Dragon Master Initiative

What Dragon Master Initiative does

Dragon Master Initiative is a Florida-domiciled nonprofit organization founded in 2012 by Amanda Haddock following the death of her son David from Glioblastoma Multiforme. Its stated mission is to find and accelerate cures for cancers by fostering collaboration and innovation, with a programmatic focus on pediatric brain cancer. The organization funds and supports CAVATICA, a free, open-access cloud-based platform built with Seven Bridges and the NIH Common Fund that allows researchers worldwide to share, search, and analyze pediatric tumor genomic data, currently the largest such genomic resource for pediatric brain cancer. It also offers Noah's G.I.F.T.S., a travel-assistance program for families enrolled in clinical trials at Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) member institutions, and is developing a Universal Application (beta) with the Neev Kolte/BraveRonil Foundation to streamline patient access to nonprofit resources.

The organization's technology surface is centered on CAVATICA, supplemented by the D.A.V.I.D. AI Tool developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services and CBTN to improve research data accessibility, and the Universal Application beta. It does not sell software or charge researchers; its products are open-access infrastructure. Its business model is donation- and event-driven: revenue comes from individual one-time and recurring gifts (including the 'Strength in Numbers' monthly program), fundraising events (Disney marathons, Dragon Derby, golf outings, walks), corporate partnerships (sponsorships, employee giving, in-kind contributions, volunteer days), and a recycling credit partnership with consumer brands. A merchandise e-commerce store, eBay charitable selling, and shopping rewards channels supplement donations.

The organization operates from a mailing-only address in Winter Garden, FL, with no disclosed headcount or financial filings. It is governed by a small Executive Board with a Childhood Cancer Advisory Board of clinicians and researchers. Partnerships are central to its operating model: it is closely aligned with CBTN (which feeds CAVATICA), collaborates with AWS, ARPA-H, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, and Stand Up To Cancer, and funds downstream research at named centers including Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Seattle Children's Hospital.

Name

Dragon Master Initiative

Legal name

Dragon Master Initiative

Website

https://dragonmaster.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dragon Master Initiative is a Florida-based nonprofit founded in 2012 that funds and supports the CAVATICA cloud genomic data platform for pediatric brain cancer research, while providing travel aid to patient families through its Noah's G.I.F.T.S. program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Cancer Research Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Pediatric cancer research
• Genomic data sharing
• Nonprofit advocacy
• Patient support programs
• Fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Winter Garden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting cancer research. Monthly giving program called 'Strength in Numbers' provides donors with perks including exclusive swag and community access.
2. Fundraising Events: Revenue generated from participation fees and fundraising at events including Disney marathons, golf outings, walks, and the Dragon Derby.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships, in-kind donations, volunteer days, and cause marketing programs where companies support the initiative financially or through resources.
4. Recycling Program: Partnership with beauty, personal care, and pet food brands where consumers recycle eligible packaging and Dragon Master Initiative receives credits based on volume, which translate to funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dragon Master Initiative is a nonprofit research accelerator that funds and supports CAVATICA, a free open-access cloud-based genomic data-sharing platform for pediatric brain tumor research, developed with Seven Bridges and NIH Common Fund funding. It also supports the D.A.V.I.D. AI Tool (built with AWS) and runs Noah's G.I.F.T.S., a program covering travel expenses for families whose children are enrolled in cancer-related clinical trials at CBTN member institutions.

