Women-led cancer support platform secures £3.4m investment

The London-based cancer support platform Perci Health has secured £3.4m in funding to expand its services and accelerate growth.

The platform, which gives people access to multidisciplinary, long-term, supportive care throughout their cancer journey, will use the funding to invest into its technology roadmap, expand its team and grow access for cancer patients through new partnerships.

In the last few decades there have been radical improvements in cancer survival driven by innovation in screening, diagnostics, and novel cancer therapies.

However, innovation in the aftercare of cancer patients has lagged behind.

For many years the long-term support provided to people with cancer has required further funding, and innovation.

Charities such as Macmillan who have been spearheading this movement, have highlighted the gap in service provision for decades, with cancer patients describing a sense of “abandonment” once their treatment ends.

Perci’s says it aims to challenge the status quo for those living with cancer and change perceptions about life after treatment.

The platform offers personalised programmes, including support across the whole cancer continuum, from preparing for treatment to support during treatment, recovery, rehabilitation and return to work.

“In the UK, 1,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every day and of those, 36 per cent are of working age,” says Kelly McCabe, Perci co-founder and CEO.

“There is little-to-no support focused on helping to remain in or return to work post cancer-treatment, even for those with comprehensive medical insurance.

“People who survive their cancers feel lost in transition. They can’t get the care they need, find the healthcare system confusing and uncoordinated, and continue to suffer with the late and long-term effects of curative cancer treatments.

“At Perci, with our growing team of specialists, we’re on a mission to change that.”

The start-up found initial success by unlocking innovative reimbursement models through employers and insurers and is now exploring how best to support NHS treatment facilities.

“Over the past year, we’ve been able to support many people affected by cancer to access high quality, one-to-one clinical care, delivered by an incredible community of cancer specialists who are typically hard to access outside of the UK’s large cancer centres,” McCabe explains.

“Investment from Octopus Ventures is validation of the size and importance of the problem we are trying to solve and our approach blending the very best of technology and human-experts to create a scalable, sustainable healthcare model.”

Chantal Cox, investor at Octopus Ventures, says: “We want to back people and ideas that will change the world for the better.

“With Kelly and Morgan’s extensive global experience and network in cancer care and brand marketing respectively, we recognise that they have the potential to have a major impact in holistic cancer care for both survivors and their loved ones.

“We were impressed with their dedication and approach to human-centric care which goes the extra mile from diagnosis and beyond.”

She adds: “I look forward to continuing to work with Morgan, Kelly, and the wider team as I join the board and Perci Health becomes part of the Octopus Ventures family”.