Welcome back to Startup Health now. Where we celebrate the entrepreneurs and the innovators who are transforming health, I'm Logan Plaster. Sometimes, if you want to promote health innovation, you just need to gather founders in a remote mountain village in Switzerland. Last year, we went, we had to go up with a little cable car, you know?
Random proper boot camp spirit. That's the philosophy at Diabetes Center Byrne or Dc, a Swiss profit that runs a global innovation challenge about the latest and greatest in diabetes tech. Frankly, I am here for it. In our increasingly virtual business world, the value of in person gathering and deep community building cannot be underestimated. That's 1 of the reasons I was excited to sit down with today's guest Greta Ehlers from Dc.
In our conversation, Elle who herself has type 1 diabetes explains how their global competition works, and some of the top trends she's seeing. Like using Ai to help someone with diabetes manage their day to day health. And I know it's become a bit of a buzz word, but it it does make quite a difference, you know? Another important trench she's noticed the innovation keeps coming. After their first year with 70 applications, they thought maybe the well had run
dry, but the applications only increased. This year, they field that applications from 100 innovative diabetes companies. Let's get into the conversation, which was held at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting. My guest right now is Greta Elle from diabetes Center Byrne Dc great to see, Greta. Great To meet you. Great to see. Thanks for having me. Yeah. We have had multiple companies in the t 1 moonshot who have come through Dc. I've heard amazing things, but now that you're
here, I can get more details. Tell me about the program itself and what your role is there. Absolutely. So we're a non nonprofit organization and our mission is really just to make life with diabetes easier. Sounds very simple, but it's really... Just that, You know, we wanna make an impactful for people with diabetes from all over the world. And we do that in different ways, but 1 of the ways is our Dc open innovation challenge. Okay. Which is probably how all the startups kinda, you know, came
in through there. Sure. It's a global competition. We run it every year, for the fourth time now in 20 24, and it's basically a big award globally where startups from all over the world can apply. Okay. What gets you the most excited about, let's say, the last couple of cohorts or classes of folks who have applied. What kind of technology are you seeing? That is just getting your attention. I think obviously, the whole topic around artificial intelligence is huge.
And I know it's become a bit of a buzz word, but it it does make quite a difference. You know, having to... I live with type 1 diabetes myself. Okay. And it's really interesting because I get to test these things. So for me, it's really nice to see kinda the start or people, with an idea kinda on their journey to getting it off the ground. And then in the best outcome obviously, test and use it, and Ai does make a difference he's not having to
calculate your bolus yourself, for example. Okay. Just saves a lot of time. And and I think non invasive lucas glucose monitoring is also very big at the rum. It's not quite there yet, but I think I'm excited to see where will lead. Okay. Okay. So the program itself, you have the innovation challenge, and then what are the other aspects of the program? So basically, how it works is that it's a in an online platform, we have an application period,
startups can apply. They just hand in like pitch deck or a description of the idea, then we have an, like, internal evaluation committee, and we cut it down to the top 20. K. So this year, for example, we had a hundred solutions submitted a hundred idea submissions. Well. And it's it's really impressive. From all over the world and all over the world. Okay. I think last year, it's always been around 70 which is exciting. Right? Because you would think I think the second year we did it.
