Cancer Research Horizons, the innovation arm of Cancer Research UK, has launched the Cancer Impact Club, a community of business builders whose philanthropy, expertise and networks will help shape the future of cancer treatment. The club has recruited 13 members already, raising £1.3m of its £5m target.
Advances in biomedical understanding, technology and machine learning have brought us to the threshold of a golden age of scientific discovery. However, far too many potentially breakthrough innovations are lost in the funding gap between cutting-edge academic cancer research and a start-up becoming ready for commercial investment. The Cancer Research Horizons Seed Fund was launched in June 2022 to tackle this challenge, with a £15m commitment from Cancer Research UK. Managed by Cancer Research Horizons’ Ventures team, the Seed Fund accelerates early-stage treatments, devices and solutions into patient impact through funding, business building support and expert advice.
The Cancer Impact Club aims to bring together a maximum of 50 members – comprising entrepreneurs and leaders from private equity, venture capital, and associated companies – by the end of 2025 to raise £5m, to help double the Seed Fund’s impact. Members commit to a donation of £100,000 over three years, with every £1 donated matched by £1 from the Seed Fund to be invested in high-potential cancer ventures.
Early members of the club include founding member Darren Redmayne (former CEO of Cardano and a senior volunteer at Cancer Research UK), Richard Anthony (CEO of Evercore Private Funds), Dale Lattanzio (Managing Partner at DRC Savills), Robert Easton (former partner at Carlyle, now an advisor at Melior Equity Partners), Katherine Priestley (Founder and Managing Director of Park Vale Capital), Alison Howe (former Founder and Managing Director, Strategic Consultants International), and Christiian Marriott (former Head of Investor Relations at Equistone Partners). There are currently 13 Cancer Impact Club members in total. Cancer Research Horizons aims to close with its target 50 members by October 2025.
“The launch of the Cancer Impact Club marks a significant step forward in our mission to bridge the funding gap that too often stalls early-stage breakthroughs. By uniting visionary philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, the Club will amplify the impact of our Seed Fund, ensuring that high-potential cancer ventures have the resources and expertise needed to transform cancer treatment,” said Iain Foulkes, CEO of Cancer Research Horizons and Executive Director of Research and Innovation, Cancer Research UK. “Together, we can accelerate the journey from scientific discovery to life-saving solutions, changing the future for those affected by cancer.”
Together with a recent £10m donation from Garfield Weston Foundation, the launch of the Cancer Impact Club brings Cancer Research Horizons closer to its £30m target for the Seed Fund.
Darren Redmayne, a senior volunteer for Cancer Research UK, who was key to developing the Cancer Impact Club proposal, said: “Joining the Cancer Impact Club is an exciting opportunity to support turning scientific breakthroughs into tests, treatments and devices that will benefit patients. By collaborating with a like-minded community of entrepreneurial individuals and leveraging our collective expertise, we can help bring transformative ideas to life. If the ground-breaking ventures the Seed Fund backs succeed, they will deliver treatments that don’t currently exist to cancer patients, and that could have a game-changing impact on countless lives.”