Product overview

Dragon Master Initiative operates primarily as a nonprofit research accelerator rather than a traditional software product company. Their core offering is the support and funding of CAVATICA, a free open-access research data-sharing platform that enables collaborative genomic data analysis. They have developed the D.A.V.I.D. AI Tool in partnership with Amazon Web Services to improve research data accessibility. Their service portfolio includes Noah's G.I.F.T.S., a travel assistance program for families participating in clinical trials, and they are building a Universal Application beta tool to streamline patient access to nonprofit resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAVATICA Platform A free, open-access research-sharing platform that enables doctors and scientists worldwide to share, search, and analyze large collections of patient genomic data, with cloud-based storage and bioinformatics analysis for pediatric brain tumor genomics. Available to all researchers globally without consortium membership requirement.
• D.A.V.I.D. AI Tool An AI-powered tool built with AWS to improve research data accessibility and usage for pediatric cancer research, supporting the Children's Brain Tumor Network.
• Noah's G.I.F.T.S. Program Giving Initiative For Treatment Support — a program that covers travel expenses for families whose children are enrolled in cancer-related medical trials far from home at CBTN member institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data accessible to researchers worldwide with no consortium membership required
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDragon Master Initiative is closely aligned with CBTN, a network of hospitals and research institutions committed to sharing data via CAVATICA. The organization funds CAVATICA development and supports the network's mission. CBTN's infrastructure enables researchers across dozens of institutions to access critical data and biospecimens.
• CAVATICA (Seven Bridges)coreTechnology or IntegrationCAVATICA is a free, open-access research-sharing platform for pediatric tumor genomics data, produced in collaboration with Seven Bridges with NIH Common Fund funding. Dragon Master Initiative supports its development and expansion as the largest genomic resource for pediatric brain cancer patients.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnered with AWS on the D.A.V.I.D. AI tool to improve research data accessibility and usage for cancer research.
• Children's National Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollected David's post-mortem brain tissue after his passing in 2012, which was ultimately shared with the world via CBTN for researchers to access.
• Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration at the Malignant Glioma Innovation Summit in February 2026, bringing together researchers, advocates, nonprofits, and industry partners to define breakthrough pathways for malignant gliomas treatment.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time friend and collaborator. PBTF announced it will prioritize projects building on openly shared resources from CBTN and require applicants to collaborate with CBTN, access its datasets, and contribute data back to the ecosystem.
• Nancy Valenkamph Cancer FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMulti-year partnership for golf fundraising events at Sandy Pines Golf Course in Demotte, IN. Dragon Master Initiative participates as a charity partner at Hole 15 during Spring and Fall outings.
• Neev Kolte/BraveRonil FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on developing a universal application to make it easier for patients to access nonprofit resources. The foundation helped build the beta site for this initiative.
• ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the ARPA-H Pediatric Cancer eXpansion (PCX) project, focused on gathering data from electronic health records at hospitals in near real-time. Dragon Master Initiative President Amanda Haddock participates in these meetings to represent patient advocacy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CureSearch for Children's Cancer: National nonprofit accelerating the search for cures for children's cancers through research funding and clinical trial support. Comparable in disease focus, research funding model, and family-facing support programs.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: A leading childhood cancer nonprofit funding research and family support. Comparable in mission (accelerating cures for pediatric cancers), funding model (events, individual donations), and emphasis on the research-to-treatment pipeline.
• Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research: Childhood cancer research nonprofit that funds innovative projects and engages young donors through peer-to-peer fundraising. Similar in mission, target audience, and reliance on community-led fundraising events.
• St. Baldrick's Foundation: Major pediatric cancer research funder powered by community-led fundraising events (head-shaving events). Comparable in donor activation model, mission focus, and grants to research consortia supporting clinical trials.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation: The largest patient advocacy funder of pediatric brain tumor research worldwide. Directly comparable as a disease-specific nonprofit focused on pediatric brain cancers, with overlapping institutional partnerships and shared ecosystem dependencies (CAVATICA, CBTN).

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: The largest U.S. cancer nonprofit with broad (adult + pediatric) scope. Comparable as a fundraising-driven cancer research organization, but operates at vastly greater scale and competes for the same donor dollars.
• National Brain Tumor Society: A larger, established brain tumor nonprofit funding research and advocacy across all ages. Overlaps on brain cancer research and policy advocacy but operates at a broader (adult + pediatric) scope, competing for similar donor mindshare.
• Livestrong Foundation: Well-known cancer nonprofit providing patient navigation and survivorship support. Comparable in patient/family services and event-driven fundraising, though broader in scope and considerably larger in scale.

Emerging players

• Children's Tumor Foundation: Patient advocacy and research funder focused on neurofibromatosis and related tumors. Comparable in mission-driven research funding and clinical research acceleration, with similar emphasis on data resources and patient support.

Others

• Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN): A research consortium of children's hospitals sharing pediatric brain tumor data via CAVATICA. While Dr. Dragon Master Initiative is not a peer in the fundraising sense, CBTN is the core scientific partner that hosts and curates the data ecosystem Dragon Master Initiative supports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/beadragonmaster
• Facebookfacebook.com/BeADragonMaster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beadragonmaster

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Dragon Master Initiative