# Driver

> Driver was a physician-founded cancer-care platform that combined tumor analysis, medical-record collection, treatment and clinical-trial matching, expert review, and hospital referrals in one patient app. It assembled more than 30 prominent cancer centers and raised approximately $90 million, but its direct-to-consumer offer - $3,000 upfront and $20 a month - attracted only a handful of paying users. The company laid off roughly 85 employees in October 2018, barely a month after its public launch, after a new financing round failed to materialize.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Dr. William R. Polkinghorn (Co-founder and CEO), Dr. Petros Giannikopoulos (Co-founder and President)
- **Products:** Driver patient app, Driver clinician app, Molecular pathology and record processing, Treatment navigation and ongoing care
- **Notable:** Built a network of more than 30 prominent cancer centers across the United States, China, and Singapore., Co-launched publicly in the United States and China in September 2018., Built both patient and clinician applications plus automated molecular-pathology capacity in the United States and China.

## Products & services

- **Driver patient app** — Collected consent, medical records, and tumor samples; returned matched standard-of-care treatments and clinical trials; enabled expert video review and hospital referrals.
- **Driver clinician app** — Gave participating clinicians access to trial inventory and patient-management tools within Driver's treatment-matching network.
- **Molecular pathology and record processing** — Automated laboratories in the United States and China analyzed tumor material and combined the results with acquired medical records for treatment matching.
- **Treatment navigation and ongoing care** — Driver arranged specialist reviews and appointments, transferred patient information, and monitored patients after treatment enrollment.

## Achievements

- Built a network of more than 30 prominent cancer centers across the United States, China, and Singapore.
- Co-launched publicly in the United States and China in September 2018.
- Built both patient and clinician applications plus automated molecular-pathology capacity in the United States and China.
- A validation study with NCI found that Driver's technology could predict eligibility for clinical trials at NCI's Center for Cancer Research.
- Raised approximately $90 million in private funding led by Horizons Ventures.

## Latest updates

- **2017-04** — Driver's beta app became available; hundreds of patients later used it largely at the company's expense.
- **2018-09** — Driver publicly launched in the United States and China with a $3,000 activation fee and $20 monthly charge.
- **2018-10** — After failing to secure new financing, Driver laid off its approximately 85-person workforce and effectively ceased operations.
- **2019-05** — A BMJ Open review recorded the Driver app as unavailable during its September 2018 to May 2019 study period.

## Links

- Website: https://www.driver.xyz
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/driverinc
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/driverinc
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/driverinc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/driver
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-25