SpotitEarly CEO Shlomi Madar on How Their Dogs Can Sniff Early-Stage Cancer, Why Dogs + AI is a Critical Combination, and Whether Cancer Screening Should be Regulated
Wed Feb 04 2026
On this episode of Invested, Michael sits down with Dr. Shlomi Madar, the CEO of SpotitEarly. Madar is a PhD-trained molecular biologist with more than 15 years of leadership experience spanning oncology, diagnostics, and healthcare business development. At SpotitEarly, he leads the company’s U.S. buildout, overseeing strategic partnerships, clinical collaborations, and fundraising.
He has held multiple leadership roles at the intersection of product strategy, commercialization, and clinical execution in high-stakes healthcare settings, across several biotech and digital health companies.
Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts!
KEY TOPICS
00:00 - Intro
02:50 - Theranos vs. Dogs: Why This Is Real
04:56 - Three Minutes to Detect Cancer
06:41 - Why Beagles Beat Other Dogs
09:02 - AI Watches Dogs’ Every Move
13:01 - Dogs + AI Break 90% Accuracy
13:43 - Blood Tests Miss Early Cancer Detection
16:26 - Stage One Cancer = 90% Survival
17:26 - Why Grail Fails at Early Detection
18:55 - Early Cancer Smells Stronger
22:26 - Selling Cancer Tests Direct-to-Consumer
27:22 - $250 a Year to Save Your Life
29:33 - Different Dogs for Different Cancers
30:10 - “This One’s for Ty”
42:22 - AI Can’t Replace Biological Sensors
46:00 - Dogs Smelled Disease 100 Years Ago
48:55 - You Can’t Buy a Cancer Test
50:46 - Message to RFK: Save Lives, Save Money
53:00 - Missile Strike Hit Cancer Labs
55:44 - Saving Lives vs Building Profits
RESOURCES
Follow Shlomi on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shlomimadar/
Learn more about SpotitEarly: https://www.spotitearly.com/
Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested
Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc
Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/
Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg
Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/
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Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/
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CREDITS
Executive Producer: Erica Marom
Producer: Sofi Levak, Myron Shneider, Dalit Merenfeld
Video and Editing: Ron Baranov, Nadav Elovic
Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar
Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring
Design: Rony Karadi
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On this episode of Invested, Michael sits down with Dr. Shlomi Madar, the CEO of SpotitEarly. Madar is a PhD-trained molecular biologist with more than 15 years of leadership experience spanning oncology, diagnostics, and healthcare business development. At SpotitEarly, he leads the company’s U.S. buildout, overseeing strategic partnerships, clinical collaborations, and fundraising. He has held multiple leadership roles at the intersection of product strategy, commercialization, and clinical execution in high-stakes healthcare settings, across several biotech and digital health companies. Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts! KEY TOPICS 00:00 - Intro 02:50 - Theranos vs. Dogs: Why This Is Real 04:56 - Three Minutes to Detect Cancer 06:41 - Why Beagles Beat Other Dogs 09:02 - AI Watches Dogs’ Every Move 13:01 - Dogs + AI Break 90% Accuracy 13:43 - Blood Tests Miss Early Cancer Detection 16:26 - Stage One Cancer = 90% Survival 17:26 - Why Grail Fails at Early Detection 18:55 - Early Cancer Smells Stronger 22:26 - Selling Cancer Tests Direct-to-Consumer 27:22 - $250 a Year to Save Your Life 29:33 - Different Dogs for Different Cancers 30:10 - “This One’s for Ty” 42:22 - AI Can’t Replace Biological Sensors 46:00 - Dogs Smelled Disease 100 Years Ago 48:55 - You Can’t Buy a Cancer Test 50:46 - Message to RFK: Save Lives, Save Money 53:00 - Missile Strike Hit Cancer Labs 55:44 - Saving Lives vs Building Profits RESOURCES Follow Shlomi on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shlomimadar/ Learn more about SpotitEarly: https://www.spotitearly.com/ Subscribe to Invested here: https://content.aleph.vc/invested Learn more about Aleph: aleph.vc Sign up for Aleph’s monthly email newsletter: https://newsletter.aleph.vc/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aleph-vc/ Follow Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/mikeeisenberg Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mieisenberg/ Follow Aleph on Twitter: https://x.com/aleph?s=20 Follow Aleph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleph-vc/ Follow Aleph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleph.vc/ CREDITS Executive Producer: Erica Marom Producer: Sofi Levak, Myron Shneider, Dalit Merenfeld Video and Editing: Ron Baranov, Nadav Elovic Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring Design: Rony Karadi