Otida, an Egyptian Otida diet management startup, has raised $340,000 in a pre-seed round headed by Texas-based venture capital firm Lofty Inc., with participation from Flat6Labs Cairo, Afropreneurs, Jedar Capital, OQAL Angel Investors, UI Investments, and many angel investors.
“Otida’s business model revolves around the needs of patients with diabetes. We believe that with the level of technology we are surrounded by today, it’s unacceptable to have patients with diabetes still struggling to find the right treatment program that fits each individual condition,” Ahmed Tawfic, founder and CEO of Otida.
Otida is a diabetes management app that serves as a nutritionist, a fitness coach, and a physician, among other functions, for patients with diabetes who struggle to navigate their daily life. This round will aid in the productization of Otida’s operations and distribution expansion in order to reach more patients.
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Diabetes was recently dubbed a global pandemic due to its extraordinary scale. Indeed, more than one in every ten people worldwide now has diabetes; 90% have type 2, which is frequently milder than type 1 but can nevertheless result in fatal health complications such as heart disease and stroke.
Additionally, it is believed that every 30 seconds, a lower limb or a portion of a lower limb is lost to diabetes somewhere in the world. Egypt, which ranks ninth in the world in terms of diabetes population, is afflicted by a rapidly expanding health condition that has a substantial influence on morbidity, mortality, and health care resources. Kuwait is ranked third with a prevalence rate of about 25% among adults.
The current style of diabetes management is inadequate, reactive to symptoms, lacks personalization, is reliant on drugs alone, and places the entire burden on clinicians. This is an outmoded strategy that Otida seeks to contradict, as the current diabetes treatment model is deemed inadequate due to the low quality of data collected. Blood tests performed solely when a patient presents to a new physician are insufficiently representative to develop successful treatment programs. This occurs because the health care system does not account for the inconsistencies inherent in each patient’s body; for instance, their blood levels may be behaving strangely on the day the test was done for any reason.
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Otida collects a minimum of 100 data points per patient, every day, in order to create the most tailored treatment model possible for each app user. Otida’s solution is a technology-enabled care model that follows the most up-to-date guidelines to deliver the most effective care possible. Once enrolled in Otida, patients receive wearables that continuously monitor blood sugar levels and transmit data to the cloud, eliminating the need for patients to prick their fingertips with an outdated blood sugar monitor. This is in addition to data gathered directly from patients, such as food consumed, medication provided, and periodic laboratory testing. Thus, and in order to return the most appropriate care model, the app gathers information about the patient’s diet, glycemic responses to various foods and drugs, as well as their lifestyle and behavior.
Each patient is paired with a coach who is available 24 hours a day. Additionally, Otida educates its patients about their specific diseases, how to monitor their insulin and blood sugar levels, and how to use that information to better their lifestyles.
Otida stood by while this technological advancement altered the course of many lives. Otida was able to reverse diabetes in type 2 patients with the use of smart technologies and sophisticated data analytics.
Mona AbdelMoteleb, Otida’s Medical Director: “We have patients with type 2 diabetes who were insulin dependent; with Otida’s care, they were able to discontinue insulin use and eliminate their need on drugs entirely. We want to be a buddy for diabetic people, assisting them in leading a normal, joyful life.”
Today, the Otida team consists of eight members who are all dedicated to the same goal: to make life easier for each diabetic user. To help Otida reach the 5,000 patient mark this year, the company is looking to hire motivated, experienced professionals who can help make Otida’s mission a reality.
Otida’s team structure is as follows: a technology department responsible for both development and product management; a nutrition department comprised of nutritionists and dieticians responsible for analyzing each patient’s response to food and developing appropriate plans; a medical department comprised of endocrinologists and other relevant specialists; a customer support department comprised of agents responsible for responding to patients’ questions and requests; and a data analytics department.
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Originally known as instadiet, the program centered its research on its users’ glycemic responses. The software would determine how quickly each food item raises a user’s blood sugar level and then recommend a diet plan based on that information. Due to this data-driven approach that is customized for each user, the app attracted a large number of users with diabetes who found their methods to be ideal for their daily life. The demand generated by the app prompted the founders to reconsider their strategy in order to be even more efficient in serving their diabetic user base and the 9 million individuals living with diabetes in Egypt and the 73 million in the region as a whole.
Otida diet management Otida diet management
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer