Ahead of the TechStars Sydney ‘Demo the Future’ evening on December 8, Startup Daily is profiling the 12 startups and their founders in the 2025 cohort.
Our next profile is OncoRevive – a health-tech startup which detects cancer early, leading to vastly improved patient outcomes.
OncoRevive
Founders: Dr. Mohammad Tavakkoli and Dr. Samira Sadeghi
One-liner: Detect cancer, for everyone, everywhere
Why did Techstars invest?
“When I invest, I look for founding teams that have an outsized strength. It usually falls into one of five areas: team, traction, 10x better product, unique vision, invention,” Christie Jenkins, the Managing Director of Techstars Sydney explains.
“OncoRevive have two standout strengths, which is why I feel incredibly lucky to back them. Between two co-founders who each hold a PhD from a top 10 university globally – plus Mohammad being in the top two per cent of researchers worldwide—and together having developed a product that is 10x better, they’re exceptional.”
The future of cancer detection
“What if we didn’t have to cure cancer?” asks Mohammad. “What if we just had to catch it early enough that it is never a deadly problem?” It’s a completely different way of considering the disease that one in five people experience during their life. Today, over 19.3 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year, and nearly 10 million die from it.”
“They die because we catch it too late,” adds Samira.
“Early detection doesn’t just save lives. It preserves quality of life, reduces treatment intensity, and lessens the emotional and financial toll on families and healthcare systems.”
Cancer detection in 10 years
“It will be a simple blood test that’s part of your normal health routine. And we will be able to see cancer before you get a single symptom,” says Mohammad.
“That’s the individual’s experience. To make that happen we’re transitioning from tests that look for a single biomarker, to the ability to analyse for multiple biological layers – DNA, proteins, glycans, and metabolites – from a single blood sample.
The problem today
Imagine walking into your doctor’s office and they say the “C” word: Cancer.
They suspect it, but they’ll need to take a piece of the tumour and run extensive tests to be sure. And that sample doesn’t represent the whole tumour either. To get a clearer picture, they’ll also need a blood test.
That blood test will cost you $4,000, and you’ll wait two weeks for the results. Two weeks that the cancer has to grow.
“Current blood tests for cancer are far out of reach for many patients and healthcare systems,” a surgeon said.
“Those two weeks can feel like the longest weeks of your life,” said Samira. “Cancer doesn’t affect just one person; it impacts entire families, communities, and economies.”
“The cost and delay are also problematic for people who know they have cancer. They can’t afford to test to see if their treatment is working, or if a different approach might work better for them,” adds Mohammad.
How does it work?
OncoRevive has developed a simple blood test that allows hospitals, cancer care centers, and pathology labs to detect and monitor cancer biomarkers quickly and accurately.
“It fits into existing lab workflows, so hospitals don’t need to buy expensive equipment or specialist training,” explains Mohammad.
“Pathology teams simply process the sample, and our AI-powered software automatically analyses the results, delivering a detailed report to the doctor within two hours.”
We asked the founders how OncoRevive compares to existing methods. They speak matter-of-factly about their results, but it’s a breakthrough in the field.
“Our product is four times cheaper than existing tests, and 20 times faster to get results. Two hours instead of two weeks,” Mohammad said.
That’s the headline. And it’s impressive enough on its own.
“We’re also three times more comprehensive since we look at multiple types of cancer biomarkers, giving doctors a more detailed view of disease progression,” he added.
“And we’re 20 times less capital intensive as hospitals and pathology labs can use a commercially available $50K instrument to process tests, not a multi-million dollar sequencing machine.”
The most important lesson from Techstars Sydney
“Being part of this cohort and working with like-minded people was a privilege for me,” Mohammad said.
“Techstars taught us that building a biotech startup is as much about people as it is about science. We learned to articulate our story, refine our customer discovery, and measure progress not just in R&D milestones, but in clarity of vision, belief, alignment, and trust.”
What’s the long-term ambition?
OncoRevive is starting with breast cancer – which remains one of the most prevalent and life-threatening cancers worldwide.
“Breast cancer affects half of humanity, directly or indirectly. We all come into this world through women, and their health forms the foundation of every family, every community, every life. That’s why our mission begins here,” Mohammad said.
“After that, we’ll expand our platform to detect and monitor other major cancers – including lung, colorectal, prostate, and ovarian.” adds Samira.
“Ultimately, our vision is to deliver universal cancer screening and personalised treatment guidance – transforming cancer care from reactive to preventive. We aim to build a world where a simple blood test can detect cancer early, guide the right therapy, and give everyone, everywhere, a fair chance at life.”
How you can help
OncoRevive are preparing to start their first clinical study with hospitals in both Australia and the US in the next 12 months.
They are seeking hospitals and oncologists to partner with to complete this clinical validation.
- See OncoRevive and the Techstars startups in action at Demo the Future, Monday December 8, 5-8pm. Details here.
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