VeloSano

Name

VeloSano

Legal name

VeloSano

Website

https://impact.velosano.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Cancer Research Fundraising

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Fundraisers & Charity Events (Gala/Walks excluded) (MPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Cancer research fundraising
• Charitable donations
• Peer-to-peer fundraising events
• Medical research grants
• Nonprofit philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute directly to VeloSano cancer research funding. The organization promises that 100% of every dollar raised goes directly to cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.
2. Participant Fundraising: Riders, volunteers, and supporters raise funds through event participation including Bike to Cure, Trike & Bike, Florida for the Cure, and London for the Cure. Each participant fundraises personally to support cancer research.
3. Corporate Partner Contributions: Corporate sponsors at various levels (Founding, Supporting, Contributing, Spoke, Pedal) contribute to the VeloSano Growth Fund to support evolution and acceleration of the VeloSano movement and cancer research innovation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VeloSano is a year-round fundraising movement that mobilizes Riders, Participants, Volunteers, Donors, Partners, and Researchers to raise money for cancer research at Cleveland Clinic. It operates multiple peer-to-peer fundraising events (Bike to Cure, Trike & Bike, Florida for the Cure, London for the Cure) and channels 100% of participant-raised funds into cancer research grants (Pilot, Collaborative, and Trainee grants).

Product overview

VeloSano is a fundraising movement (not a technology product) that unites an unstoppable community of Riders, Participants, Volunteers, Donors, Partners and Researchers to cure cancer. The organization operates multiple fundraising event programs including Bike to Cure (annual flagship cycling event), Trike & Bike (pediatric event at the zoo), Florida for the Cure (pickleball), and London for the Cure (international cycling). All fundraising is directed to cancer research at Cleveland Clinic. VeloSano funds three types of research grants: Pilot Grants for new research ideas, Collaborative Grants requiring partnerships with outside institutions, and Trainee Grants for career development. Since 2014, VeloSano has raised over $95 million to fund 300+ cancer research projects. 100% of donations support lifesaving cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bike to Cure: VeloSano's flagship annual cycling fundraising event held in Cleveland, Ohio. Riders choose from routes of 12, 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles, plus the Guardians City Loop. 100% of funds raised support cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.
• Trike & Bike
• Florida for the Cure
• London for the Cure
• Champion for the Cure

Products and services

• Bike to Cure Annual flagship cycling fundraising event held in Cleveland where participants ride distances of 12, 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles (plus a 6-mile Guardians City Loop Ride) to raise funds for cancer research at Cleveland Clinic. 100% of dollars raised support cancer research.
• Trike & Bike Children's fundraising event at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for kids ages 3-10 who ride age-specific loops to fundraise for pediatric cancer research at Cleveland Clinic Children's. Has raised more than $1.8 million since 2018.
• Florida for the Cure Pickleball tournament held at The FORT in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, bringing together supporters and Cleveland Clinic caregivers to raise funds for cancer research.
• London for the Cure International cycling event where Cleveland Clinic London caregivers participate in the London to Brighton Ride to raise funds for cancer research.
• VeloSano Pilot Grants Seed funding mechanism that supports new cancer research ideas across 35+ cancer types, enabling researchers to generate preliminary data for larger external grants such as NIH/NCI awards.
• VeloSano Collaborative Grants Two-year grants that require Cleveland Clinic researchers to partner with outside institutions, expanding cancer research potential by bringing together collaborators for better treatments and cures.
• VeloSano Trainee Grants Funding mechanism that supports career development and training experience for researchers at different educational levels, encouraging pursuit of cancer research careers.
• VeloSano Victors Donor recognition program for individuals reaching $100,000 in cumulative giving, who are then recognized as VeloSano Victors and given the opportunity to name a VeloSano Pilot Grant.
• VeloSano Partners Program Corporate partnership program with tiered sponsorship levels (Founding, Supporting, Contributing, Spoke, Pedal) where contributions support the VeloSano Growth Fund, covering operational costs so 100% of participant-raised funds support cancer research.

Quantifiable outcome

• $95 million+ raised since 2014, funding 300+ cancer research projects
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered founding partner, supporting partner, contributing partner, spoke partner and core partner.

