companiesCompany
Y Combinator
Y Combinator is the start-up accelerator that funds hundreds of new companies a year in return for a small stake. Since 2014 it has backed a steady stream of companies going after cancer, from blood tests to engineered viruses.
Overview
Y Combinator runs batches of early-stage companies, investing a standard amount for a fixed equity stake and then a further amount on the same terms as the company's next round, with a three-month programme and Demo Day. Its open directory lists more than 6,000 funded companies; the oncology subset in OnCo (companies with a `ycBatch`) was drawn from that directory and checked one by one. YC's biotech share grew from the mid-2010s, when it began accepting companies such as Notable Labs, Shasqi and BillionToOne, to recent batches with several cancer therapeutics, diagnostics and oncology AI companies each cycle. It is an accelerator rather than a specialist life-science fund, so its oncology bets skew towards software, diagnostics and platform biology with short paths to first revenue or data.
Portfolio in OnCo (62)
Filter the startups table| Company | Stage | Type | Cancers | Latest round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adialante San Francisco, CA, US · YC X26 | Startup | imaging | Prostate cancer | none on record |
| Adventris Pharmaceuticals Baltimore, MD, US · YC W23 | Startup | biotech | Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomaColorectal cancerNon-small-cell lung cancer | none on record |
| Algen Biotechnologies South San Francisco, CA, US · YC W20 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Alixia San Francisco, CA, US · YC W22 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Altay Therapeutics South San Francisco, CA, US · YC W20 | Startup | biotech | Hepatocellular carcinoma | none on record |
| Aluna San Francisco, CA, US · YC S24 | Startup | ai software | none on record | |
| Ananya Health San Francisco, CA, US · YC S21 | Startup | devices | Cervical cancer | none on record |
| AOA Dx Denver, CO, US · YC S21 | Startup | diagnostics | Ovarian cancer | none on record |
| Arpeggio Bio Boulder, CO, US · YC S19 | Startup | biotech | Melanoma | none on record |
| Asher Biotherapeutics South San Francisco, CA, US · YC S19 | Growth stage | biotech | Renal cell carcinomaMelanoma | none on record |
| Atomic Alchemy Idaho Falls, ID, US · YC W19 | Acquired | radiopharma | none on record | |
| Bikanta Berkeley, CA, US · YC S14 | Wound down | imaging | none on record | |
| BillionToOne Menlo Park, CA, US · YC S17 | Public | diagnostics | none on record | |
| Blank Bio San Francisco, CA, US · YC S25 | Startup | ai software | none on record | |
| Cambridge Cancer Genomics (CCG.ai) Cambridge, GB · YC S17 | Wound down | ai software | none on record | |
| Clear Gene San Carlos, CA, US · YC S18 | Startup | diagnostics | Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancerHER2-positive breast cancer | none on record |
| Cofactor Genomics St. Louis, MO, US · YC S15 | Growth stage | diagnostics | Head and neck squamous cell carcinomaNon-small-cell lung cancer | none on record |
| Data Driven Bioscience (Duoseq) Durham, NC, US · YC S18 | Startup | diagnostics | Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma | none on record |
| Delee Monterrey, MX · YC W17 | Startup | diagnostics | none on record | |
| Digistain London, GB · YC S21 | Startup | diagnostics | HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer | none on record |
| Eris Biotech Lehi, UT, US · YC W24 | Startup | biotech | Mesothelioma | none on record |
| FidoCure Palo Alto, CA, US · YC W18 | Growth stage | diagnostics | none on record | |
| FinalDose San Francisco, CA, US · YC X26 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Gamgee San Francisco, CA, US · YC S26 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Granza Bio San Francisco, CA, US · YC W24 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Guardian Bio Boston, MA, US · YC S22 | Startup | cell therapy | none on record | |
| Harmonic Discovery New York, NY, US · YC S21 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| HistoWiz Brooklyn, NY, US · YC W16 | Growth stage | cro services | none on record | |
