Digital health coaching startup Liva has won a contest to partner with health insurers in Germany. 

The Copenhagen and London-based healthtech firm was selected as one of four winning providers of the Healthy Hub eHealth competition, which called for innovators in the German eHealth sector. 

More than 100 digital health companies applied for the competition and 15 made it through to the live pitches.

The other three winners are Fimo Health, Mentalis and MOIO GmbH. They will get the opportunity to work with sickness funds, which are Germany’s version of a public health insurance system. 

WHY IT MATTERS

International Diabetes Federation figures show more than 9.5 million people are living with diabetes in Germany, one of the highest prevalence of the disease in Europe. 

Liva’s digital coaching programme aims to help combat the rise in type 2 diabetes and obesity.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Liva expanded its coaching programmes to Germany in June, to help manage conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.  

Meanwhile this month, Swiss diet and lifestyle coaching app Oviva announced it has raised €67m ($80m) in Series C funding to expand its digital diabetes treatment across Europe.

ON THE RECORD

Dr Elmar Waldschmitt, Healthy Hub managing director, said: “We invite the most interesting applicants to live pitches. Following a personal presentation of the ideas, these are discussed in detail here with proven experts from the participating sick funds. We select particularly promising innovations from the live pitches and give selected innovators the chance to then prove themselves under real conditions.”

André Sode, Liva Healthcare CEO, said: “Following our expansion to the German market back in June, this achievement marks an important milestone for us. Our personalised digital health coaching programmes have been proven to drive substantial clinical outcomes within obesity, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in eight countries across Europe.”

Florian Brandt, IKK Südwest health innovation manager, said: “In the end, the winners of the competition have an innovation partnership with at least one of the four sick funds. This creates a valuable opportunity for start-ups to tap into the market, as four health insurance companies with over 2.7 million insured persons can be reached at the same time.”

Dr Philipp M. Schäfer, Liva Germany senior advisor, said: “We at Liva are proud of the success we have achieved together, which now also enables us in Germany to continue the previous successful history and to be able to positively influence the lives and health of numerous people with this great product here as well.”

Jonas Hjortshøj, Liva CCO, said: “There’s a clear need in the market for innovative and scalable solutions within prevention and management of chronic diseases that is currently not being met, and we are delighted to be working closely together with these sick funds to improve health, wellbeing and quality of life for many people in Germany.”