Leveraging Data and AI to Deliver on the Promise of Precision Medicine

Tempus set out to personalize patient care through the practical application of AI in healthcare. Now, the company that’s amassed one of the largest libraries of de-identified clinical and molecular data in the world is trading on the Nasdaq.

Eric Lefkofsky, the founder and CEO of Tempus, has spent the last few decades making sense of data in industries that have historically been slow to modernize. When his wife, Liz, was diagnosed with breast cancer, he was alarmed by how little data factored into her treatment plan. The experience had Eric fixated on how to connect the dots to enable doctors to deliver more personalized, empirical care. So, he did what serial entrepreneurs do, and began building. This time, with a vision for a healthcare system where physicians could make data-driven decisions for each patient in real time.

Alongside NEA, Revolution Growth was among the first institutional investors. We were confident in the market opportunity (healthcare, after all, is one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most ripe-for-disruption sectors) and drawn to the company’s mission of ensuring each patient benefits from the experience of those who came before them.

At the time, the company had about 50 employees. As Tempus scaled, our team helped make introductions to hospital systems and build out a board that now includes experts from across the scientific and medical community, including Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner, and Wayne Frederick, surgical oncologist and former president of Howard University. The team is now 2,300 employees strong with approximately 250 PhDs and MDs in its ranks.

The company has amassed and digitized one of the largest libraries of clinical and genomic data in the world through its partnerships with trusted healthcare institutions — a feat in itself. With its actionable (and continuously growing) data library and next-generation laboratories, sequencing tests, and AI engines, the company provides powerful insights to healthcare providers, life science companies, and researchers. And most importantly, its solutions have allowed more physicians to make data-driven, real-time decisions to optimize patient care.

Tempus’s platform has been used by 95% of today’s largest public pharmaceutical companies and more than 6,500 physicians across hundreds of provider networks. Its focus has extended beyond oncology to neuropsychiatry, radiology, and cardiology, with plans for global expansion across all major disease areas.

It’s been incredible to witness the progress Tempus has furthered in bridging the gap between tech and clinical care, connecting a fragmented healthcare ecosystem, and making precision medicine a reality for more people. Eric and his team have proven what a virtuous cycle of research, data, and machine learning can achieve — and the best part is they’re just getting started. We’re proud to have served as partners and advisors to Tempus along the way, and excited for what’s to come.