Maor Shlomo Launches Private Fund to Invest in Cancer-Fighting Startups After $100M Exit

Maor Shlomo, who sold his startup BASE44 to Wix for nearly $100 million last year, has announced the creation of a private investment fund dedicated to cancer research and treatment development. The 32-year-old entrepreneur shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the loss of his mother to cancer four months ago motivated him to allocate part of his exit proceeds to this new fund, which currently remains unnamed. Although he did not disclose the exact amount invested, Shlomo revealed he has already backed seven promising companies and plans to continue investing as his liquidity allows.

Shlomo emphasized the urgent need for breakthroughs in cancer treatment, noting that about 40% of people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and roughly one-third of those will not survive. He expressed a personal connection to the cause, saying, "Since my mother passed away, not a day goes by without me thinking of her." He believes that despite advances in technology and artificial intelligence, cancer drug development has not progressed sufficiently.

According to Shlomo, future bottlenecks will focus on real-world drug testing, while AI-driven research phases will accelerate dramatically. He highlighted AI's potential to generate a vast number of drug candidates by designing molecules at unprecedented speeds, but stressed the challenge lies in efficiently producing and testing these AI-generated ideas. Shlomo is particularly interested in startups involved in "cloud services for drug development."

He also reassured Wix investors that he remains primarily focused on BASE44, which benefits the startups he supports by providing AI tools and software. Shlomo sold BASE44 to Wix for an initial $80 million, a figure that grew due to the company's strong performance. He was the sole employee and only 31 years old at the time of sale, having founded the company just six months earlier after completing extended military reserve service starting October 7.