Digistain YC Application

Summer 2021Active

Digistain went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2021 batch as a Healthcare company. Below: what the company does, who founded it, and its application to YC, reconstructed question by question in the real YC form.

YC batch: Summer 2021
Industry: HealthcareDiagnostics
Team size: 40
Status: Active
Launched: 2021

Founders

Hemmel AmraniaFounder
Chris PhillipsFounder

What Digistain does

In the global fight against breast cancer, Digistain stands at the forefront, offering a beacon of hope to millions. Our journey began at Imperial College London, where ground-breaking research gave birth to a technology poised to revolutionize breast cancer diagnostics. The Challenge: Every year, breast cancer affects 2.3 million individuals globally. Post-surgery, 60% of patients are advised to undergo genomic testing, an expensive and time-consuming process monopolized by a single lab in the U.S., costing around $4,000 and taking nearly two months. Consequently, only 5% undergo this vital testing. The rest, unable to access this crucial diagnostic step, often resort to chemotherapy - a treatment that, in one in four cases, is more harmful than the cancer itself. Our Solution: Digistain addresses this critical gap. Our technology transforms the current diagnostic process by enabling hospitals to analyze patient samples in-house using existing equipment, supplemented with our innovative technology. This approach offers near-instantaneous decision-making data, a stark contrast to the existing month-long waits. Central to our technology is a proprietary algorithm that identifies a unique spectral fingerprint of the tumour in the infrared spectrum, providing a personalized risk score. This score guides oncologists in selecting the most effective, individualized treatment plans, potentially reducing unnecessary chemotherapy and its harmful side effects. Impact and Potential: Our solution not only challenges the status quo in technology but also in accessibility. In a landmark government-commissioned study, Digistain demonstrated clinical evidence on par with the market leader, but at a fraction of the cost and time. Already making waves in clinical practice globally, with insurance reimbursement at leading cancer centers, our technology represents a paradigm shift in cancer care. Recognized by the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society, and Imperial College for our innovative contributions, and supported by entities like the NHS, Y Combinator, and the European Investment Bank, Digistain is more than a company - it’s a movement towards equitable, effective cancer treatment. With the potential to democratize access to life-saving diagnostics, Digistain is not just envisioning a better future for cancer patients; we are actively creating it.

Digistain's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Digistain, Summer 2021 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Digistain

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Pioneering Breast Cancer Diagnostics

What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.

We built a medical device and software that allows hospitals to analyze breast cancer tissue samples on-site. Our product uses infrared spectroscopy combined with a proprietary algorithm to identify a tumour's spectral fingerprint and generate a personalized risk score. This helps oncologists decide on the best treatment quickly, avoiding expensive, slow genomic tests.

Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

We live in London, England, and the company is based here. After YC, we'll continue to operate from London.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We are based in London because our technology originated at Imperial College London, and much of our early clinical work and validation has been done here. Staying close to NHS partners and research institutions is critical for clinical adoption.

21 more answers in the full application

Founders, Progress, Idea, Equity, Curious, Batch Preference are in the full version. Create a free account to open it in YC Insights, next to every other YC batch.

See full application

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the real Digistain YC application?

No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from Digistain's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like Digistain would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.