eddii makes daily, real-time diabetes management an effortless, less lonely, and rewarding experience, leading to better health outcomes and a brighter future for individuals living with diabetes.
HQ Location & Year Founded: New York, NY 2019
Founders:
Farhaneh Ahmadi, eddii's co-founder and CEO, lives with Type-1 diabetes herself and has been using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for years. Her vision is to make every eddii user feel motivated to achieve long-lasting quality in their health and well-being (whilst enjoying the journey!). She did her PhD in Biochemistry at Cambridge, where she focused on signaling pathways of innate immune cells, and her Masters in Immunology at Oxford. She also volunteers for various diabetes organizations.
Alonso Lucero, eddii's co-founder and COO, has extensive digital health experience advising companies such as Akili Interactive, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer. Farhaneh and Alonso met at HBS while doing their MBAs.
Funds Raised and VC Investors: $3.5M from Kapor Capital, Atento Capital, MedMountain Ventures, Startup Health, Alumni Ventures, and angel investors.
Where did the idea for eddii originate?
I was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes (T1D) as a young adult during the first year of my PhD. It was one of the most mentally exhausting and loneliest experiences I have ever been through. The original idea was that eddii, the in-app character, becomes a buddy who’s always there for the highs and lows. Today, eddii creatively reacts to real-time glucose readings from the user’s connected Dexcom CGM, making diabetes management an engaging, fun, and rewarding experience, catering to the user’s need for emotional support and clinical needs.
What is the key problem that eddii intends to solve?
Diabetes is a condition that requires round-the-clock management. People living with diabetes see their doctor only once every three months and manage the condition themselves the rest of the time. It never goes away. On average a person living with diabetes makes an extra 200 decisions a day related to their condition. As a result, a lot of people let their management slip, face burnout, and are more likely to develop diabetes-related distress as well as long-term complications. In the US, diabetes cost payers $413 billion in 2022, the second most expensive health condition only after cardiac disease.
Then there is the access problem. In the Midwest, for example, over 30% of families do not have a pediatric endocrinologist within 50 miles of their residence. Families drive for long hours, sometimes across state lines, to see a specialist, having to make an appointment sometimes months in advance for a routine diabetes checkup. eddii offers these families a solution at the tap of a button, providing access to specialist diabetes care virtually.
Whatever their biggest challenges may be, eddii encourages the users to stay motivated and feel rewarded for managing their diabetes.
How are you most differentiated as a service?
Wearable continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have revolutionized diabetes management in the past decade or so. However, CGM device users most often use manufacturer-supplied smartphone apps as interfaces for glucose monitoring. These apps are not designed with user engagement in mind but rather act as simple data interfaces for quick check-ins.
eddii, on the other hand, is designed to display real-time CGM data in a format that incentivizes users through games and rewards, helping them track and engage with their health every day. Every five minutes, eddii receives real-time glucose readings from the user’s Dexcom CGM, and the app’s leaf-themed character, “eddii,” reacts with entertaining animations and witty language. Ultimately, eddii will become a one-stop shop for diabetes care, catering to the patients daily management, emotional and clinical needs.
What are the company’s key accomplishments to date?
Today, eddii has over 12,000 users experiencing an average increase of 6% in Time in Range (TIR) for their blood glucose levels. We have also proven clinical outcomes by conducting a clinical trial and have published those outcomes in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology (JDST). Following the clinical trial, we entered a commercial partnership with Dexcom, which allowed us to go to market. We are a strong, creative team of scientists, doctors, engineers, operators, and designers, who are striving to change the lives of millions of people living with diabetes.
What lies ahead in the plans for eddii?
We are excited to be launching virtual care in five states next month. We plan to expand internationally across Europe and Canada with our direct-to-consumer app. We also feel confident that more device integrations are on the horizon, as we strive towards expanding into the adult Type-1 and Type-2 markets.
Ron’s Take
The eddii app and user experience are taking CGM to the next level. The product has shown demonstrable success in adherence to proper diabetes management not just for kids, but for adults as well. Their partnership with industry leader Dexcom is proof positive that their fun and interactive experience is working. Inequality in healthcare is very frequently a function of geography. For those living away from major urban centers, it can be challenging and costly to seek specialized medical care. The digital health revolution, as exemplified by the eddii tool, is easing the pathway for anyone anywhere to follow the standard of care for managing diseases and conditions of all types. I will be eager to track the progress, particularly as eddii moves internationally and its adoption becomes mainstream on a global scale.
Disclaimer: Alumni Ventures invested in eddii in 2023.