While skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S., it is highly treatable with early-detection.
The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 99 percent, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
But, if you’re not observant or don’t know the signs, it can be easy to miss the key markers.
Charu Singhal and Joanna Zurawek have been driven by life experiences to develop a solution to diagnose skin cancer using AI-powered screening.
“We built Etta Epidermis after we’ve both known people who have died of skin cancer,” Singhal told Colorado Inno.
Etta uses a web app that allows users to take a picture of any skin lesion that they are concerned about, upload the photo and receive a detailed risk profile within seconds.
Etta’s database has over 200,000 images that it uses to analyze and cross-reference lesions to determine the risk. The company has partnered with Colorado Dermatology Institute to help build out its database.
Originally built in Chicago, Etta landed a spot in Boulder’s Boomtown Accelerator this spring and launched out of its demo day in May.
Since then, Etta has relocated to Colorado, garnered 2,500 sign-ups and saved 30 lives through its platform, according to the company.
The company also recently rolled out a paywall for its users, charging $5 per month or $50 for the year.
Because lesions are always changing, Singhal said Etta is more than just a one-use solution. Its photo storage ability allows users to track the changes in their lesions over days and months.
“We haven’t had any churn yet, we have some people that scan themselves every day,” she said.
The company is looking to plug its solution into a larger telehealth platform to reach more users and is raising capital to do so.
As Etta grows here in Colorado, Singhal said its looking to hire marketing and sales staff in the near future.
