At just 21, a cancer scare and a broken screening system led Bailey Renger to found BeSound. Now, her $349 3D ultrasound startup is taking on the breast cancer access gap.
Photo: BeSound
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Breast cancer is on the rise for women under 50, according to the American Cancer Society. In fact it’s the leading cancer death in women between 29 and 40 years old, with this group more likely to have aggressive subtypes of the cancer and be diagnosed at later stages.
Yet the standard age for women to begin getting screened for breast cancer via mammogram is 40 years old and secondary/alternative screening tests like ultrasounds and MRIs are not yet widely recommended by bodies like the American College of Physicians or the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.
That’s the gap BeSound is trying to address using 3D Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) technology, which is intended to be used in addition to mammograms, in its clinics.
The startup, which has $6.8 million in seed funding from investors including Overwater Ventures, Kindred Ventures, and Muse Capital, launched last fall, and has clinics in the Los Angeles area. This week, BeSound opened a second location in New York City. BeSound says it has “scaled revenue more than tenfold in the last nine months and anticipates another 10x revenue growth in the coming quarter as operations expand across multiple new states.”
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The direct-to-consumer screening center does not require a physician referral and costs a flat fee of $349 for a screening exam. While they do not accept insurance plans as of October 2026, CEO and Founder Bailey Renger said they are actively working on coverage partnerships.
“By the end of 2026, BeSound anticipates offering insurance-covered scans via multiple payers in NY, CA, and additional expanding markets,” the company said in a follow-up statement to Inc.
Here’s how BeSound’s screening technology works, and how BeSound is using it to give women additional options for cancer screening.