Egyptian health startup, Otida, raises $340k in pre-seed funding to help manage diabetes
Egyptian health-tech startup, Otida, has secured $340,000 in a pre-seed funding round to expand digital treatment for diabetes across the country and the MENA region.
The funding round was led by Pan-African VC firm Lofty Inc Capital Management, Flat6Labs Cairo, Afropreneurs, Jedar Capital, OQAL Angel Investors, UI Investments, and some angel investors participating in the round.
Otida is an app designed for patients with diabetes. The app acts as a nutritionist, fitness coach, and physician, among other roles. The app helps patients make informed choices concerning nutrition and exercise.
Formerly “instadiet,” Otida was founded in 2021 by Ahmed Tawfic and Ayman Mostafa to help patients treat the leading cause of diabetes by reducing cumulative sugar to an average level without medication.
When patients sign up for Otida, they receive wearables that read blood sugar levels every 15 minutes and report back to the cloud, avoiding the blood sugar testing process. The platform also collects food consumed, prescribed medication, and periodic lab tests. That way, and to return with the best fitting care model, the app learns a lot about the patient’s nutrition, glycemic responses to different food and medications, lifestyle, and behavior.
In addition, patients are assigned a coach who is available around the clock. Otida also educates patients about their conditions and how individuals can use the best data to improve their lifestyles.
Ahmed Tawfic, founder and CEO of Otida: “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 particular condition.”
Through data-driven technology, Otida has successfully reversed type 2 diabetes. Mona AbdelMoteleb, Medical Director of Otida, commented, “We have patients with type 2 diabetes who were insulin-dependent. With Otida’s guidance, they stopped taking it and stopped depending on medications altogether. We want to be a companion to help diabetic patients live a normal, happy life.”
The startup’s team comprises eight members working to make life easier for people living with diabetes. The team is divided into; a technology department responsible for both development and product management; a nutrition department that studies patients’ responses to food and places the right food plans that work for each individual.
There’s also a medical department with endocrinologists and other relevant specialties; customer support agents that answer questions and requests; and data analysts that interpret collected data to users, presenting healthy and efficient solutions.
Otida would expand operations and distribution reach to more patients across Egypt and the MENA region with the seed fund.