New York-based Ataraxis AI, a startup using artificial intelligence to predict cancer progression and personalize treatment plans, has secured $20.4 million in Series A funding.
The round was led by AIX Ventures, with backing from Thiel Bio, Founders Fund, Floating Point, Bertelsmann, Giant Ventures, and Obvious Ventures.
Shifting the Focus from Detection to Treatment Optimization
While most AI-driven cancer innovations focus on early detection, Ataraxis AI aims to determine whether aggressive treatments like chemotherapy are necessary. The company’s proprietary AI model analyzes high-resolution cancer cell images to assess long-term recurrence risk, helping oncologists avoid overtreatment and reduce unnecessary side effects.
CEO Jan Witowski emphasized the platform’s potential:
“Not every cancer patient needs chemotherapy. Our AI helps predict outcomes over 5 to 10 years, ensuring patients get the right level of treatment—no more, no less.”
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Clinical Impact & Market Expansion
- 30% more accurate than current breast cancer risk assessment methods, according to internal studies.
- First commercial test launching for breast cancer in the U.S. in the coming months.
- Expansion into other cancer types, leveraging the model’s ability to process vast datasets from thousands of patients.
A Growing AI-Driven Oncology Market
The funding boom in AI-powered cancer care continues, with:
- Valar Labs raising $22M for treatment optimization in May 2024.
- Manas AI securing $24.6M in January 2025, co-founded by LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman.
Building an AI Frontier for Healthcare
Ataraxis, co-founded by Witowski and NYU professor Krzysztof Geras, positions itself as a healthcare-focused AI lab. The company has attracted Meta’s AI chief Yann LeCun as an advisor, reinforcing its ambition to bridge AI and medical research.
With $24M raised to date, Ataraxis is reshaping cancer treatment decision-making, aiming to impact at least half of all new cancer cases by 2030.