| Humane Genomics New York, NY, US · YC S21 | Startup | biotech | Hepatocellular carcinoma | none on record |
| Isabl New York, NY, US · YC W20 | Startup | diagnostics | none on record | |
| iSono Health San Francisco, CA, US · YC W16 | Startup | devices | Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancerHER2-positive breast cancer | none on record |
| Kernal Biologics Cambridge, MA, US · YC S20 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Known Medicine Salt Lake City, UT, US · YC S20 | Acquired | cro services | none on record | |
| Kopra Bio San Francisco, CA, US · YC S24 | Startup | biotech | Glioma & glioblastoma | none on record |
| LEAH Labs Minneapolis, MN, US · YC W19 | Startup | cell therapy | Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma | none on record |
| Liyfe New York, NY, US · YC S20 | Startup | ai software | none on record | |
| Luminate Medical Galway, IE · YC S21 | Startup | devices | none on record | |
| Mednet (theMednet) New York, NY, US · YC W17 | Growth stage | ai software | none on record | |
| Modulari-T Montreal, CA · YC W23 | Startup | cell therapy | none on record | |
| NearWave South Bend, IN, US · YC W22 | Startup | devices | Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancerHER2-positive breast cancer | none on record |
| Notable Labs Foster City, CA, US · YC W15 | Wound down | biotech | Acute myeloid leukaemia | none on record |
| Nucleo United States, US · YC F25 | Startup | ai software | none on record | |
| Numen San Francisco, CA, US · YC S23 | Growth stage | diagnostics | none on record | |
| Omanta San Francisco, CA, US · YC S26 | Startup | cro services | none on record | |
| Oncobox Walnut, CA, US · YC S17 | Startup | diagnostics | none on record | |
| Origin Bio San Francisco, CA, US · YC W26 | Startup | ai software | none on record | |
| Persephone Biosciences San Diego, CA, US · YC W18 | Startup | biotech | Colorectal cancer | none on record |
| REPROSENT Los Gatos, CA, US · YC S21 | Startup | ai software | none on record | |
| ResistanceBio (Viosera Therapeutics) San Francisco, CA, US · YC W19 | Wound down | biotech | none on record | |
| Reverie Labs Cambridge, MA, US · YC W18 | Wound down | ai software | Glioma & glioblastoma | none on record |
| Serinus Biosciences New York, NY, US · YC S22 | Startup | ai software | none on record | |
| Shasqi San Francisco, CA, US · YC W15 | Growth stage | biotech | Sarcomas (soft tissue, bone, GIST) | none on record |
| Signatur Biosciences London, GB · YC S22 | Startup | diagnostics | HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer | none on record |
| SynsoryBio Boston, MA, US · YC W24 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| TareBio San Francisco, CA, US · YC S26 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Tradewind BioScience San Francisco, CA, US · YC W18 | Startup | biotech | Ovarian cancer | none on record |
| Triomics New York, NY, US · YC W21 | Growth stage | ai software | none on record | |
| Valink Therapeutics Boston, MA, US · YC W21 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| Velorum Therapeutics San Francisco, CA, US · YC W24 | Startup | biotech | none on record | |
| X-Zell Bangkok, TH · YC W15 | Startup | diagnostics | Prostate cancer | none on record |
| Yemaachi Biotech Accra, GH · YC S21 | Startup | diagnostics | none on record | |
| zPREDICTA San Jose, CA, US · YC S15 | Acquired | cro services | none on record |
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fronts
3companies
62AdialanteAdventris PharmaceuticalsAlgen BiotechnologiesAlixiaAltay TherapeuticsAlunaAnanya HealthAOA DxArpeggio BioAsher BiotherapeuticsAtomic AlchemyBikantaBillionToOneBlank BioCambridge Cancer Genomics (CCG.ai)Clear GeneCofactor GenomicsData Driven Bioscience (Duoseq)DeleeDigistainEris BiotechFidoCureFinalDoseGamgeeGranza BioGuardian BioHarmonic DiscoveryHistoWizHumane GenomicsIsabliSono HealthKernal BiologicsKnown MedicineKopra BioLEAH LabsLiyfeLuminate MedicalMednet (theMednet)Modulari-TNearWaveNotable LabsNucleoNumenOmantaOncoboxOrigin BioPersephone BiosciencesREPROSENTResistanceBio (Viosera Therapeutics)Reverie LabsSerinus BiosciencesShasqiSignatur BiosciencesSynsoryBioTareBioTradewind BioScienceTriomicsValink TherapeuticsVelorum TherapeuticsX-ZellYemaachi BiotechzPREDICTA