in accordance with section 10 of this agreement. Similarly, Employee may terminate employment with the Company at any time, for any reason upon written notice as provided in section 10 of this agreement. Employee understands and agrees that the at will nature of Employee’s employment relationship with Company cannot be changed or modified, except by a written agreement signed by the Chief Financial Officer.

2. Duties of Employee. Employee shall report to the Chief Financial Officer and shall have overall responsibility for the management, direction, and operations of the legal and intellectual property functions of the company. Employee shall perform such other duties and have such other responsibilities as may be assigned to Employee from time to time by the Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

3. Loyalty/Covenant not to Compete

3.1 Loyalty. As long as Employee is employed by the Company, Employee shall devote full time and efforts to the Company and shall not, without the Company’s prior expressed written consent, engage directly or indirectly in any employment, consulting or business activity other than for the Company. While employed by the Company, Employee will not engage in other employment without the Company’s consent, or engage in any activities determined by the Company to be detrimental to the interests of the Company. Employee will refer to the Company, all corporate opportunities Employee learns of as a result of service of an employee of the Company.

3.2 Agreement not to Participate in Company’s Competitors. During the Term of this Agreement, and during any period during which Employee is receiving compensation or any other consideration from the Company, including severance pay pursuant to Section 10(d) herein, the Employee agrees not to acquire, assume or participate in, directly or indirectly, any position, investment or interest known by Employee to be adverse or antagonistic to the Company, its business or prospects, financial or otherwise or in any company, person or entity that is, directly or indirectly, in competition with the business of the Company or any of its affiliates. Ownership by the Employee, as a passive investment, of less than two percent (2%) of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any corporation with one or more classes of its capital stock listed on a national securities exchange or publicly traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market or in the over-the-counter market shall not constitute a breach of this paragraph.

4. Compensation and Benefits.

(a) Employee’s compensation as General Counsel shall have the following components: (i) base salary at the rate of $200,000 per year, less standard deductions and withholdings, payable in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll policy.

(b) The Company has previously granted to Employee stock options to purchase up to 100,000 shares of the common stock of the Company (incentive stock options), $0.001 par value per share. The exercise price for any future stock options granted to Employee shall be at least equal to the fair market value, as determined by the Board of Director, of the common stock of the Company on the date of grant of such option. The stock options shall be vested as described in the individual grant option agreement; provided, however, that in the event all, or substantially all, of the assets of Sequenom, or a majority of the corporate shares of Sequenom, are acquired by another business or by an individual, then all remaining unexercised stock options previously granted to Employee shall become 100% vested as of the effective date of the acquisition.

(c) Employee shall be entitled to participate in such employee benefit plans and to receive such other fringe benefits as are customarily afforded Company employees. Employee understands that, except when prohibited by applicable law, the Company’s employee benefit plans and fringe benefits may be amended, enlarged, diminished or terminated by the Company from time to time, in its sole discretion.

(d) Upon submission of itemized expense statements in the manner specified by Company, the Company will pay Employee’s reasonable travel and other reasonable business expenses incurred by Employee in the furtherance of and in connection with Employee’s employment hereunder.

5. Employee’s Performance.

(a) Employee shall use best efforts to perform assigned duties diligently, loyally, conscientiously, and with reasonable skill, and shall comply with all rules, procedures and standards promulgated from time to time by the Company. Among such rules, procedures and standards are those governing ethical and other professional standards for dealing with customers, government agencies, vendors, competitors, consultants, fellow employees, and the public-at-large; security provisions designed to protect Company property and the personal security of Company employees; rules respecting attendance, punctuality, and hours of work; and, rules and procedures designed to protect the confidentiality of the Company’s proprietary/trade secret information. The Company agrees to make reasonable efforts to inform Employee of such rules, standards and procedures as are in effect from time to time.

(b) The employment relationship between the Parties shall be governed by the policies and practices established by the Company and its Board of Directors. The Employee will acknowledge in writing that he has read the Company’s Employee Handbook, which will govern the terms and conditions of his employment with the Company, along with this Agreement. In the event that the terms of this Agreement differ from or are in conflict with the Company’s policies or practices or the Company’s Employee Handbook, this Agreement shall control.

