WhitehatJr founder’s healthcare startup Complement 1 raises $16 million funding from Owl Ventures, others

WhiteHat Jr

founder

Karan Bajaj

’s new

healthtech startup Complement 1

has raised $16 million in a

seed funding

round led by global venture capital fund

Owl Ventures

and early-stage investor

Blume Ventures

The round also saw participation from healthcare-focused angel investors.

The funds will be used for scaling its coaching infrastructure and operations across the US, advancing its personalisation engine, product development and partnering with cancer centres, health plans, and employers.

Founded in 2024 by Bajaj and former chief executive of WhiteHat Jr Trupti Mukker, the US-headquartered company offers a lifestyle modification platform tailored for cancer patients and individuals at high risk, providing personalised daily support and education through dedicated one-on-one coaching.

Its users experience 37 per cent fewer treatment side effects, an 18 per cent reduction in pain, and a 27 per cent improvement in sleep, with over 90 per cent of users consistently following the programme.

“Lifestyle change is one of the most powerful yet underused tools in cancer care. We’ve cracked the code on daily engagement with personalised, compassionate coaching—helping patients make meaningful, lasting improvements during and beyond treatment,” Bajaj said.

Bajaj had left the Byju’s-owned company, a year after the online coding tutor was acquired in an all-cash deal worth $300 million in 2020, marking its entry into the computer code learning segment, with a focus on high school and college students. Mukker who was the head of customer experience and delivery had replaced Bajaj as the CEO of WhiteHat Jr.

Commenting on the investment, Amit A Patel, managing director at Owl Ventures, said, “With rising cancer incidence rates, Complement 1 is creating a revolutionary new model to improve global cancer outcomes. We were impressed by the team’s ability to combine high-tech personalisation and education with high-touch CoActive Coaching focused on physical activity, somatic and nutrition human guidance to solve a critical gap in oncology.”