Second Nature Secures $10M Series A Funding to Scale Digital Diabetes and Obesity Management Platform

Second Nature, a diabetes health management platform company, recently announced that it has secured $10 million in Series A financing. In addition to existing investors, new participants in this round include Uniqa Ventures and the founder of mySugr, a digital diabetes management platform.。

Second Nature's Financing Information

As early as 2018, the company raised $3 million in funding. By combining advice from health experts with smart app tracking technology, it helps people develop healthy habits and lose weight.

The company, formerly known as “OurPath” and an NHS service provider, announced its rebranding to Second Nature alongside the successful completion of its Series A financing round.

The rationale behind this name change can be gleaned from the proverb: “Habit is the second nature.” Second Nature promotes better health by helping users cultivate healthy habits and transform their lifestyles.

Second Nature is a diabetes health management company founded in 2015, headquartered in London, UK, and currently employs 80 people.

Second Nature is dedicated to developing health plans for patients with diabetes, guiding and motivating them to lead healthier lives. By helping individuals improve their lifestyles, it reduces their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and experiencing complications.

The company was founded by former healthcare strategy consultants Chris Edson and Mike Gibbs with the initial purpose of serving as a diabetes health management platform.Before long, they became the first “online lifestyle change program” commissioned by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).”。

According to statistics, more than 50 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are using Second Nature. Moreover, the company is engaged in research collaborations with Imperial College London and University College London.

Second Nature holds all the accreditations required for NHS commissioning, which include:

Clinical Risk Management DCB 0129 (SCCi 0129)

Data Security Protection (DSP) Toolkit

National Information Committee Certification

NHS App Library

Quality Assurance

Cyber Essentials Plus Certification

Information Governance Toolkit 14.1

Mike Gibbs stated, “Second Nature’s goal is to address the issue of obesity. We need to dispel misleading health information and clarify what truly matters—namely, changing lifestyle habits. Our new brand and investments will help us achieve this objective.”

Philip Edmondson-Jones, Investment Manager at Beringea, led the investment and has joined Second Nature’s board of directors. He stated, “Healthcare systems are struggling to cope with the sharp rise in obesity rates and related diseases.”By 2025, obesity and related diseases are projected to cost the global economy $1.2 trillion annually.Second Nature’s pioneering approach enables people to change unhealthy lifestyles, thereby addressing these issues.”

Regarding whether the name change would bring about new changes and impacts, Chris Edson and Mike Gibbs explained that there is no need to worry about these issues. Apart from the company name and some UI designs in the application, everything else—including company personnel, job responsibilities, and the app’s features and layout—remains unchanged.

Second Nature President Mike Gibbs (left) and CEO Chris Edson (right)

Chris Edson and Mike Gibbs, the two founders of Second Nature, met while serving as NHS consultants.

In their work and personal lives, they gradually came to recognize the importance of lifestyle habits. Although many people remain unaware of what their daily habits and lifestyles actually entail, these factors are in fact the root causes of weight changes. After witnessing firsthand the impact of lifestyle on individuals and healthcare services, they instantly clicked and resolved to establish such a company.

Both are industry elites who graduated from prestigious universities,Chris Edson graduated from the University of Oxford, and Mike Gibbs graduated from the University of Cambridge.. Beyond their knowledgeable minds, they have also exerted extraordinary efforts beyond the reach of ordinary people to achieve success.

“As you can imagine, building a health-tech startup is no walk in the park. Surviving in the market requires considerable luck and the right opportunities, but I believe the fundamental drivers are sheer perseverance and adaptability,” said Mike Gibbs. “I still remember our days as a four-person team, when Chris worked until 3 a.m. seven days a week to ensure our technology and data were rigorously secure.”

Chris Edson and Mike Gibbs have shared their entrepreneurial journey. Five years ago, they founded OurPath with ambitious goals. Some dismissed it as the delusion of two young men, others claimed they were wasting their time, and some told them they would never gain entry into the NHS.

But today, five years later, their team has achieved its current success, and their “delusion” has become a reality.

Now, the company is recognized as one of the Top 50 EU Startups.Chris Edson and Mike Gibbs were both named to Forbes’ 2018 “30 Under 30” list.。

Lifestyle intervention is the cornerstone of diabetes management; a balanced diet and moderate exercise can effectively control blood glucose levels. Although type 2 diabetes is largely incurable, long-term glycemic control can induce sustained remission and prevent complications.