(c) Employee hereby represents and warrants (i) that Employee has the full right to enter into this Agreement and perform the services required of hereunder, without any restriction whatsoever, (ii) that in the course of performing services hereunder, Employee will not violate the terms or conditions of any agreement between Employee and any third party or infringe or wrongfully appropriate any patents, copyrights, confidential information, trade secrets or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity anywhere in the world, (iii) that listed on Exhibit A to this Agreement are the names of all third parties with whom Employee has entered into employment or employment confidentiality agreements, and (iv) Employee shall provide a copy of each such agreement referenced herein to Company. It is the understanding of both the Company and the Employee that the Employee shall not divulge to the Company and/or its subsidiaries any confidential information or trade secrets belonging to others, including the Employee’s former employers, nor shall the Company and/or its affiliates seek to elicit from the Employee any such information. Consistent with the foregoing, the Employee shall not provide to the Company and/or its affiliates, and the Company and/or its affiliates shall not request, any documents or copies of documents containing such information.

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6. Company’s Management Rights. The Company retains its full management prerogatives and discretion to manage and direct its business affairs, including the adoption, amendment or modification of research, development, production or marketing decisions as it sees fit, notwithstanding any individual interest in, or expectation, Employee may have regarding a particular business program or product.

7. Nondisclosure of Confidential, Proprietary or Trade Secret Information. The Employee has previously executed a Proprietary Information & Inventions Agreement (the “Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement”) as a condition of employment. The termination of employment shall not release the Employee from Employee’s obligations under the Employee’s Proprietary Information & Inventions Agreement or as established by applicable laws or Company policies.

8. No Solicitation of Customers or Employees. Employee acknowledges that the Company has invested substantial time, effort and expense in compiling its confidential, proprietary and trade secret information and in assembling its present staff of personnel. In order to protect the business value of the Company’s confidential, proprietary and trade secret information, during Employee’s employment with the Company and for one year immediately following the termination of that employment with the Company:

(a) Employee agrees that information regarding all customers and all prospective customers of the Company, of which Employee learns during Employee’s employment with the Company, is Proprietary Information of the Company as defined in the Proprietary Information & Inventions Agreement.

(b) Employee agrees not to, either directly or indirectly, solicit business, as to products or services competitive with those of the Company, from any of the Company’s customers or prospective customers with whom Employee had contact during employment with the Company.

(c) Employee agrees not to, directly or indirectly, induce or solicit any of the Company’s employees to leave their employment with the Company.

9. Return of Property. Upon the termination of Employee’s employment with the Company, or at any other time upon request of the Company, Employee shall promptly return any and all customer or prospective customer lists, other customer or prospective customer information or related materials, formulas, computer data and programs, specifications, drawings, blueprints, data storage devices, reproductions, sketches, notes, memoranda, reports, records, proposals, business plans, or copies of them, other documents, materials, tools, equipment, and all other property belonging to the Company or its customers which Employee then possesses. Employee further agrees, that upon termination of employment, Employee shall not take any documents or data of any description containing or pertaining to the Company’s Proprietary Information or Inventions, as those terms are defined in the Proprietary Information & Inventions Agreement. Upon leaving the Company’s employment, Employee agrees to sign a Termination Certificate confirming that Employee has complied with the requirements of this Section of the Agreement and that Employee is aware that certain restrictions imposed by this Agreement continue after termination of Employee’s employment. Employee further understands, however, that Employee’s continuing obligations under the Proprietary Information & Inventions Agreement will continue even if Employee does not sign a Termination Certificate.

10. Termination. Employee’s employment hereunder shall terminate upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

(a) The death or legal incapacity of Employee.

(b) Written notice of termination from the Company to Employee as a result of Employee’s incapacity or inability to further perform services as contemplated herein for a period aggregating 90 days or more within any six-month period, because Employee’s physical or mental health has become so impaired as to make it impossible or impractical for Employee to perform the duties and responsibilities contemplated hereunder.

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(c) Written termination notice from the Company to Employee of Employee’s employment termination by the Company for Cause (as hereafter defined). The Company shall have “Cause” for termination of Employee’s employment if any of the following occur: