Maia Oncology, a health tech startup, has raised $4.25M in seed funding to develop a virtual primary care clinic for cancer patients, with an initial focus on breast cancer. The round was co-led and co-incubated by Takeda Digital Ventures and Yosemite with participation from BrightEdge – American Cancer Society, BBG Ventures and Coalition Operators.
The company, founded by cancer survivor Liya Shuster-Bier, aims to integrate oncology and primary care to enhance treatment for cancer patients, acknowledging the unique challenges faced by cancer patients. Maia Oncology is starting with the breast cancer patient population as it is the largest cancer patient population.
Maia Oncology’s approach is driven by Shuster-Bier’s personal experience with cancer and the complexities of managing associated health conditions like heart and thyroid diseases, as well as medically-induced menopause. These experiences highlighted the need for comprehensive care that addresses both cancer and its long-term effects. The company’s model, which combines telehealth and remote patient monitoring, offers a holistic approach to cancer care, emphasizing the importance of managing cardiovascular risks and hormonal treatments’ side effects.
Shuster-Bier’s vision for Maia Oncology is to redefine the nexus between primary care and oncology, addressing the growing need for integrated, patient-centered care in the evolving healthcare landscape. She told Fierce Healthcare in an interview: “Primary care has been divorced for oncology for reasons that made sense 50 years ago but doesn’t make sense in 2023. We want to lead the industry in redesigning care, everything from shifting what type of multidisciplinary care team surrounds a patient during active treatment as well as long term and, importantly, building a viable business model alongside our anchor payers in a value-based contract that drives at matters the most for these patients. That means keeping them out of expensive avoidable ER visits, keeping them out of expensive avoidable hospitalizations, decreasing their total time on treatment, and ultimately driving down their total cost of cancer care as well as their total cost of total healthcare.”
