Oncology Ventures Invests in the Next Generation of Cancer Startups

The seed stage venture capital fund announces key strategic partnerships with City of Hope and New York Cancer & Blood Specialists

NEW YORK, May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncology Ventures is the trusted partner for early stage cancer startups. The seed stage venture capital fund invests in data and infrastructure startups that make cancer care more affordable, efficient and accessible.

Founder and Managing Partner, Ben Freeberg, has deep experience investing in healthcare startups — including Optum Ventures and Alpha Partners — and building a value-based cancer startup, Thyme Care. In addition to investing and building in the space, he has first-hand experience as a cancer patient himself. 

"When I was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, I was young, healthy and active," shares Freeberg. "Even though I was familiar with our healthcare system, had incredible support from family and friends, and was treated by world class physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering, dealing with cancer was not easy. Add in the rigorous chemotherapy treatments and 35+ medicines I took daily, and suddenly navigating cancer seemed impossible."

"Considering oncology's inherent complexity and reach, cancer startups deserve a dedicated cancer-focused venture fund to help them scale," shares Freeberg. "We are proud to foster cancer innovation and are passionate about ensuring startups' success by providing support around business model development, go-to-market strategy, hiring, strategic introductions and more."

Oncology Ventures is thrilled to announce two strategic partnerships with:

1)  City of Hope: With an independent comprehensive cancer center at its core, City of Hope brings a uniquely integrated model to patients spanning cancer treatment and care, research and development, academics and training, and innovation initiatives. City of Hope is ranked as the seventh best hospital for cancer in the nation and has received the highest rating possible by the National Cancer Institute.

2)  New York Cancer and Blood Specialists: NYCBS is the fastest growing cancer practice in the U.S. They recently opened a co-branded comprehensive Cancer Center with Memorial Sloan Kettering, which is the first of its kind. NYCBS offers an integrated and comprehensive approach that combines medical oncology, hematology, surgery, radiation, infusions, clinical trials, and supportive services to improve the quality of life throughout the cancer care continuum.

The Oncology Ventures team has already met with 250+ early stage cancer startups and is proud to announce its investments in:

• VivorCare: A fully-integrated cancer survivorship platform that is improving survivorship care for the 17M+ cancer survivors in the U.S.
• Gabbi: An early detection platform for breast cancer that aims to make late-stage breast cancer obsolete.
• Health Universe: An open-source community for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that will impact precision medicine in oncology, clinical trial matching, cancer care navigation, and more.

Cancer spend in the U.S. is $210B, growing at 12% annually. These rising costs are unsustainable, as 42% of patients diagnosed with cancer lose their life savings within two years of diagnosis. Oncology Ventures is excited to invest in and support cancer startups that will improve care outcomes and reduce costs, bringing true value-based care to cancer.

If you and your cancer center, pharma company, health plan or health system are interested in partnering with Oncology Ventures to make cancer care more affordable, efficient and accessible, contact us for more information at [email protected]

Media Contact:
Katie Kosyan
[email protected] 
303-472-3705

SOURCE Oncology Ventures