Where global innovators engage with industry leaders to accelerate market traction and growth to transform the shape of cancer care
TAMPA, Fla. (Aug 20, 2026) – CancerX, the public-private partnership, dedicated to accelerating innovation in the fight against cancer, announced that applications are open for its highly competitive 2027 Accelerator cohort. Digital and AI founders building in oncology can apply at www.cancerx.health/accelerator through October 1.
Even the most promising cancer innovations can struggle to gain traction without access to the health systems, payers, pharmaceutical companies, and investors that help bring new solutions to patients. The CancerX Accelerator was created to help close that gap by connecting founders directly with leaders across the cancer ecosystem.
Accelerator participants collaborate with leading organizations, including Advocate Health, Moffitt Cancer Center, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Rush University, Novartis, Elevance Health, Oncology Ventures, and Flare Capital. Through its partnership with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), CancerX also helps align private-sector innovation with national cancer priorities.
The CancerX Accelerator is a six-month cohort program that takes no equity and charges no application fee. No startup is accepted until at least two champion organization have committed to sponsoring it. That commitment is the heart of the design. The program is built to power collaboration among champions across health systems, cancer centers, payers, life sciences companies, and investors, bringing their collective expertise, network and resources to help founders accelerate adoption and impact.
Founders work directly with the clinical, commercial and innovation teams, gaining real-world customer feedback and opportunities to validate their solutions in healthcare settings. By connecting startups with potential customers and partners early, the Accelerator helps compress timelines that might otherwise take years to navigate.
The value begins even before the cohort starts. Simply applying puts a company's solution in front of 75+ champion judges. For some applicants, those introductions have led to lasting relationships and future partnership opportunities, even if they are not selected for the program.
The 2027 cohort will focus on three priority themes that reflect some of the most pressing opportunities to improve cancer care with digital innovation:
"CancerX was created to help promising innovations move more quickly from idea to implementation. Over the past four years, we've built a model that brings founders together with the healthcare leaders who can test, adopt and scale new solutions. The results we're seeing, from stronger partnerships to technologies reaching patients faster, show what's possible when the entire cancer ecosystem works toward a common goal," said Xavier Avat, EVP and Chief Business Officer, Moffitt Cancer Center and Chair of the CancerX Steering Committee.
Beyond champion engagement, participating startups gain an expert mentorship network with deep digital-health and oncology expertise, customized virtual and in-person events, and opportunities to collaborate with federal partners.
CancerX also works directly with founders to strengthen their market position, refine their value proposition and sharpen their investor narrative. This support is designed to ensure that great ideas are evaluated on their potential impact, not on a founder’s prior experience, presentation skills or first language.
Since launching in 2024, the CancerX Accelerator has supported 42 companies across three cohorts and five countries. Startups in the program’s cohorts have raised an average of $42 million, and on average, participating companies have left with at least one concrete opportunity in motion, whether a paid pilot, a signed contract or a formal partnership with a champion organization.
Notably, 78% of founders in the 2026 cohort were first-time entrepreneurs, solidifying the program’s commitment to helping emerging innovators navigate the cancer ecosystem.
Eligibility: CancerX seeks digital-health startups with a proven product ready for growth, tested with at least 50 patients, aligned to the focus areas and with a plan to expand into cancer care.
About CancerX
CancerX is a groundbreaking public-private partnership designed to accelerate innovation in the fight against cancer. The initiative is hosted by Advocate Health and Moffitt Cancer Center and was launched in coordination with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) as part of the HHS InnovationX program. To learn more, visit www.CancerX.health
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Moffitt Cancer Center Kim Polacek, Kim.Polacek@Moffitt.org
Advocate Health: media@advocatehealth.org