WhiteHat Jr founder Karan Bajaj’s health tech startup Complement 1 raises $16-million seed round

WhiteHat Jr founder Karan Bajaj’s health tech startup Complement 1 raises $16 million seed round

Complement 1, WhiteHat Jr founder Karan Bajaj’s new health tech startup, has raised $16 million in a seed funding round led by Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures. The company, which was in stealth mode until now, offers a tech-enabled lifestyle modification platform for cancer patients and high-risk individuals.

Alongside Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures, several healthcare-focused angel investors also participated in the round.

The funds will be used to scale operations in the US, expand coaching infrastructure, enhance AI-driven personalisation engine and partner with cancer centres, health plans, and employers, Complement 1 said in a statement.

This is Bajaj’s third entrepreneurial venture. After exiting WhiteHat Jr in August 2021, a year after its $300 million acquisition by Byju's, he launched Leap 300 in March 2023, where he continues to serve as founder and CEO.

“Lifestyle change is one of the most powerful yet underused tools in cancer care,” Bajaj said in a statement.

“Every oncologist will tell you patients need more support incorporating clinically recommended physical activity, nutrition and mind-body practices. We’ve cracked the code on daily engagement with personalised, compassionate coaching — helping patients make meaningful, lasting improvements during and beyond treatment,” he added.

Founded in 2024, Complement 1 delivers daily personalised coaching to cancer patients through dedicated “CoActive Coaches.”

The platform integrates clinically validated lifestyle interventions — across physical activity, nutrition, and mind-body practices — tailored to cancer type, treatment stage, and personal preferences. It claims to improve adherence to healthy behaviors and reduce treatment side effects.

According to the company, clinical trials show that users experience 37 percent fewer treatment side effects, 18 percent less pain, and 27 percent better sleep, with adherence rates of over 90 percent. It also claims to help reduce cancer-related healthcare costs by up to 30 percent for insurers and employers.

“This funding allows us to scale that impact by investing further in our AI systems to ensure consistency, personalization, and quality at scale. It’s a hybrid approach: high-tech infrastructure matched with high-touch delivery—designed specifically for the complexity of cancer care,” said Trupti Mukker, co-founder and COO, Complement 1.

Said Amit A. Patel, Managing Director at Owl Ventures: “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 personalization and education with high-touch CoActive Coaching focused on physical activity, somatic and nutrition human guidance to solve a critical gap in oncology."

Bajaj is not the only edtech founder to have branched out to launch a startup in a new sector.

Earlier this year, Moneycontrol reported that UpGrad co-founder Mayank Kumar launched Borderplus, a cross-border talent mobility platform, which raised $7 million in funding. The company also acquired German healthcare recruitment firm Onea Care as part of its international expansion strategy.