Our Vision

The AIM-HI Accelerator Fund bridges the gap between innovative, early-stage cancer research and successful development of high-impact oncology products. Our integrated approach combines essential funding with development and business expertise, leading to successful oncology companies that bring forth new biomedical discoveries that create value and benefit society.

New approaches to treating cancer aren’t coming soon enough, and too few discoveries ever become new cancer treatments. Current estimates of the median cost of bringing a new oncology drug to market exceed $2.5 billion, and less than 1% of cancer laboratory breakthroughs ever become drugs in the clinics.

Breakthroughs in cancer research must be followed by years of clinical trials on human for safety and efficacy studies before these discoveries ever become new therapies to treat patients. However, before clinical trials can be conducted on humans, there are critically needed studies to generate data for proof-of-concept and proof-of-value. These are required of any new potential drug and technology in order to apply for their Initial New Drug (IND) application approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is the area of high risk and high failure where traditional funders won’t dare to invest, and it is known as the “Valley of Death.”

We need a PARADIGM shift in cancer research which addresses the lack of funding that scientists need to continue advancing their research through pre-IND phases required for FDA submission.

The AIM-HI Accelerator Fund is a new paradigm for funding cancer research and trialblazing entrepreneurs. We unlock the commercial potential of breakthrough research and biomedical innovation by leveraging immediately deployable venture philanthropy funding to provide seed funding and sustainable impact investment for oncology start-ups to bridge the “Valley of Death” and bring innovative new therapies, diagnostics and cancer prevention to patients.