Why we built OncoKind
This is not a startup story. This is a life's work.
Cancer brings complexity — medical records, pathology reports, clinical trials, insurance denials, financial stress. OncoKind was built to bridge that gap — not from a boardroom, but from a waiting room.
The gap we fill
Pathology reports are written for specialists. Terms like "adenocarcinoma," "T2N1M0," and biomarker statuses can feel opaque and terrifying. We translate that into clear language — without oversimplifying — so you can prepare for conversations with your oncologist and explore relevant clinical trial options with confidence.
Our commitment to responsible AI in healthcare
We use AI to support understanding, not to replace medical judgment. Every summary passes our Empathy Filter: no survival statistics, no fear-based language, no deterministic claims. OncoKind is designed to help you prepare — your oncologist remains your primary guide.
Built for the family beside the patient
Most tools in this space are built for patients. OncoKind is built for the person sitting beside them — the adult child, the spouse, the sibling who became the caregiver. Entirely different emotional state. Different job to be done. Different support needed.
Our Principles
Compassion First
Every word we output is designed to support, not scare. The Empathy Filter runs on every output we generate — no exceptions.
Clinical Boundaries
We respect oncologists. We prepare families to work with them, not around them. OncoKind helps you show up ready — your care team makes the decisions.
Security by Design
Built with privacy at its core. No raw report data retained. Educational tool — not a covered entity.
Radical Transparency
We tell you exactly what we do, how we process your data, and how we protect it. See our full Trust Center for details.
Meet the Founder
Mike Nielson, Founder, OncoKind
Cancer has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I lost my grandmother at 9. My grandfather at 15. My dad had a kidney removed at 16. At 28, I lost my cousin — one month after his diagnosis.
And today, my mom is fighting Stage 4 metastatic cancer.
When she was diagnosed, I became her caregiver. I sat in appointments I didn't understand, went home and searched terms I couldn't pronounce, and felt completely alone in trying to help her.
Not alone in the sense that she wasn't there. Alone in the sense that the entire medical system — as good as it is in many ways — is built for the specialists, not for the family beside the patient. Pathology reports written for doctors. Information delivered without empathy. Families left to navigate alone.
I built OncoKind to change that. Not to replace oncologists — but to make sure no family ever sits in a waiting room without understanding what they're facing and what questions to ask.
Every feature in OncoKind exists because I needed it and couldn't find it.
This disease has taken so much from my family. It won't take clarity from yours.
— Mike Nielson, Founder
Moments that shaped this work
A life spent navigating cancer as a family — before OncoKind existed.
Lost his grandmother to cancer
His first experience of a family losing someone to cancer — the confusion, the grief, the feeling of helplessness.
Lost his grandfather to cancer
A second loss. Cancer was becoming a defining thread in his family's story.
Father had a kidney removed (kidney cancer)
This time, cancer came for someone who survived — but the experience of navigating the medical system as a teenager left a mark.
Lost his cousin, one month after diagnosis
More like a brother. The swiftness of the loss, and the lack of time to prepare or understand, drove home why clarity matters.
His mother: rare Stage 4 metastatic cancer
While serving as his mother's primary caregiver, Mike realized what was missing — not just in the medical system, but in every tool ever built for it.
This is where OncoKind was born.
This was built for your family, too.
Upload your first report free. Get clarity. Walk into your next appointment prepared.
Partner Spotlights
Future nonprofit and community partners
As OncoKind builds relationships with advocacy organizations, caregiver communities, and trusted nonprofit partners, approved logos and resource links will appear here.