• Cleveland Guardiansfounding partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Cleveland Guardians, led by Chairman and CEO Paul Dolan, are a founding partner of VeloSano. The team formed early and committed to forming teams and supporting as sponsors. Cleveland Guardians employees participate in Bike to Cure events, with the team consistently ranking among top fundraisers.
• Kohl (The Riverside Company)founding partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Stewart Kohl, Co-CEO of The Riverside Company, provided the initial seed funding to bring VeloSano to life in 2014. He continues to serve on the VeloSano Steering Committee and is a top individual fundraiser, having raised over $189,000.
• Jones Daysupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025John Saada, Partner at Jones Day, joined as an early champion of VeloSano and continues to serve on the VeloSano Steering Committee. Jones Day employees actively participate in Bike to Cure with Team Jones Day consistently ranking among top fundraising teams.
• Adcomsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Adcom is a Supporting Partner of VeloSano, contributing to the VeloSano Growth Fund that supports evolution and acceleration of the VeloSano movement.
• Lexus of Clevelandsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Lexus of Cleveland is a Supporting Partner of VeloSano, supporting the cancer research fundraising movement.
• Amgencontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Amgen is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano's mission to accelerate cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.
• AstraZenecacontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025AstraZeneca is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano's cancer research funding initiatives.
• Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)contributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Bristol Myers Squibb is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research programs.
• Daiichi Sankyocontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Daiichi Sankyo is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano's cancer research mission.
• Genentechcontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Genentech is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research funding.
• Gileadcontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Gilead is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano's cancer research initiatives.
• Incytecontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Incyte is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research programs.
• Johnson & Johnson (J&J)contributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Johnson & Johnson is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano's mission to cure cancer through research.
• KeyBankcontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025KeyBank is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research fundraising.
• Lerner Foundationcontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Lerner Foundation is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research programs.
• Michelob Ultracontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Michelob Ultra is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano's fundraising events.
• Novartiscontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Novartis is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research funding.
• Pfizercontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Pfizer is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano's cancer research mission.
• Transdigmcontributing partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Transdigm is a Contributing Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research programs.
• AbbViespoke partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025AbbVie is a Spoke Partner supporting VeloSano's cancer research fundraising movement.
• Eli Lillyspoke partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Eli Lilly is a Spoke Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research initiatives.
• Regeneronspoke partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Regeneron is a Spoke Partner supporting VeloSano's mission to accelerate cancer research.
• Sanofispoke partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Sanofi is a Spoke Partner supporting VeloSano cancer research funding.
• Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (SOBI)spoke partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (SOBI) is a Spoke Partner supporting VeloSano's rare disease and cancer research focus.
• Cleveland Cliniccore partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025VeloSano is the fundraising movement of Cleveland Clinic, with all funds supporting cancer research at Cleveland Clinic locations worldwide. Cleveland Clinic provides the research infrastructure, scientists, and clinical capabilities that VeloSano funding enables.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pelotonia: Pelotonia is the closest direct peer: a multi-distance cycling fundraising movement (since 2008) that has raised $300M+ for cancer research at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Same event-driven model, single-institution beneficiary, 100% pass-through commitment, and community-of-riders positioning as VeloSano.
• Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC): PMC is the largest single athletic fundraising event in the US, raising $1B+ for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through multi-day cycling rides. Directly comparable to VeloSano in format (cycling fundraiser) and beneficiary model (single NCI-designated cancer center).
• Cycle for Survival: Founded by Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cycle for Survival runs indoor team cycling events funding rare cancer research. Directly comparable to VeloSano in cycling-based event fundraising for a single institution's cancer research.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: Founded by Jim Valvano, the V Foundation grants over $30M annually across multiple cancer research institutions via peer-reviewed grants. Comparable grantmaking mechanism (Pilot Grants) and donor base, though V Foundation is multi-institution versus VeloSano's single anchor.
• Jimmy Fund / Dana-Farber Giving: The Jimmy Fund is the fundraising arm of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, combining mass-participation events (walks, runs, rides) with direct donations. Structurally analogous as a hospital-affiliated cancer fundraising brand.
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Philanthropy: Fred Hutch's fundraising arm runs cycling and endurance events (Obliteride) raising $20M+/year for cancer research at a single NCI-designated center. Closely parallels VeloSano in event-driven, single-institution cancer research fundraising.
• Lustgarten Foundation: Lustgarten is the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research, with community walks and rides supporting research at multiple institutions. Comparable as a disease-focused cancer research fundraising nonprofit running mass-participation events.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: ACS is the largest US cancer nonprofit, running Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer as mass-participation fundraising events. Compares to VeloSano as a cancer charity with broad portfolio, but operates at national scale and multi-program funding versus VeloSano's focused single-institution model.
• Stand Up To Cancer: SU2C funds collaborative translational cancer research via Dream Teams across multiple institutions. Comparable as a cancer research grantmaker with strong entertainment-industry donor activation, but distributed funding model differs from VeloSano's single-anchor approach.
• Livestrong Foundation: Livestrong is an established cancer survivorship and fundraising brand, historically linked to the Lance Armstrong cycling legacy. Highly relevant brand adjacency for VeloSano's cycling-cancer positioning, though it has shifted toward patient support rather than research grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bikeVeloSano
• Facebookfacebook.com/velosano

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VeloSano