On July 12, six top startup founders from Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, and Wharton competed in the Alumni Startup Challenge, hosted by the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council and held at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth in New York City. Vysioneer, a cutting-edge oncology AI solutions company, was awarded a top presentation of the evening by the judges, earning preferential consideration to present at upcoming pitch nights of Princeton Alumni Angels, Wharton Alumni Angels and Harvard Business School Alumni Angels. Meet the founder, Jen-Tang (JT) Lu *17, as he highlights Vysioneer’s inspiring journey, exciting visions, and the robust Princeton Entrepreneurship network.

Tumor progression is a crucial indicator to evaluate drug efficacy, but the current standard of tumor response assessment lacks granularity to address the variability of tumor response. Recognizing this problem, JT founded Vysioneer with a goal of finding the right treatment for the right patient by providing lesion-level insights. In just 18 months Vysioneer’s debut technology, VBrain, became the first AI tumor auto-contouring tool to receive FDA clearance. Now marking the company’s third year, Vysioneer has been widely trusted by pharmaceutical companies and cancer clinics with the AI solutions being used in both clinical practice and clinical trials. JT’s inspiring journey from a determined scientist to a mission-driven entrepreneur has deep roots in the Princeton ecosystem that helped translate his passion and research experience into startup ideas.

As a graduate student, JT took his first steps into the entrepreneurial world through various channels at Princeton. In 2016, his research on ultrasonic imaging won first place in the 10th Princeton Innovation Forum. Taking his work further, JT took part in Keller Center’s eLab program, where mentors and eLab staff helped him co-found Ultrasonyx. PEC and the eLab connected him to Princeton’s strong alumni network and exposed him to core entrepreneurial skills such as pitching, fundraising, and company management. JT also participated in Princeton entrepreneurship courses, taking the popular EGR 491 High-Tech Entrepreneurship class and later becoming a teaching assistant for EGR 497 Entrepreneurial Leadership. Looking at the growing entrepreneurship scene on campus, JT is happy that these resources are now more popular and accessible to students than ever.

After graduating from Princeton, JT joined Massachusetts General Hospital’s brand new AI center, where his program helped significantly increase efficiency and precision in radiology. Receiving positive feedback from his co-workers, JT searched for “the fastest and most effective way to make cutting edge technology applicable in real life” through entrepreneurship. In 2019, he founded Vysioneer, hoping to facilitate clinical trials for cancer drugs and to create the new standard for cancer treatment. The company is currently based in Boston and Taipei and is planning to expand its reach globally, entering the Japanese market next year and soon the European market.

Vysioneer has a team of talented professionals from all fields, including Princeton alumnus Lawrence Leighton ‘56 on the business advisory board. When asked about the secret behind Vysioneer’s rapid success, JT said the Vysioneer team is mission-driven. Everyone is willing to put in the hard work for a rewarding goal that “pays off in the long run.”