News
Glooko Acquires Germany-Based xbird, a Medical AI Company
– Acquisition expands Glooko’s digital health capabilities with machine learning
Glooko, Inc., a leading provider of remote patient monitoring and digital health solutions for diabetes and other chronic conditions today announced it has acquired xbird, a Berlin-based health AI company developing JITAI (Just In Time Adaptive Intervention) technologies to support patients and their providers in predicting behavior and managing diabetes.
Using the latest AI and machine learning, xbird’s technology has the capability of identifying health risks for people with diabetes by interpreting medical and behavioral data in a targeted manner and providing customized recommendations and behavioral nudges. Sensors via smartphones and wearables record a user’s movements and analyze the data to create individualized behavioral profiles and personalized nudges to change patient behavior and lifestyle decisions. The addition of xbird expands Glooko’s advanced analytics capabilities and tools, further broadening Glooko’s platform offerings.
“We are thrilled to welcome the xbird team to the Glooko family. Our investment in xbird represents Glooko’s strategic commitment to machine learning and customized digital coaching for patients with chronic conditions,” said Russ Johannesson, Glooko’s Chief Executive Officer. “Among the many JITAI companies in the digital health landscape, xbird clearly has a superior solution, and has built successful partnerships throughout diabetes device manufacturers and clinical institutions. The combination of Glooko’s established global footprint and xbird’s exciting JITAI capabilities will allow us to improve patient outcomes.”
Sebastian Sujka, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of xbird stated, “xbird and Glooko are a great fit. We share a commitment to providing solutions that address multiple chronic conditions, delivering measurable outcomes, and we have a common mission to broadly serve all patients in need. Our goal is to continue the design of digital health solutions for those living with these conditions and to make our capabilities accessible to as many patients as possible.” Mr. Sujka will join Glooko as the Managing Director of Glooko GmbH, along with all of the xbird staff.
Glooko will integrate the xbird JITAI digital coaching software with its established platform which is used daily by more than 7500 clinics globally and over 1M users. Glooko plans to enable users of their platform globally to utilize these solutions to better manage their diabetes and related chronic conditions.
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Find the German version of the press release here:
The Prevalence of Chronic Disease*
Approximately 537 million adults are living with diabetes worldwide, with 9.5 million in Germany (15.3% of the population) and the numbers continue to rise. It is ranked in the top 10 global countries with the fastest growth in diabetes. Additionally, almost one in two people in Germany over 15 years report living with two or more chronic conditions (versus approximately one third of people worldwide). According to the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, one in six adults are considered to be obese in Germany.
About Glooko
Glooko is transforming digital health by connecting people with diabetes and other chronic conditions with their healthcare teams, enabling collaborative telehealth, clinical research and improved health outcomes. The company’s software platforms collect and analyze data from multiple devices in one highly secure place, allowing for easy remote upload via app or in-clinic, and producing easy-to-read analytics through actionable charts and graphs. The platform is compatible with over 95% of global diabetes and health monitoring devices, giving patients and their providers flexibility in how to manage their conditions. More than 3 million users have already benefited from Glooko’s solutions in 29 countries across 22 languages. Learn more at glooko.com.
About xbird
xbird is a medical AI company developing ways to predict health risks and support diabetes management. The company captures data streams from built-in sensors on smartphones, wearables, and medical devices to develop algorithms and machine learning models which process these streams into real-time just in time adaptive interventions (JITAI). Founded in 2015 by Sebastian Sujka and Matteo Carli, xbird has collaborated with major European and US pharma and medical device companies to customize patient interaction and engagement with artificial intelligence.
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* Sources:
- International Diabetes Foundation
- https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org//sites/5101558b-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/5101558b-en#
- OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2019), Germany: Country Health Profile 2019, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.