We were afraid that... Okay. We've had, I think 75 ideas. We already saw here. Already saw more. And it's like, what if we only get 15 set submissions. Yeah. But actually, the fact that we get around 60 70 a hundred now every year that. Says quite a lot also about the unmet need? What are you seeing in terms of the spread the types of companies? Is that shifting? Is it... Is the spread kind of similar during to year? Are we moving more towards,
you know, Ai companies? Obviously, that's gonna be 1 of the growth areas, but Are we spread across the continuum of care? Yes. I think, we always get a bit more digital solutions just because I think the process is a bit shorter you have, like, a proper medical device. Yeah. It's harder of it takes longer, whereas digital solutions, you have some very gifted people and they hack some is online really. If So I think a bit more digital, but we get new devices. We get a lot more what I see
this year is more complications related. So eye companies or for diabetic feet stuff like that. Okay. Also comes in. And what happens to the companies who win, what's the process, you know, post. Competition. Yeah. Let me start the step 4 before the finals because that's really cool. Once we've cut it down to the top 6 solution, so the finalist. We have a 1 week boot camp in Switzerland. Oh, nice. And we invite all the startups for 6 finalist to join us for 5
days in Switzerland. Okay. In the mountains in burn. A bit outside last year, we went... We had to go up with a little cable car, you know, and proper boot camp spirit. U and. And then we do 1 in 1 coaching, mentoring p sessions. It's just really nice spirit having everybody in the room. And And then there's a huge life award ceremony where the finalist pitch life on stage. Okay. And then we have an external jury kinda selecting the winner. And then they get funding and in
client support. So it's shifted a bit over the years, but... I'm fascinated by the fact that you do that that boot camp. In Switzerland. It's it's not easy to get to necessarily. People coming from all over the world. They have to work to get there. And once they do, they have this very special highly personal experience. I get the sense from people who have I've met who've gone through Dc that that is sort of like a, real life changing
moment. They make some real bonds. They they build community there. And it's just... I find it interesting in this increasingly virtual world that these sorts of events end up being the lin pin for a lot of people. I think that's what makes a difference as you say it's a lot of it is virtual just because we're operating globally and we can't fly rebellion for every step of the journey, but at that point of time we will, and it
makes a huge difference. And a For us, it's really nice to see how well the startups get along. Mh. Like, we obviously have our experts. We have the Dc team there. But they really also help each other and kinda like, oh, we're working on the Fda approval, and then somebody else has an insight, because they've just been through a similar thing a couple of weeks ago or something. It's really nice to see that, obviously, it's a competition, but they're all kind of fighting for the same
course. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How is Dc funded? We're properly funded by Willy Mi, is He's since Switzerland He's been Ips made before the former of Ips. Okay. And we're not on Ips foundation, but we're privately funded by him. And you're able to fly folks in for that boot. Yes. That for the boot camp fly Nice. How you how'd you get into this work? And you said you have type 1 diabetes? Yes. What's my and what's been your path towards Dc? 1 of my colleagues who is an innovation
manager at Dc Mari and Sc. She and she has like born herself. We kinda connected over so media, I think 5, 6 years ago. Okay. I was working for her startup back then, and she started a Dc and cut think half you later. She was like we need someone else. I think it would be a great fit. Do you wanna move to Switzerland? And I hadn't been to Switzerland before. Because Like that's great. What where were you living at the time? In Sweden. It's did my masters there. Okay. What you study?
Strategic communication. So a lot of kind of branding marketing. Fair. Crisis communication, which... And and hollywood we don't need that the startups ups. Yeah. And how have you liked working in a field that you have such a personal connection to. I think it does make it different because it's so intrinsic, somehow, you know? Like, I obviously also get to see... What difference it actually makes for because it's not abstract way. It's very concrete.
