Cancer care does not stop at the clinic doors

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Photo credit: Chelsea Ho Yu Yi

Chelsea Ho Yu Yi’s aunt, Gina, relapsed with stage 4 breast cancer. Chemo altered her aunt’s sense of taste and caused severe nausea. Ho Yu Yi quickly realized that healthy home cooking alone was not enough to address these complex side effects.

She built Picknic alongside a veteran nurse to help others. The app gives patients actionable, safe guidance between hospital visits.

😟 Problem

Malnutrition affects 20% to 70% of cancer patients globally. The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism estimates that malnutrition causes up to 20% of cancer deaths. Patients often have to manage these complex dietary side effects alone at home.

In Singapore, a hospital study found that cancer patients face a 71% malnutrition rate. Patients often attribute weight loss to the disease rather than poor nutrition. Dietitians also lack the time to intervene frequently through consultations.

💡 Solution

Picknic operates as an AI companion that supports patients between clinical appointments. The platform offers several core capabilities:

• Symptom tracking. Monitors patient health and spots early warning patterns.
• Visit preparation. Maintains lists of questions and medical reminders.
• Proactive advice. Prompts preventative actions for upcoming treatments, like oral cryotherapy for mouth sores.
• Nutrition generation. Creates personalized, safety-checked recipes aligned with specific dietary restrictions.

Image credit: Picknic

📊 Market size

About 18,300 people are diagnosed with cancer in Singapore annually. The startup estimates that 9,000 of these patients undergo chemotherapy. Targeting 10% of this segment would generate US$324,000 in annual recurring revenue.

The US market sees 2.1 million diagnoses annually. A 1% market share of US patients undergoing treatment represents an estimated US$3.8 million opportunity.

🤝 Team

• Chelsea Ho Yu Yi. Co-founder. A former strategic finance health policy analyst at Singapore’s Ministry of Health.
• Florence Ling Seow Chuan. Co-founder. A clinical nurse with nearly 20 years of experience who previously founded two social enterprises.
• Claudia Correia. Clinical dietitian and advisor. Head of nutrition at Morrow and former clinical dietitian at Raffles Hospital.

🚀 Traction

• Secured a paid pilot with a cancer NGO for 50 patients over three months.
• Initiated active trials with cancer patients in Singapore.
• Deployed applications on iOS Testflight and Android beta testing environments.
• Won first prize among 116 teams at the Standard Chartered SMU Future Makers program.

🏆 Competition

💰 Financials

🚩 Risks