SpotitEarly, a biotech company focused on transforming cancer screening by utilizing AI and canines to analyze volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath samples and detect cancer at its earliest stages, officially launched in the U.S. market with $20.3 million in funding.
The company has also received investments from top venture capital firms and angel investors, including Hanaco VC, Menomedin VC, Jeff Swartz (former CEO of Timberland), Avishai Abrahami (CEO of Wix.com), and others. In addition to the private funding, SpotitEarly has been awarded several grants, most notably from the BIRD Foundation, a binational foundation that funds joint industrial research and development between American and Israeli companies.
What the funding will be used for: This funding helps SpotitEarly scale its U.S. presence and strengthen its cancer detection technology, which achieved a 94% accuracy rate in a two-year clinical trial including 1,400 individuals. And the at-home test will be made commercially available in the U.S. in 2026.
Market size: With cancer care costs in the U.S. expected to rise to several hundred billion dollars by 2030, SpotitEarly’s bio-hybrid approach to cancer screening offers a timely solution. And the company’s proprietary method will offer a simple at-home breath test for the four most common types of cancer – breast, colorectal, prostate, and lung. With an innovative diagnostic process that taps into the powerful scent detection of trained canines, analyzed by its LUCID AI technology, which monitors and collects thousands of data points on the dog’s physical and behavioral signals, SpotitEarly effectively addresses the urgent need for advancements in early detection and prevention of cancer.
New board members: To advance its mission of convenient, accessible cancer screenings, SpotitEarly also appointed U.S.-based advisors to its scientific board. And this includes Dr. David Sidransky, a leading expert and pioneer in the molecular genetic detection of cancer; Jonathan Fleming, senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and medtech entrepreneur and investor; as well as Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, former deputy Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society, who will now serve as SpotitEarly’s Chief Medical Officer. These relationships will be essential as SpotitEarly expands its research partnerships with major U.S.-based academic medical centers, such as the University of Pennsylvania.
KEY QUOTES:
“Early detection can increase survival rates to as high as 99 percent and save billions in treatment costs to the medical system. That’s exactly what makes SpotitEarly stand out. Today’s screening methods are often invasive, expensive, and uncomfortable – barriers that limit adoption. SpotitEarly is filling a critical gap in preventative healthcare with a solution that is non-invasive, affordable, and designed to help more people benefit from early detection.”
Alon Lifshitz, Founding Partner at Hanco Ventures
“While there has been movement from emerging tech companies that have shown great promise for transforming the way we screen and detect cancer, they’ve lacked accessibility and precision. The opportunity to bring SpotitEarly’s innovative tech and dynamic approach to the U.S., and to drastically improve how we conquer a complex and persistent disease that takes the lives of millions of Americans each year, is both a great honor and responsibility.”
Shlomi Madar, Ph.D., CEO of SpotitEarly
