"If we find cancer early, 90 percent survive. If we find cancer late, 10 percent survive."
The above quote, from Wired Magazine, helps explain why certain bio-tech start-ups are shifting their focus:
They’re shifting from cancer treatment to cancer detection.
Last week, one of these world-changing start-ups received some great press about their early success.
And we’re happy to report that Crowdability’s readers might be among the visionary investors who helped get the company started.
But if you missed this particular investment opportunity, don’t worry...
Today we’ll give you the story about this exciting company – and we’ll show you how to get in on the next one.
Diamonds That Detect Cancer?
The company we’re referring to is called Bikanta.
Its goal: to stop cancer in its tracks – before it spreads.
How? With a revolutionary new imaging technology that uses microscopic diamond crystals called “nano-diamonds.”
Current cancer-screening methods begin with doctors injecting a patient with a fluorescent dye, then scanning for tumor cells. The dye “lights up” when it comes into contact with tumor cells.
For larger tumors, this technology can be quite effective.
But it’s not sensitive enough to detect smaller tumors or “breakaway” tumor cells – the cells that can lead to metastatic tumors in other parts of the body.
Enter Bikanta.
Nano Diamonds Are a Doctor’s Best Friend
Dr. Ambikia Bumb, Bikanta’s CEO, discovered that by injecting nano-diamonds into a subject, and then performing a scan, even the smallest tumor could be detected.
To understand the magnitude of this improvement, check out this picture:
Both images are scans of a cancerous laboratory animal.
On the left, the image is based on current scanning methods.
On the right, it’s based on Bikanta’s nano-diamonds.
Bikanta’s ability to so clearly detect this lymph node is what it makes it such a powerful innovation — and such a valuable tool in the fight against cancer.
Improving Survivability
Over the next two decades, global cancer rates are expected to rise by 50%.
The key to improving survivability is early detection.
Which is why diagnostic imaging is a fast-growing $12 billion industry.
Given this backdrop, it starts to make sense that Bikanta, a start-up founded just last year, has already booked more than $3 million in orders...
And it starts to make sense that some of the world’s savviest investors are betting on it.
Perhaps you’re already one of them...
Did You Invest?
Bikanta is a graduate of the prestigious YCombinator program.
YCombinator is one of the premiere mentoring programs for start-ups. It’s like an “Ivy League University” for entrepreneurs.
In fact, getting into YCombinator is even harder than getting into Harvard – which is why investors flock to invest in Ycomb graduates.
And now, thanks to equity crowdfunding, you can invest in their companies as well.
In fact, you can invest in several of them at once.
It’s like a “Mutual Fund for Start-ups.”
We first wrote about this type of opportunity last year. And each time we find a new one, we try to notify our readers.
Don’t Miss the Next One
If you were reading Crowdability earlier this year, perhaps you saw and invested in YCombinator’s last “mutual fund” – a fund which included Bikanta »
But if you missed it, not to worry...
WeFunder, one of the crowdfunding platforms we often write about, is featuring YCombinator’s new “fund” right now. It’s for YCombinator’s 2015 class of start-ups. You can learn more here »
Do your research carefully, but if you’re interested, act quickly: it seems there are only 8 spots remaining.
And remember – as always – Crowdability has no financial relationship with WeFunder, or with any company we mention. We’re an independent provider of education, information and research on start-ups and alternative investments.
Happy Investing!
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
