Startups eligible for the program must have a validated product or solution ready for scaling, with at least two completed proof of concept(pilots) involving at least 50 patients living with cancer in clinical settings. Companies should have a minimum of 10 full-time employees, including a designated liaison to engage with the selection team during the accelerator. We’re excited to invite pediatric oncology companies to the CancerX Accelerator partnership with KidsX. If you have a pediatric focused solution, we invite you to apply. 

Applications are evaluated based on a combination of factors, including the alignment to the CancerX Accelerator themes, product market fit, the expertise of your founding team, and the impact your startup could have. We also look for innovation, scalability, and your startup’s potential for growth.

If your application is successful, you will be notified by the CancerX Accelerator team by December 4, 2024. Following this, you will be invited to participate in our Pitch Days, which will take place on December 10, 11, and 12. You’ll be able to select a time slot that works best for your team. Detailed instructions will be provided, including what to include in your pitch presentation and how to prepare for the pitch process.

Clinical Trial Acceleration  

Developing approaches and tools (including AI) to expedite the eligibility and accessibility of clinical trials for patients, while optimizing the technology and data for clinical researchers targeting improved care outcomes. 

Theme elements include: 

Enhance the speed and accuracy of reviewing the latest cancer literature and research  
Mine public data sources to identify current research studies, collaborators and partners  
Develop tools for statistical analysis, multi-modal classifications and quality metrics tracking, and submissions  
Create tools that improve the efficiency of research report development 
Build tools to support pragmatic trials and scale advanced testing 
Design tools to support the acceleration of drug trials and approvals 
Accelerate and improve the clinical trial eligibility process. Develop technology to make it easier to offer clinical trials in rural and other underserved areas 
Improve pediatric cancer clinical trial access by leveraging AI for trial matching, and designing child-specific trials that minimize disruption to education and daily life, ensuring better outcomes for rare pediatric cancers  

Connected & Individualized Care- Care beyond the clinic  

Delivering personalized, seamless, and connected care for patients and their support community. Enabling monitoring of patients across the care pathway and beyond the clinic. 

Theme elements include: 

Connect providers, patients and caregivers more effectively, and reduce administrative burdens 
Ensure proactive goals of care discussions  
Provide personalized patient education and resources 
Improve monitoring across the care continuum and support care transitions 
Improve management of oral therapeutics and maintenance drugs taken at home to monitor medication adherence/ compliance 
Ensure continuous pediatric cancer care through home-based solutions, mental health support, and tools for smooth transitions to adult care, focusing on long-term survivorship and developmental tracking

We will be inviting the final cohort to attend Vive for the announcement.

We will share more details to finalists about in person events, but please expect travel to on-site events in March (Tampa), April/May (site to be confirmed), July (showcase in Boston). We will confirm final details for you and your team to plan accordingly. 

We will also be hosting virtual curriculum sessions once a month across a variety of topics for example: Innovation in Government, Front Lines of Healthcare, Scaling your Business, Partnering with Industry. The CancerX accelerator will send communications for program details once the Accelerator begins. 

This is a very hands-on and targeted program and the more you can participate and be involved, the more benefits you will gain for your accelerator experience.

We will work together towards a successful outcome for you during the course of the accelerator but cannot guarantee results. 

Our champions are closely involved in the selection process and the finalists in our 2025 cohort will have 1 or more champions leaning in to accelerate your company. Each champion will meet with you and discuss goals and approach. Recognize they are large organizations with many complexities so be prepared and be patient. The accelerator team is here to help you along the journey.

This year, we are excited to announce the collaboration with KidsX. We are inviting pediatric focused oncology solutions in the challenge themes above. When you apply, you will select your interest in being considered for the KidsX/CancerX cohort. We expect to accept 2 finalists in this cohort. The target patient population for KidsX applications is 0-18 years old.

We welcome your questions. Please email accelerator@cancerx.health

The 2025 cohort will be announced at ViVE (mid February) so all applicants will have an update on the status of their application by then.

The cohort will be announced during the ViVE conference (Feb 16-19)