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Sam Cooper

Co-founder, Phenomic AI

Biotech

Sam Cooper co-founded Phenomic AI with Oren Kraus in 2017 to use machine learning to find cancer drug targets in the tumour stroma. He did his PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK. He led Phenomic as chief executive until June 2022, when Girish Aakalu took over and Cooper moved to chief technology officer.

Sam hasn’t spoken on a TechTO, TechVancouver or TechWaterloo stage. This profile is here because Sam co-founded Phenomic AI, which appears in 1 talk in the archive.

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Quick answers

Did Sam Cooper co-found Phenomic AI?

Yes. Phenomic's website, checked September 23, 2026, says "Sam founded Phenomic in 2017 alongside Oren Kraus", and Kraus's entry on the same page says he "started Phenomic in 2017 alongside Sam Cooper."

What was his role at Phenomic?

He was chief executive until June 2022. Phenomic's announcement dated June 13, 2022, carried on its website, says Girish Aakalu "will succeed Phenomic co-founder Sam Cooper, who will return to his technical roots as CTO where he will drive platform development and growth."

What is his background?

Machine learning for biology. Phenomic's website, checked September 23, 2026, says he "completed his PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK, where he used machine learning to solve problems in biology and drug discovery." The Slice of Healthcare episode description, dated June 12, 2024, says he "shares his journey from Imperial College London to founding Phenomic."

Who has Phenomic partnered with?

Boehringer Ingelheim, among others. Phenomic's news page, checked September 23, 2026, carries a November 29, 2023 announcement of a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim "to discover targets important in stroma-rich cancers", and a November 30, 2023 announcement of a research collaboration with Astellas for solid tumor cell therapies.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Sep 23, 2026