Elephas Biosciences
Series C+Raised Since FeaturedCancer's worst enemy
Oncology imaging platform that predicts patient response to immunotherapy using live tumor biopsies within 72 hours.
About
Elephas Biosciences develops an oncology imaging diagnostics platform that predicts whether cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy — a critical question since only 1 in 3 patients receiving frontline immunotherapy obtain a response. The platform works by treating live patient biopsies with intact native tumor architecture using potential therapies, then visualizing immune cell activity including T cell activation and cytotoxic-mediated killing through advanced metabolic imaging. Unlike traditional biomarkers that rely on static molecular snapshots, Elephas captures the dynamic interplay between tumor cells and the immune system in real time, delivering predictive results within 72 hours of biopsy. Founded in 2020 by Maneesh K. Arora — who spent a decade as COO of Exact Sciences, helping grow it from 3 employees to over 3,000 — Elephas has raised $116.5M across multiple rounds and established a multi-year research collaboration with Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. The company is preparing to launch the Elephas Live Platform as a laboratory-developed test (LDT) in 2026.
DailyDropout Take
Elephas stood out as a rare biotech play with a founder who had already built a diagnostics giant — Maneesh Arora helped scale Exact Sciences from 3 people to 3,000+ as COO before founding Elephas to tackle immunotherapy's biggest problem: predicting which patients will actually respond. Their live-tissue imaging approach is a fundamentally different bet than the genomic-only playbook most competitors run, and the Mayo Clinic partnership validates the science at the highest level.
Discovery signal: Elite founder pedigree (Exact Sciences COO), novel live-tissue functional imaging approach in a market dominated by static genomic tests, strong institutional investor backing from ARCH and Northpond.
What Makes Them Unique
Unlike genomic-only diagnostics that analyze static molecular markers, Elephas captures live immune cell behavior in intact tumor tissue — visualizing real-time T cell activation and tumor killing — providing a functional readout that static biomarkers cannot match.
$116.5M
Total Raised
~33% (industry problem)
Immunotherapy Response Rate
72 hours from biopsy
Platform Turnaround
Target Markets
Founders
Maneesh K. Arora
Founder & CEO
Previously served as COO of Exact Sciences for 10 years, helping grow the company from 3 employees to over 3,000. Also served as CEO of Farcast Biosciences before founding Elephas in 2020.
Key People
Previously: 25+ years in oncology and genomics
Advisors
Former acting U.S. Surgeon General
Funding History
Lead: ARCH Venture Partners
Lead: Northpond Ventures
Lead: Northpond Ventures
Lead: Venture Investors Health Fund & SWIB
Investors
Firms
Press & News
Elephas Announces $55 Million in Series C Funding
Elephas to Collaborate with Mayo Clinic to Advance Development of Oncology Imaging Diagnostics Platform
Madison-based biotech firm Elephas Biosciences raises $55 million
New cancer imaging startup harnesses Wisconsin expertise