Why This Campus X Startup Won Big by Saying What No One Dared To
- Visibilio.io
- Oct 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 10
How TrialHub is Rewriting the Future of Clinical Trials - From Right Here at Campus X
Let’s be honest: clinical trials aren’t broken because we lack data. They’re broken because we keep designing them for patients who don’t exist.
That’s not our insight - it’s what Maya Zlatanova, co-founder of TrialHub, told a room full of life sciences executives, regulators, and investors. Six minutes into her pitch at DPHARM Idol Disrupt, she had the room silent, then erupting. Why? Because she dared to say it plainly:
“We’re designing trials for unicorn patients - patients who don’t exist in the real world.”
And then she showed them what TrialHub is building - and why it matters.
From their home base here at Campus X, TrialHub isn’t just building a better dataset. They’re building a better way of thinking about clinical research. One rooted in real patient journeys - not imaginary ones.
You can watch Maya Zlatanova’s full winning presentation at DPHARM Idol Disrupt here: STOP Designing Trials For Unicorn Patients. DPHARM Idol Disrupt 2025 Winning Speech.
Meet Dynamic Patient Journey Mapping
What does it take to truly understand a patient’s path?
Not just a diagnosis code. Not just a data point. But the full journey - from the first symptom, to the first doctor’s visit, to the treatment (or lack thereof), and every barrier in between.
TrialHub’s Dynamic Patient Journey Mapping is the first tool to map this journey by country, by indication, and in real time. It shows exactly what patients go through: how long they wait, what medications they’ve tried, what disqualifies them from joining trials, and how each health system creates friction.
This insight does more than describe reality. It changes it.
“When you understand how patients really live and receive care, trial design becomes about meeting them where they are — instead of asking them to fit our protocols.”
Every Day Counts – and Costs
Over 50% of trials fail to recruit or retain enough patients. Each day of delay can cost sponsors anywhere from $40,000 to $8 million.
Why? Because:
Expectations are unrealistic: protocols are based on ideal patient profiles that don’t exist.
Care pathways differ by geography: a patient in Germany sees a specialist; a patient in Poland goes through a GP.
Local regulations shift constantly — even between cities.
Sponsors assume patients will magically be available, even when treatment guidelines prove otherwise.
TrialHub’s platform eliminates months of manual research and decision-making. Instead of guessing where patients might be, companies get clear, up-to-date, localized insights — instantly.
See how Standard of Care insights can prevent costly trial delays in this short video: The Most Comprehensive Standard of Care Dataset… Ever..
The Moment That Changed the Game
At DPHARM Idol Disrupt, Maya and the team didn’t just win. They shifted the conversation.
Their pitch didn’t talk about features. It talked about patients. About what happens when an industry finally admits that trial design — not patients — is the problem.
TrialHub offers a fix. And the industry is listening.
The story behind TrialHub’s big win is captured here: Official PR: TrialHub Wins DPHARM Idol Disrupt 2025.
Goodbye, Unicorn Patients
Among the most common “fantasies” in protocol design?
Looking for patients with a disease — and no other condition. (No diabetes, no high blood pressure, nothing else. Sound familiar?)
Expecting patients to be treatment-naïve — when in real life, they’ve already tried everything just to function.
Designing for eligibility criteria that literally no one fits.
TrialHub flips this. They show what patients actually go through, so protocols become inclusive, feasible, and more ethical by design.
What’s Next: Patients at the Table
TrialHub’s next evolution is ambitious: bringing patients directly into the platform, and into the protocol design process.
The team is scaling rapidly through their early access program, using the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework to uncover core needs — then prototyping solutions with clients, not for them.
Their vision?
Not just data.
Not just design tools.
But a shared table where patients and clinical teams co-create solutions that actually work.
Why We’re Proud
TrialHub didn’t just choose Campus X. They’re shaping it.
Every week, we see them holding working sessions in Building 4. Prototyping. Listening. Debating assumptions. Hosting early morning calls with global pharma companies — and late-night coffees with clinicians.
They are the definition of what this place is about:
→ Using tech for go
→ Turning insight into impact.
→ Building something bold — and doing it with humility, clarity, and care.
📽️ Want to see more?
Written by Visibilio.ai
Comments