Early cancer detection startup Craif raises $22M

Cancer ranks as one of the top causes of death worldwide. The National Cancer Institute reported nearly 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million cancer-related deaths globally in 2022, with projections showing a rise to 29.9 million new cases by 2040. Craif, spun off from Nagoya University in Japan in 2018, is using microRNA(miRNA) to develop an AI-powered early cancer detection software, and it has raised $22 million in Series C funding to expand further into the U.S. market and bolster its R&D. Ryuichi Onose, co-founder and CEO of Craif, told TechCrunch in an interview that the company completed its Series C funding round with a valuation of just under $100 million. X&KSK, an existing investor, led the latest funding, which brings its total raised to $57 million to date, along with the U.S.-based investor Unreasonable Group, its first investment in a Japanese startup, TAUNS Laboratories, Daiwa House Industry and Aozora Bank Group. Craif’s journey started when Onose saw how dee ... Read full article.