William Polkinghorn

William Polkinghorn is an accomplished medical professional and entrepreneur who co-founded and served as CEO of Driver, a healthcare technology startup. Here are key details about his background and career:

Education and Early Career

Polkinghorn received his undergraduate degree from Colby College in 1999.4 He then attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar from 1999 to 2001, followed by medical school at Harvard from 2001 to 2006.4

After completing his medical training, Polkinghorn worked as a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.1 During his time there, he split his work between research and patient care.

Founding of Driver

In 2014, Polkinghorn left his position at Memorial Sloan Kettering to co-found Driver with his Harvard Medical School classmate Petros Giannikopoulos.1 The company's mission was to create a consumer platform that would connect cancer patients with clinical trials and treatment options.

Driver aimed to revolutionize cancer care by:

• Allowing patients to upload medical records and tissue sample information
• Providing access to treatments across a network of over 30 cancer centers
• Using technology to match patients with appropriate clinical trials

The company raised between $90-100 million in venture capital funding and launched publicly in September 2018.2

Challenges and Closure

Despite its ambitious goals and high-profile backers, Driver faced significant challenges:

• The business model, which charged patients $3,000 for tumor sequencing and a $20 monthly subscription, proved difficult to sustain.2
• Patient sign-ups were in the single digits, indicating low traction for the service.2
• The company attempted to do too much at once, running pathology labs and apps for both doctors and patients in the U.S. and China.2

As a result, Driver ran out of money and shut down in October 2018, just weeks after its public launch.3 The company laid off all of its approximately 85 employees.3

Current Role

After Driver's closure, Polkinghorn moved on to co-found and become CEO of a new company called Need, based in Santa Monica, California. He has held this position since May 2019.4

Throughout his career, Polkinghorn has demonstrated a commitment to improving cancer care through innovative approaches, despite the challenges faced in his entrepreneurial endeavors.