Award winning company partners with three of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies, to scale its patient-first digital platform
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Manta Cares, an award winning digital health company transforming the cancer experience, today announced its official launch. Manta Cares offers a free, HIPAA-compliant digital platform that helps patients and their care partners navigate the complexity of cancer—from tracking symptoms, medications, and appointments, to treatment decisions, and everyday logistics. More than 8,000 individuals have already used Manta to bring structure, clarity, and confidence to a time that often feels anything but.
Manta's clinical strategy is led by Dr. Doug Blayney, former President of ASCO and the company's Chief Medical Officer, who brings decades of experience improving cancer care delivery. He also oversees a team of 100+ medical experts to ensure that all content and insights in the Manta Cares platform are clinically validated.
Founder and CEO Samira Daswani, a breast cancer survivor and entrepreneur, built Manta to solve a problem she knew firsthand. "We often talk about 'fighting cancer,' but the truth is, we're up against two battles—one against the disease and one against a system that was never designed for patients," said Daswani. "Manta exists so people don't have to fight both at once."
Samira's career spans consulting at McKinsey & Company, company-building in healthcare venture capital, and executive leadership in diagnostics as VP of Product at Visby Medical, where she launched a multimillion-dollar infectious disease test. She is also a recognized voice in oncology innovation, having spoken at ASCO, ASCO Quality Care Symposium (QCS), and NCODA on patient experience, care fragmentation, and the future of patient-centered design. Samira holds degrees from MIT, Wellesley College, and a master's in healthcare design from Stanford. That multidisciplinary lens, combining science, systems thinking, and lived experience, shapes how Manta approaches product, partnerships, and impact.
A digital Platform for Patients—Designed by Patients, backed by the world's leading oncologists
Instead of adding more complexity, Manta simplifies what matters most. Its core features include:
- A collaborative appointment notebook to log questions, notes, and follow-ups in one accessible and organized place
- Built-in tools for tracking symptoms and medications, making it easier to share accurate updates with care teams
- A proprietary interactive cancer map that helps users understand where they are in their cancer, what comes next, and what decisions lie ahead
- Built-in tools for tracking symptoms and medications, making it easier to share accurate updates with care teams
- Expert-reviewed insights & resources, curated with input from over 100 oncologists, nurses, and navigators
- Support for real-life barriers like financial stress, mental health strain, and insurance confusion
"Manta doesn't offer glossy dashboards or 'wellness inspiration.' It gives people the tools they actually need" said Daswani. "This is the roadmap I wish I had when I was diagnosed."
Backed by Leading Investors and Partners
Manta's seed round was led by Pear VC, early investors in Doordash, Guardant Health, and other breakout healthcare and consumer companies. "Samira and the Manta team are tackling one of the most quietly devastating gaps in healthcare—with humility, urgency, and a rare precision," said Mar Hershenson, Managing Partner at Pear VC. "They're not building another health tech tool—they're creating something that truly puts patients first as they manage the chaos of cancer."
What makes Manta unique is that it deeply understands the business of healthcare. Creating a patient-first platform and scaling it requires redesigning the cancer ecosystem - including pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, healthcare systems and non-profits. In some cases, the incentives from a business lens aren't aligned with patient values. That's what Manta is re-designing, starting with innovative collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies.
Manta Cares is collaborating with 3 of the top 15 pharmaceutical manufacturers, 8 different health systems, and 40 different patient advocacy groups. Each partnership reflects a common belief: support shouldn't begin and end in the clinic. By integrating Manta's tools into patient education and engagement programs, these organizations are helping ensure that care extends beyond prescriptions to meet the needs of real life.
Manta Cares is a graduate of CancerX, the AARP AgeTech Collaborative, and the PharmStars, and remains active in each community's broader network. The company also has distribution partnerships with leading academic hospitals and health systems such as Stanford. The company was recently honored with two national patient-selected awards—Advocate Health's #LovedOneStandard Award and the Corinne Leach Patient Experience Award at the CancerX Accelerator Showcase—both recognizing Manta's impact in delivering care grounded in empathy and dignity. Its podcast, Patient from Hell, also received a 2025 Digital Health Award (Bronze) for excellence in health education.
Over the past year, the company has doubled its pharmaceutical collaborations and expanded its reach through new clinical and advocacy collaborations. Manta is now broadening its platform across additional cancer types and scaling its team across product, partnerships, and clinical engagement.
Building for the Long Haul
Manta is adding patients & carepartners to the platform on a daily basis. Manta has already helped 8,000 patients & families actively dealing with cancer. Manta is also expanding partnerships with clinicians, cancer centers and health systems, providing them with the necessary tools to help their patients.
"We're not here to replace care teams—we're here to complement and support them," said Dr. Blayney. "Daswani's masters' thesis was on clinician burnout, and as a clinician who practiced for 40+ years, I've been there. What makes Manta unique is that we understand both sides. Because the systems are so fundamentally broken, patients are making hundreds of decisions in the dark, and clinicians often don't have the time or tools to bridge those gaps. Manta helps fill that space, giving patients structure and clarity, while giving providers confidence that their patients are supported between visits. We are redesigning the experience of cancer. Period."
To learn more or try the platform, visitwww.mantacares.com—it's free, secure, and built by people who've been there.
About Manta Cares
Manta Cares is a patient-first digital health company redesigning the cancer experience. Founded by a cancer survivor, Manta offers a free, HIPAA-compliant platform that helps patients and their care partners track symptoms, medications, appointments, and decisions—bringing clarity and structure to a deeply fragmented system. Designed in collaboration with over 100 medical professionals and validated by thousands of users, Manta is trusted by leading healthcare organizations and partners, including three of the top 15 pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by Pear VC, Sozo Ventures, 1843 Capital and strategic angels across oncology, health tech, and patient advocacy. Learn more at www.mantacares.com.
Media Contact
Amber Moore, Moore Communications, 1 5039439381, [email protected], Moore Communications
SOURCE Manta Cares
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