Portrait No. 001
Derfogail Delcassian
Founder & CEO
Archer Therapeutics
Raised — Currently in a raise
I was working at a cancer research centre when my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was devastated when I realized that if someone else commercialized the new medicines I was inventing in the laboratory, they’d probably be too expensive for our family to afford. I decided something had to change in the way we make treatments accessible for patients. So, I started Archer Therapeutics. We’re the first biotech company completely supported by philanthropists, dedicated to developing low-cost cancer therapies for patients.
In her words
“I walked into my first pitch 8.5 months pregnant- with a vision for the future of cancer treatment and a hospital go-bag packed in the car.”
Chapter I
The toughest challenges you've faced as a founder.
When I first pitched my idea for the company, I was 8.5 months pregnant. I walked into that meeting with swollen ankles, a hospital-go bag packed in the car, and a vision for the future of cancer care. I walked out with a team of investors who donated $1 million to help us deliver affordable medicines to cancer patients. Growing a company at the same time as growing my family has been a wild ride. I’m dedicated to nurturing both. As an immigrant, I don’t have a huge family support network here, so I’m often juggling late night feeds with early morning emails and midnight family phone calls to stay connected at work and home. I thought about waiting a few years to start Archer Therapeutics, then realized there are families out there waiting for affordable therapies like ours. It’s a long process and there’s no time to waste, so let’s start now.
Chapter II
Your vision.
Making new medicines takes decades, and when they are finally available for the public, they are often too expensive for ordinary people to afford. With our community funded approach, we plan to deliver new, affordable medicines for patients. It will be a long road- it will likely take us years to take these new medicines through clinical trials and get them out to patients. When we get there, I hope we can deliver a new model for socially minded businesses, one that benefits both people and profit.
Chapter III
The impact you want to leave behind — for your industry, your community, and the women who come next.
I’d like the world to see that people and profits can succeed hand-in-hand through social entrepreneurship. Our goal is to develop next generation cancer medicines that are truly affordable. As the first biotech supported by ethical investment and community funding, I hope this model becomes a catalyst for other biotech companies.