Signos
Weight management calls for more than willpower.
What’s happening: Metabolic health company Signos raised $20M in a Series B led by Cheyenne Ventures and GV (Google Ventures). Of note, Dexcom Ventures and Samsung Next also participated in the round.
Scaling up. Using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), the company’s AI-powered platform provides personalized health recommendations based on the body’s real-time responses to food and fitness.
With new funding, Signos will continue expanding its tech and team, moving toward its mission of reversing prediabetes in 96M+ Americans.
Crisis mode. Obesity and metabolic health are at a tipping point in the US, with 93% of Americans metabolically unhealthy and ~40% of middle-aged adults obese.
CGMs, used alone or in conjunction with prescription weight loss drugs, could help unwind the crisis by teaching users how to leverage unique metabolic insights for lasting behavior change.
But first, companies are striving to make access more convenient.
- This month, Best Buy began delivering prescription Dexcom CGMs directly to consumers’ doors.
- In September, the WeightWatchers app started syncing data from Abbott CGMs to show diabetic users how foods impact glucose.
- Another approach, January AI’s machine learning model makes wearing a CGM optional after 14 days.
Punchline: A trusted tool for diabetics, CGMs still have to prove their worth to otherwise healthy individuals. But, widespread adoption could be valuable for reversing the obesity crisis, and preventing relapse.
