WhiteHat Jr. Founder Karan Bajaj Raises $16 Million for Cancer Care Startup Complement1

Karan Bajaj, the entrepreneur behind the now-defunct edtech platform WhiteHat Jr., has secured $16 million in seed funding for Complement1, a cancer care startup focusing on personalised lifestyle coaching in the United States. The funding round was led by Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures, with participation from other investors.

Complement1 aims to provide clinically validated lifestyle interventions—encompassing nutrition, sleep, stress management, and physical activity—for cancer patients and individuals at high risk. The platform offers daily, personalized guidance through one-on-one support from dedicated CoActive Coaches, integrating evidence-based lifestyle modifications into cancer care.

“Every oncologist will tell you patients need more support incorporating clinically recommended physical activity, nutrition and mind-body practices. We’ve cracked the code on daily engagement with personalized, compassionate coaching—helping patients make meaningful, lasting improvements during and beyond treatment," Bajaj said in a statement.

Bajaj's journey to this new venture follows his tenure at WhiteHat Jr., an online educational company he founded in 2018 to teach coding to children aged 6 to 14. The company gained rapid popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to aggressive marketing campaigns that claimed students could become app developers. These advertisements created a sense of urgency among parents but were later criticised for being misleading. In October 2020, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) flagged several of WhiteHat Jr.'s advertisements as misleading and requested their removal. The company also faced backlash for filing defamation lawsuits against critics, which were subsequently withdrawn.

In August 2020, WhiteHat Jr. was acquired by BYJU'S for $300 million. Post-acquisition, Bajaj led BYJU'S International division, launching programs in multiple languages for students in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. He departed from the company in August 2021. Amid rising losses and growing regulatory scrutiny, BYJU'S eventually decided to shut down WhiteHat Jr. in 2023 as part of a broader cost-cutting effort.

Following his exit from WhiteHat Jr., Bajaj engaged in various personal and professional pursuits. He founded a poverty-alleviation NGO and also embarked on an 800-kilometer pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago. In his blog, Bajaj described the pilgrimage as a transformative experience that deepened his spiritual beliefs and offered profound personal insights.

Beyond his entrepreneurial endeavors, Bajaj is an accomplished author and yogi. He has written several novels, including "Keep Off The Grass," "Johnny Gone Down," and "The Seeker," which explore themes of self-discovery and spiritual quests. His works have been recognized for their engaging narratives and have been optioned for movie adaptations.

The venture also comes amid a broader reckoning in India’s startup ecosystem, where questions of sustainability, governance, and consumer protection have gained urgency following a series of high-profile flameouts. WhiteHat Jr.’s rise and fall is often cited as a cautionary tale of hypergrowth fueled by aggressive marketing, only to be undone by operational and reputational issues.

With $16 million in backing and a focus on a different sector, Bajaj’s latest move will likely be closely watched—not just for its product promise but for how it handles the lessons of his past entrepreneurial chapter.

"As validated by clinical trials, Complement 1 members report 37% fewer treatment side effects, 18% less pain, and 27% better sleep—all while achieving an over 90% adherence rate among users. Meanwhile, the platform helps health plans, employers, and providers reduce costs for cancer patients—by up to 30%," says a statement by the company.

Complement1 claims that early actuarial modeling indicates that its approach could lead to a 30% reduction in healthcare costs across cancer patients and high-risk individuals by supporting lifestyle adherence at scale.