Three months after rolling out a product intended to help people with prediabetes reduce their risk of developing the disease, San Francisco-based Omada Health has raised $ 4.7 million.
The Series A round, led by U.S. Venture Partners, with participation from The Vertical Group, Founder Collective, NEA, TriplePoint Capital, Kapor Capital, and angel investors, brings the companies total amount raised to $ 5.5 million.
The company said the new financing will go towards supporting the commercial rollout of its flagship product Prevent, the 16-week online program for those at risk for developing diabetes. The funding will also help the company expand into new disease categories — co-founder Sean Duffy said they’re eyeing type 2 diabetes and adult weight loss.
As we noted when Omada first launched Prevent, it combines CDC-backed research, digital devices (like wireless scales), social support from peers with similar health profiles and good design to encourage necessary behavior change.
At the time, Duffy said, “Our goal is to serve as a complement to [Centers for Disease Control diabetes prevention] efforts and expand the reach to more people with fun and beautiful experiences that represent the best of the consumer web.”
Given the CDC statistic that one in three American adults have prediabetes (meaning that their blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetic) Omada chose a worthy target with its first product, as have other startups, including Ginger.io and Glooko. But the company’s approach to disease prevention could be easily applied to other conditions.
It builds off of evidence-based research to provide an online program that includes a curriculum, online health coach and cohort support. When participants sign up for the $ 120 per month program, they’re placed into small groups with others with similar BMIs (body mass index), ages and locations. And as they progress through the four months and learn about diet, exercise and other healthy habits, they’re guided via the web with a a simple social networking-like interface. The company hasn’t disclosed names but said Prevent is being used within a select group of self-insured employers and providers in the United States.
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