I find the type 1 diabetes community so fascinating because it's such an engaged, often, well, I mean it runs the gamut, but you have folks here who are young, engaged, intent on finding solutions. And, yeah. It's like, like, like the whole we're not waiting mon, like, ready to build something to help me live my life now. And so for you to be there and like, yesterday I heard presentations, about new solutions and the questions were all from people managing their type 1 diabetes today. And so
the... The questions were so pointed and we're so relevant. They're like, I'm thinking about how I'm gonna go to sleep tonight. And there's just something so potent about having someone like you work there, get these pitches, work with these folks and say, This affects me every day. If not every your hour of every day. We're actually, I think 4 people in the team, our Ceo has type 1. I think it's quite. A big ratio of type 1 diabetic in the
Dc team? Do you have a sense of what you would like to see, in the next cohort. So have you ever thought, like, oh, I really wish someone would build this type of startup up and pitch to us. Like, there... There's a gap in the market. I think the... Biggest gap in that sense is something like a fully close loop. Okay. I always say managing type 1 diabetes just takes a lot of time. I mean, there's these very concrete things like you change your infusions sat every 3
days. But I think the amount of times a day you think about it. You know, Like, oh, how much does this coffee? Yeah. Have, like, the amount of carbs. I think the more that gets automated the easier it is for everyone. Yeah. Living with diabetes. So I think there's obviously it's coming out Now I also with the help of Ai, but I'm I'm excited you to closing the loop. What role do you feel like? Startups play
in that process. When you have these big legacy enterprise companies, it feels like there's kind of this divide, You have folks like teams of 1, 2 and 3, pre seed pre revenue companies, and you've got your big, big players who are also working on the same thing. So where do you see the connection points between those 2 groups? I think with these small startups ups also what we see is that... A lot of
the founders also live with diabetes themselves. And that's, I think why their ideas often are so tailored or they kind of really know. This problem needs to be tackled because they live with it. Yeah. So... And then maybe we need some of the big players to kinda. Yeah. Take it to the next level. But I think the innovation coming from these small startups. It's just... It's insane. Yeah. It's sort of it's fresher. It's more immediate. But I guess my question
is how do we... And I'm thinking about this because we have our type 1 diabetes moonshot, which is how we kind of intersect with some of the Dc alumni, and they have great ideas since And then the question is, okay. How do we how do we connect the dots to the the dex comes of the world where whoever is actually... In market with the devices and say, we need to get this great app. We need to get this great algorithm into market. I don't know.
We'll kind of work this Dc do to kinda try to connect those dots from startup up to industry. I think our network. Yeah. Because we do have a very big network also with the industry, and we host these dinners at conferences where we try to bring everyone together. Researchers, industry startups so that people actually start talking to each other. And then I know it takes time, but Yeah. And what is the... So there's the the
boot camp? There's the finalist, and then is there sort of like a post it's like a an alumni life cycle? Yeah. I think for us, it's it's really important that it doesn't. The support doesn't end with the end of the challenge. And okay we're still in touch from finalist from the first year. Which was when? 20 21. Okay. It's the third third... Okay. So this is relatively new. I didn't know I didn't
know when it started. I... So the Dc was founded in 20 17 but then it took some time obviously to set everything up and then 20 21 was when we did the first challenge. Okay. And we're still in touch with them, and obviously, all these conferences are always great to see them and... Yeah. We always sell our startups you can always reach out. And we can connect you to someone. We do follow up grants. Yeah.
And it doesn't end with the challenge. And it's really nice to see you also, you know, we're here now and then we see some people we've been in touch with 3 years ago and see what's happened in the meantime, nice. What are you most excited about for the next 12 months? I'm I'm we really excited for for the boot? Been seeing we have the big pitch day now coming up where we select the finalist for throughout this year's challenge and... When is that? I think 20 fifth of July Okay. So
that's a summertime time thing. Yes. And that's... It's just so exciting and then kinda coming together in that boot camp, and it's just such a good kind of spirit there. Yeah. And we have a bit of a different setup for our awards ceremony in October. And It's awesome. And I it's it's nice. It's nice to see. I love it. Kinda having everyone in the room and brainstorming together kinda developing ideas. Well, III couldn't be more of a fan of
of bringing folks together in real life. There's there's there's so much that you can do virtually, but the fact that you're doing that that boot camp together you know, the relationships that are forming the potential collaborations that can come out of that. I think our exponential, compared to just an entirely virtual community, which can be very powerful and very strong.
And we've seen it through know, collaborative sessions on workshops and things, but bringing people together, like here at the Ada at the boot camp is huge. So, you Greta. Thank you for giving me the the rundown about the Dc. I have noticed that the alumni that have come to us. Through the program, have a certain, mindset and a certain excitement, and I'm sure that comes from the ethos that you all have set up. So Appreciate the work that you're doing. Appreciate. Wish you the best. Thanks.
Thanks for listening to start pulse now. We'll be back again with another episode. Next week.