Afreen Shariff
Citrus Oncology – SEED Fall 2025
Published July 8, 2026
As part of our ‘Meet Our Founders’ series today, we introduce Afreen Shariff, Co-Founder of Citrus Oncology, based in Cary, NC. Citrus Oncology is an intelligent care platform built for safer cancer treatment. Citrus combines Agentic AI with on-demand specialty care to better deal with side effects from cancer and its treatments.
Q: What problem are you trying to solve, and what influenced you to start your company?
A: I’ve spent my entire career managing treatment-related side effects in cancer patients, and I’ve seen firsthand how delays in recognizing toxicity, limited access to specialists, and gaps in understanding newer therapies directly harm patients every day. I wanted to change the narrative around side effects—not as inconveniences, but as critical events that affect both the quality and quantity of life. That realization drove me to build a platform designed to identify, manage, and scale expertise around cancer-related side effects.
Q: What are you most excited about right now? What keeps you up at night?
A: The pace of innovation across industries is unlike anything we’ve seen before—entire landscapes can shift in just a few months. What excites us most is being part of this rapid transformation and seeing our own growth as we navigate it. However, what keeps us up at night is ensuring that whatever we do creates meaningful, positive impact in patients’ lives. This challenge is particularly complex because every patient has a unique journey with distinct needs and obstacles.
Q: What does the road ahead look like for your company?
A: Our next phase is focused on scale. We are building on our care foundation by operationalizing and accelerating delivery through our proprietary platform, allowing us to expand impact without sacrificing quality.
Q: How will your NC IDEA grant funds advance your company?
A: We are at a stage where execution matters most. The grant funding enables us to move faster on our product line, reduce time to impact, and, reach our targets with greater efficiency.
Q: When did you know you wanted to take an entrepreneurial path?
A: People see problems differently. Some empathize, some are indifferent, and others ask, why does this problem exist—and why can’t I be the one to solve it? I’ve always fallen into the latter category. That mindset naturally pulled me toward entrepreneurship, where disruptive innovation isn’t just a goal, but a path to discovery and impact.
Q: What have you enjoyed most about starting your own company?
A: What I’ve enjoyed most is the pace of problem-solving. Coming from an academic environment, I was used to long cycles of discussion and validation. Building my own company has been energizing because problems are confronted immediately, decisions are made quickly, and progress is tangible.
Q: What is one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started?
A: That entrepreneurship is a long game. Persistence and obsessive focus on the problem matter more than speed, and everything you build should exist to solve it.
Q: What other passions do you have besides your business?
A: Fitness, Tennis, Art, and Painting
While visiting the Triangle, Afreen recommends:
- Stroll through Duke University, unwind in Duke Gardens, grab dinner at Hawkers in Chapel Hill, and don’t miss local favorites like Maple View Farm, Honeysuckle Tea House, Cafe Driade, Juju, Pizzeria Toro, and M Sushi.
Support Afreen and Citrus Oncology by:
- The most helpful support right now is making introductions—to enterprise-level partners, payer organizations, and venture capital groups aligned with healthcare innovation.
