ACS BrightEdge Receives $5.25M Gift from Lyda Hill Philanthropies to Establish Oncology Start Up Accelerator in Texas

BrightEdge LLC, the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) venture capital and impact investment arm, received its largest donation to date from Dallas-based  Lyda Hill Philanthropies to establish the ACS BrightEdge Texas Accelerator, a two-year pilot innovation acceleration program hub. The $5.25M gift will allow for the funding of translational research grants and early-stage equity investments in emerging oncology start-up companies.

“We are excited to launch this first-of-its-kind program with Lyda Hill Philanthropies,” said Alice Pomponio, vice president of innovation and impact investing and managing director of BrightEdge. “This transformational gift establishes our first regional accelerator designed to bring innovative ideas to market faster. By leveraging vibrant cancer research funding across public and nonprofit sectors, we hope to deepen patient-centric impact and drive towards a future where discovery conquers cancer.”