5 Diabetes Tech Startups Redefining Chronic Disease Management
7 MINUTES
July 31, 2023
According to the World Health Organization, around 422 million individuals across the globe have diabetes.
Every year, 1.5 million deaths are directly linked to this disease. There has been a consistent rise in diabetes cases and their prevalence over the past several years.
Tech companies aren’t dozing and working on diabetes management solutions — devices that are easier to use and less invasive.
Better diabetes management leads to better medical insights and decisions to prevent diabetes complications.
5 tech companies resisting diabetes
1. Glooko
Company’s website: https://www.glooko.com/
Founder & Board Member: Yogen Dalal
CEO: Russ Johannesson
Lead Investors: Health Catalyst Capital, Georgian, Canaan Partners, Medtronic, Social Capital.
Total funding amount: $101M
Founded in 2010, Glooko is the unified platform for delivering insights and gaining positive health outcomes for people with chronic diabetes and their carers.
Glooko allows people to manage diabetes more efficiently and with less cost through Web and Mobile (iOS and Android) applications.
The platform merges data from more than 50 diabetes, fitness, and activity tracking devices to provide vital data like glucose levels, insulin, blood pressure, and weight data. Altogether, this personalized information enables more accurate clinical decisions and better disease management and enhances the speed of trials.
Here are the perks of the Glooko platform:
1. Quick check-up of a person’s current condition.
2. Data sync between a person’s meter, insulin pump or pen, CGM, food app, activity tracker, and blood pressure devices.
3. Immediate data sharing and collaboration with the care team.
4. Providing reminders for care plan adherence.
To sum up, Glooko is about bringing all the health insights together in one place.
What we like the most about it:
We like the ‘Evidence’ page of Glooko’s site!
Among all the other evidence of the platform’s effectiveness, you can find:
- The average blood glucose decreases by 15,7% in 12 months.
- The app use improves glycemic outcomes — the change in hyperglycemia is -15,5%.
- When patients stop using Glooko, their health outcomes tend to deteriorate within 6 to 8 weeks.
2. Ryse Health
Company’s website: https://www.rysehealth.com/
Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer: Erin Kane
Co-Founder & CEO: Richard Gurley
Lead Investors: Route 66 Ventures, W Health Ventures.
Total funding amount: $9.9M
Ryse Health is a Virginia-based startup that provides virtual and in-person care for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Ryse Health’s platform offers a blend of treatments, technology, daily assistance, mentorship, and data analysis related to diabetes. The company’s ultimate goal is to contribute to a world where the weight of chronic disease is no longer a concern.
Here is how patients can easily manage their disease:
1. Meet Ryse Health’s team in person and get their devices — glucose monitor (CGM) and health app.
2. Set up everything and start managing the diabetes with the help of the care team through videos, chats, and emails.
3. Stay in touch with Ryse Health’s team to maintain health.
With Ryse Health, people with diabetes can count on the following:
1. Community-based support: The care team provides daily analytics and support in managing type 2 diabetes.
2. Tech-enabled solutions: Ryse Health focuses on helping people with type 2 diabetes by providing coaching and recommendations tailored to their health data.
3. Continuous care: At Ryse Health, everyone can count on treatment and constant support at each step.
What we like the most about it:
Initial clinical findings reported by Ryse indicate a decrease of two points in A1C levels for patients who initially registered an A1C above 8%.
In addition, there was a significant 36% reduction in high blood sugar levels across all patients within the first 60 days of implementing the program.
3. PKVitality
Company’s website: https://www.pkvitality.com/
Founder & CEO: Luc Pierart
Lead Investors: Beurer, European Innovation Council, Business angels.
Total funding amount: €14.4M
PKvitality is known for the K’Watch Glucose, a seamless and non-intrusive device for Continuous Glucose Monitoring that takes the shape of a smartwatch equipped with a sensor that uses microneedles.
Its design enables individuals with diabetes to monitor their blood sugar levels unobtrusively without indicating its medical function to others. The wearer will receive tactile notifications in the form of on-body vibrations to warn of potential hypo or hyperglycemia incidents.
Within the iOS and Android apps, K’Watch Glucose users can get insights and a complete picture of their disease flow and share this info with family and doctors.
Building on the same platform, PKvitality is also producing a Continuous Lactate Monitor and multi-analyte continuous monitoring systems, such as one that tracks glucose and ketone levels.
What we like the most about it:
After two successful clinical trials, the third trial in 2022 showed excellent potential for the future of K’Watch.
Checking sugar levels for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes is usually challenging. It needs to be precise, bearable, and painless. K’Watch has managed to do even better than expected.
They aimed for a 17-18% error rate in the accuracy of ongoing sugar measurement but achieved only 16%. This improvement is due to significant enhancements to the patch and the computer program used.
4. Bigfoot Biomedical
Company’s website: https://www.bigfootbiomedical.com/
Co-Founder, Executive Board Director: Bryan Mazlish
CEO: Jeffrey Brewer
Lead Investors: Madryn Asset Management, Abbott, Janus Capital Group, Quadrant Capital Advisors.
Total funding amount: $204.6M
Bigfoot Biomedical is a healthcare device company that is revolutionizing the care for people with diabetes who need insulin. They are creating a complete system for managing type 1 diabetes that uses a straightforward design, cloud connectivity, and automation focused on the patient.
This system improves how insulin is dosed and delivered using a device network that uses machine learning and is enhanced with secure, easy-to-use technologies.
Bigfoot Biomedical is leading the way with its groundbreaking systems that a smartphone can control. They offer an automated insulin pump and a connected insulin pen, giving consumers choices.
What we like the most about it:
Bigfoot Biomedical’s subscription service model is even more innovative, a first in this industry.
They use data and intelligence across a connected device ecosystem, transforming diabetes care into a fully integrated digital medication delivery platform provided as a service.
5. Dexcom
Company’s website: https://www.dexcom.com/en-us
COO: Jake Leach
Lead Investors: RWI Group.
Total funding amount: $1.4B
Dexcom started in 1999, but the original idea came from research done in 1967 at the University of Wisconsin.
This research was about sensors for glucose that could be put inside the body. From the start, Dexсom aimed to make a sensor that could stay in the body for a long time without the body trying to get rid of it.
Today, Dexcom is a leader in real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM), which aids in making diabetes management less complicated. The CGM Systems offered by Dexcom are top-tier in precision and offer extraordinary convenience, empowering people with diabetes to lead a healthier, more self-assured life.
The latest Dexcom G7 is claimed to be “the most accurate CGM system.” It delivers real-time glucose numbers to people’s smartphones or smart watches. It allows us to easily monitor sugar levels and trends, making informed decisions regarding a person’s diet and physical activities in real-time and managing diabetes more effectively.
What we like the most about it:
We like when the product actually changes people’s lives. That’s what Dexcom CGM does:
“For me, being able to use Dexcom CGM has helped me a lot with my diabetes care on and off the field. It definitely helps me so I can stay focused with soccer.”
“Dexcom CGM helped me turn my diabetes around and drop my A1C. It’s so easy to use. Instead of guessing, I’m making decisions in real-time based on what my body is doing.”
Wrap-up
The advancements in diabetes technology have been significant. Today, this chronic disease is no longer a verdict but a case that can be easily managed and tamed.
Thanks to the companies mentioned above, people with diabetes can not only manage their diabetes but also get significant support and care from special teams.
If you need bright minds to help you work on life-changing solutions, StartupSoft is here to find such talents. Feel free to contact us for more details and discussions.