Tech Tackles Cancer

What Tech Tackles Cancer does

Tech Tackles Cancer (TTC) is a 501(c)(3) charitable program operated under Hack/Reduce, founded in 2012 by technology veteran Chris Lynch (CEO of AtScale and Executive Chairman of Snowplow Analytics). The organization runs an annual "Karaoke Showdown" fundraising format in which senior technology executives perform live on stage backed by a professional rock band while running their own peer-fundraising campaigns. Contestants compete for awards based on dollars raised, vocal performance, and stage presence, and all proceeds are directed to pediatric cancer charities. The primary beneficiaries have included St. Baldrick's Foundation and One Mission in the United States, and Children With Cancer UK in the United Kingdom. The organization is entirely volunteer-run with a six-person team, supported by a multi-tier corporate sponsorship program (Tour, Diamond/Platinum/Gold/Silver Record tiers) and individual donations processed through Stripe and Givebutter.

TTC's business model rests on three revenue streams: (1) individual donations mobilized by performer-executives and their networks; (2) corporate sponsorship at tiered levels, anchored by AtScale as Tour Sponsor and historically including Cooley LLP, Snowplow, Dynatrace, CyberArk, Pure Storage, Veracode, Wells Fargo, Infinidat, and TechTarget; and (3) event ticket sales, including a minimum £50 donation for general admission at the London event. The organization operates in two geographies — Boston (primary) and London — and has raised over $3.5M cumulatively since inception, including over $300K in 2023 alone. A June 2026 Smeaton Family tribute event at Capo Restaurant in South Boston represents an evolution of the format toward community-support occasions alongside the competitive showdown. There is no proprietary technology, product, or AI component to the offering; distribution is event-based with online donation infrastructure handled by third-party processors.

Name

Tech Tackles Cancer

Legal name

Tech Tackles Cancer

Website

https://techtacklesx.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Tech Tackles Cancer is an all-volunteer nonprofit charity that hosts annual live-band karaoke showdowns where technology executives perform and fundraise individually for pediatric cancer charities. Founded in 2012, it operates in Boston and London as a program of Hack/Reduce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Fundraising Events

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Charity fundraising events
• Pediatric cancer philanthropy
• Corporate event sponsorship
• Nonprofit donation programs
• Tech community philanthropy

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The organization sells tickets to events. For the 2026 Smeaton tribute event, tickets are available for purchase via Givebutter. The London 2023 event required a minimum donation of £50 per person for general admission.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Companies sponsor the events at various tiers (Tour Sponsor, Platinum Record, Gold Record, Silver Record) with their logos displayed on the website and at events. Sponsors include AtScale, Snowplow, Dynatrace, Veracode, and many other tech companies.
3. Event Donations and Fundraising: Technology executives run individual fundraising campaigns leading up to live events. Participants collect donations from their networks, with all proceeds going to pediatric cancer charities. The organization also accepts direct donations via Stripe.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tech Tackles Cancer is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates annual Karaoke Showdown fundraising events in Boston and London. Technology executives raise money through individual fundraising campaigns, then perform live on stage backed by a professional rock band while competing for awards based on dollars raised and performance. All proceeds from donations, ticket sales, and corporate sponsorships support pediatric cancer charities including St. Baldrick's Foundation, One Mission, and Children With Cancer UK.

Product overview

Tech Tackles Cancer is a single unified philanthropy program operated by Hack/Reduce, a 501C-3 non-profit organization. The core offering is the 'Karaoke Showdown' — a live-band rock and roll event where technology executives perform songs on stage, compete for fundraising achievements, and raise awareness and donations for pediatric cancer treatment and research. The organization has no separate product modules; all activities center on this annual event format, with separate Boston and London editions. Since 2012, Tech Tackles Cancer has raised over $3.5 million in donations supporting organizations focused on pediatric cancer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Karaoke Showdown A live-band rock and roll showdown event held annually in Boston and London where technology executives raise money through individual fundraising campaigns and then perform karaoke on stage backed by a professional rock band. All proceeds support pediatric cancer charities including St. Baldrick's Foundation, One Mission, and Children With Cancer UK.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Tiered corporate sponsorship packages (Tour Sponsor, Platinum Record, Gold Record, Silver Record) for technology companies to support Tech Tackles Cancer events, with sponsor logos displayed on the website and at live events for brand visibility within the technology community.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.5M+ raised since 2012 supporting pediatric cancer treatment and research
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AtScaleflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAtScale serves as the Tour Sponsor for Tech Tackles Cancer. Founder and CEO Chris Lynch founded TTC and serves as Founder and Chair of Board. AtScale provides prominent logo placement and executive leadership involvement in the organization.
• Cooley LLPcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCooley LLP served as Diamond Record Sponsor for the 2022 TTC event, providing high-level sponsorship support.
• Snowplow AnalyticscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSnowplow Analytics is a Platinum Record Sponsor. Executive Chairman Chris Lynch holds this role at Snowplow. The company has been a consistent sponsor across multiple years.
• DynatracecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDynatrace served as Platinum Record Sponsor for 2022 TTC event with logo placement.
• CyberArkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCyberArk served as Platinum Record Sponsor for 2022 with high visibility placement.
• Pure StoragecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPure Storage sponsored as Platinum Record Sponsor for 2022 event with executive participation.
• VeracodecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVeracode participated as Platinum Record Sponsor with logo placement at 2022 event.
• Wells FargocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWells Fargo served as Platinum Record Sponsor with additional executive participation from Debbie Shea and Farrah Darlinette.
• InfinidatcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInfinidat served as Platinum Record Sponsor in 2022 and continued sponsorship in London 2023. Field CTO Ken Steinhardt participated as performer.
• Hack/ReduceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHack/Reduce is the parent 501C-3 nonprofit organization that houses Tech Tackles Cancer as one of its programs. The nonprofit is focused on fostering talent and technologies for the data-driven economy.
• Children With Cancer UKflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren With Cancer UK is the primary charity beneficiary for Tech Tackles Cancer London events. Donations support life-saving research and patient/family support services in the UK.
• St. Baldrick's FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary beneficiary of TTC Boston events. The volunteer-powered charity funds the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers. Every grant funded is exclusively for childhood cancer research.
• One MissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPediatric cancer charity beneficiary providing programs that make living in the hospital less lonely, bring back joy during treatment, and support families emotionally and financially.
• TechTargetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechTarget served as Platinum Record Sponsor for 2022 with media support.
• Capo Restaurant and Supper ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCapo Restaurant donated the venue space for the 2026 Smeaton tribute event in South Boston.
• Highland EuropeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for the 2023 London TTC event.
• MMC VenturesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMMC Ventures sponsored the 2023 London TTC event.
• StriimminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for the 2023 London TTC event with executive John Kutay participating as performer.
• TykminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for 2023 London TTC event. Head of People Michal Peleg participated as performer.
• Immersive Game BoxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for the 2023 London TTC event.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pan-Mass Challenge: Annual cycling fundraising event benefiting Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Closely comparable as a high-profile, community-driven annual fundraising event that raises significant sums for cancer causes in Massachusetts.
• Children's Cancer Research Fund: Funds research and treatment for childhood cancers while supporting affected families. Directly comparable mission overlap with TTC's pediatric cancer beneficiary focus.
• St. Baldrick's Foundation: Volunteer-powered charity funding exclusively childhood cancer research. It is one of TTC's primary Boston beneficiaries, but also operates its own head-shaving fundraising events, making it directly comparable in mission and event-driven model.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Pediatric cancer research charity that funds research and family support programs. Highly comparable cause area to TTC's St. Baldrick's and One Mission beneficiaries, with a similar grassroots fundraising model.
• Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research: Funds childhood cancer research through community-driven events and grassroots fundraising. Comparable to TTC in mission focus (pediatric cancer) and event-based revenue model.
• National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: National nonprofit focused on pediatric cancer research funding and collaboration. Directly comparable in cause area and in raising money from corporate partners to fund downstream cancer research.
• CureSearch for Children's Cancer: Accelerates cures for children's cancer by funding research and clinical trials. Closely comparable in pediatric cancer research funding focus and donor-supported nonprofit structure.

Broad incumbents

• V Foundation for Cancer Research: Major cancer research fundraising foundation. Comparable as a large-scale cancer research fundraising organization, but broader in scope (all cancers, all ages) and more established than TTC's pediatric focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TechTacklesCancer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tech-tackles-cancer
• Instagraminstagram.com/techtacklescancer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Tech Tackles Cancer