cure for cancer en · NOUN
Etymology
From the value such a hypothetical cure would entail, since cancer is responsible for the deaths of about ten million people annually.
Meanings
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(figuratively) The ultimate breakthrough or achievement in any challenging field, symbolizing an elusive, transformative solution to a seemingly insurmountable problem, a Holy Grail.
But if it's a start-up and it doesn't have any revenue, then the value equals P x S [solution] x E [entrepreneurial team], where the P is the magnitude of the problem that the company is going to solve. If it's a cure for cancer, that's huge. If it is a better improvement on a baby diaper, that's not so exciting.
2011, Tarang Shah, Shital Shah, quoting Jim Boettcher, Venture Capitalists at Work: How VCs Identify and Build Billion-Dollar Successes, Apress, →ISBN, page 383: