NEW YORK, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Complement 1, a health tech startup transforming cancer care through personalized lifestyle medicine, today announced a $16 million oversubscribed seed funding round led by Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures. The company is emerging from stealth to launch the first tech-enabled, clinically validated lifestyle modification platform for cancer patients and high-risk individuals—delivering personalized, daily guidance and education through one-on-one dedicated CoActive Coaches.
For the nearly 1 in 2 Americans who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, integrating healthy lifestyle changes into cancer care and prevention can be transformative. Decades of research have shown that improvements in diet, physical activity, stress management and other behaviors can significantly reduce cancer recurrence and mortality—by 35% and 37%, respectively—and boost patients’ quality of life.
The platform is among the first built on multiple meta studies demonstrating lifestyle modifications’ significant impact on cancer-related health outcomes, including patient quality of life, cancer recurrence, and mortality. As validated by clinical trials, Complement 1 members report 37% fewer treatment side effects, 18% less pain, and 27% better sleep—all while achieving an over 90% adherence rate among users. Meanwhile, the platform helps health plans, employers, and providers reduce costs for cancer patients—by up to 30%.
“Lifestyle change is one of the most powerful yet underused tools in cancer care,” said Karan Bajaj, CEO and Co-Founder of Complement 1. “Every oncologist will tell you patients need more support incorporating clinically recommended physical activity, nutrition and mind-body practices. We’ve cracked the code on daily engagement with personalized, compassionate coaching—helping patients make meaningful, lasting improvements during and beyond treatment.”
Complement 1’s Daily Lifestyle Solution for Oncology
Complement 1 is a lifestyle modification platform with physical activity, nutrition and somatic practices, customized for cancer type and stage, delivered by dedicated CoActive 1:1 Coaches. The platform’s evidence backed, medically validated rule engine tailors the program to each individual’s cancer type, treatment stage, side-effect profile, and personal preferences, leveraging guidelines developed by leading oncologists and in partnership with the American Institute for Cancer Research. The result is a highly customized, holistic care pathway that patients can realistically stick with.
“I’ve seen targeted lifestyle changes transform outcomes—from better energy to reducing recurrence risk,” said Dr. Neil M. Iyengar, MD, a leading exercise-oncology researcher and board member of Complement 1. “The challenge has always been getting patients to implement those changes and stick with them. Complement 1’s platform provides the intensive support patients need to make sustainable lifestyle shifts, with adherence rates I’ve never seen before in this field.”
Momentum Toward Scale
As cancer rates continue to rise, Complement 1 is addressing a crucial gap in care delivery. Early actuarial modeling indicates that its approach could lead to a 30% reduction in healthcare costs across cancer patients and high-risk individuals by supporting lifestyle adherence at scale.
“Most coaching models rely on a weekly check-in. We meet patients every single day,” said Trupti Mukker, Co-founder and COO of Complement 1. “That daily presence—powered by our CoActive Coaching method—is what creates the trust, accountability, and behavior change that drive our clinical results. This funding allows us to scale that impact by investing further in our AI systems to ensure consistency, personalization, and quality at scale. It’s a hybrid approach: high-tech infrastructure matched with high-touch delivery—designed specifically for the complexity of cancer care.”
The $16 million seed round—led by Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures—also includes participation from healthcare-focused angel investors, reflecting widespread investor confidence in the company’s impact and market potential.
“With rising cancer incidence rates, Complement 1 is creating a revolutionary new model to improve global cancer outcomes,” said Amit A. Patel, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. “We were impressed by the team’s ability to combine high-tech personalization and education with high-touch CoActive Coaching focused on physical activity, somatic and nutrition human guidance to solve a critical gap in oncology. We’re thrilled to support Complement 1 in bringing this much-needed solution to patients and health systems.”
With the new capital, Complement 1 plans to scale up its coaching infrastructure and operations across the United States, advance its AI-driven personalization engine, and partner with cancer centers, health plans, and employers to bring the program to their cancer patients, high-risk individuals, and survivors. The company will also invest in product development to enhance the digital user experience for both patients and coaches.
About Complement 1
Complement 1 is a health technology company dedicated to transforming cancer care through lifestyle medicine. Founded in 2024, Complement 1 has developed the first clinically validated, tech-enabled lifestyle program with daily 1:1 dedicated CoActive Coaching for cancer patients, survivors, and those at high risk. By combining personalized coaching with evidence-based interventions in physical activity, nutrition, and somatic practices, Complement 1 helps patients improve outcomes and quality of life while reducing costs by up to 30% for employers, providers, and insurers. Backed by leading oncologists and scientific research, Complement 1’s platform integrates seamlessly with conventional oncology care to deliver better outcomes and empower patients in their healing journey. The company is headquartered in the U.S. with a mission to make effective, holistic cancer care accessible to all. For more information, visit complement1.com.
Media Contact
Caroline Statile
Scratch Marketing + Media for Complement 1
caroline@scratchmm.com
