Karan Bajaj raises a new HealthTech Venture funding and a few years later Whitehat Jr exports $300 MN

The round was led by Blume Ventures and Owl Ventures, and comes from several angel investors, according to a statement from the company on Wednesday.

According to Bajaj, the platform seeks to address the gap in cancer care by helping patients take clinically recommended lifestyle changes.

“Every oncologist tells you that patients need more support to incorporate physical exercise, nutrition and physical and mental practices,” said Bajaj, who serves as CEO and co-founder. “We focus on daily engagement through personalized coaching to support lasting improvements during and after treatment.”

For cancer care

With new funding, Supplement 1 plans to expand its coaching operations in the U.S., strengthen its AI engine, and work with cancer centers, health insurance providers and employers. The company also intends to invest in enhancing the digital experiences for patients and coaches.

Supplement 1 was established in January 2024 and provides a personalized lifestyle modification platform for cancer patients, at-risk individuals and survivors.

The program includes physical exercise, nutrition, and a somatic practice tailored to cancer types and stages, which is provided through a 1:1 “co-” coach. It also said the company also uses AI to drive personalization and support long-term compliance with the program.

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This is Bajaj’s first startup since quitting Whitehat JR in August 2021. The founders exited Edtech when the industry peaked, with high valuations and huge investor interests. BYJU acquired the company in many other acquisitions that accelerated growth.

But BYJU’s struggle began with sudden demand after the pandemic. Whitehat Jr. is the sour taste it has acquired for the first time. In recent media interactions, Byju Raveendran shared that the “big encouragement of acquisitions” he received was to give Whitehat Jr from investors. BYJU investors and their founders last year last year, which was once worth $22 billion, last year for more than three years.

After the sale, Bajaj took a leave of absence, which included travelling through Costa Rica and writing the Declaration of Freedom, a book published by Harpercollins India.

“(i) My daughters caught up with my daughter’s missed time while attending a forest school in the mountains of Costa Rica,” Bajay said in an article on his LinkedIn profile.

To be sure, this is not the first time Bajaj’s retreat to the mountain. Back in 2012, he also studied meditation in the Himalayas and later wrote The Seeker, a novel based on these experiences.

Later in 2019, he founded Mumbai-based Whitehat Jr and sold it to Byju’s two years later. Now, Supplement 1 is being established in the United States.

Transformation from Edtech to HealthTech

Bajaj’s return marks the transition from Edtech to HealthTech, a startup that aims to incorporate lifestyle medicine into the broader oncology ecosystem.

“Supplement 1 is creating a new model to improve the outcomes of cancer globally. We are attracted by a combination of personalized technology and artificially-led coaches,” said Amit Patel, managing director of OWL Ventures.

In India, investors and conglomerates rely on groups such as the group and Tata Group, as well as conglomerates, also have the opportunity to invest in technology-driven detection and treatment of cancer, as the incidence of diseases increases every year.