Second Nature’s target audience is patients with type 2 diabetes; however, its services are not limited to this group. In addition to preventing type 2 diabetes in at-risk individuals, evidence has demonstrated that Second Nature is also beneficial for people with obesity, binge eating disorder, and depression accompanied by symptoms such as binge eating or anorexia. In essence, Second Nature is suitable for anyone seeking to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

According to statistics,95% of users successfully lose weight and develop healthy habits within just 12 weeks, while 40% reduce their HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) levels below the diagnostic threshold for type 2 diabetes. The total cost of the program is lower than what people spend on coffee each day, yet it offers lifelong benefits.

The company’s technology package is designed to make the process of behavior change as effortless and painless as possible. Smart devices, such as smart scales connected to the app, work together to help users monitor outcomes, track progress, and stay motivated.

Users may not even notice their weight decreasing; throughout the process, they are neither counting calories nor subjected to dietary deprivation, yet their daily well-being continues to improve.

Second Nature is available as a web version, as well as mobile versions for iOS and Android.When first using Second Nature, users are required to spend two minutes completing a six-question questionnaire, which is used to create a personalized health plan. This is followed by a free five-day program to guide users through the onboarding process. Second Nature also offers a trial period, providing two weeks of free access that can be canceled at any time without reason.

Second Nature Has Two Pricing Models: One is the “No-Tech Package” at £40 per month, which excludes tracking technology items (no wearable activity tracker, and smart scale data cannot be synced to the app); the other is the “Tech Package” at £60 per month, which includes tracking technology items, featuring a smart scale linked to the app and a wearable activity tracker.

Second Nature provides users with meal plans and one-on-one health coaching. On the app, users can customize their personal tracking interface and chat with their nutrition experts. By connecting smart scales and activity trackers, Second Nature can monitor users’ weight loss progress, daily step counts, and other metrics.

Users are placed into peer support groups of 15 participants who start simultaneously, with each group guided by a qualified registered dietitian who provides daily advice and motivation.

Thereafter, Second Nature enables users to set small, near-term, and achievable sequential goals, motivating them to maintain a balanced diet through recipes provided by the platform, overcome setbacks, and boost vitality. Second Nature tracks users’ health data and provides support grounded in insights from behavioral psychology researchers, registered dietitians, and fitness coaches.

On the Second Nature app, users can access healthy recipes and daily articles, as well as engage in mutual motivation with others. The daily content on Second Nature covers a variety of topics, including meal planning, sleep quality optimization, and overcoming emotional eating. Furthermore, Second Nature helps users improve negative thought patterns.

Subsequently, Second Nature continues to provide services and incentivize users until they are confident that they no longer require external support, having established sustainable healthy habits independently. Users retain ongoing access to regular education and advice from nutrition experts and other professionals. Second Nature’s accessories are designed for long-term use, and its app enables continuous long-term health data tracking.

Second Nature has enabled tens of thousands of people to transform unhealthy lifestyles and cultivate healthy habits. Its interface is simple and user-friendly, supports seven languages, complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and has garnered widespread acclaim from users. The app boasts an impressive 4.9-star rating on the App Store.

Second Nature App

Second Nature also faces competition from rivals such as Weight Watchers and Noom, the latter of which offers similar services and has raised $114.7 million.

However, Second Nature claims to offer a more intensive and personalized approach to habit change. The company has stated that over a 12-week period, 10,000 participants achieved an average weight loss of 5.9 kg. Peer-reviewed scientific data published by Second Nature indicate that the majority of this weight loss can be maintained for six to twelve months.

With a completion rate of 79%, Second Nature users achieved an average weight loss of 8.3% (approximately 7 kg) after 6 months and an average reduction in HbA1c of 13.6 mmol/mol after 3 months.

In addition, user data is accessible only to the users themselves and their assigned health coaches, with Second Nature placing great emphasis on protecting user privacy.

According to the data, Second Nature’s total assets have been rising linearly since the end of 2016.Fees paid by app users and commercial collaborations with organizations, institutions, or companies such as local CCGs constitute their primary sources of revenue.。

The prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, making it a common and frequently occurring disease worldwide. According to the latest statistical report from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there are approximately 463 million adults aged 20–79 living with diabetes globally, meaning that one in every eleven adults has diabetes. Three-quarters of these patients (352 million) are of working age (20–64 years). This number is projected to increase to 417 million by 2030 and to 486 million by 2045. Global healthcare expenditure on diabetes amounts to $760 billion, accounting for 10% of total healthcare spending.

This will have an increasingly significant impact on humans, exerting severe and growing pressure on productivity and economic development in the coming decades. According to data trends, the number of elderly patients with diabetes will also rise substantially, inevitably posing challenges to public health and the economic landscape.

Overview of the Global Distribution of Diabetes Prevalence (Source: International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Website)

China’s diabetes prevalence is also showing a rapid upward trend, and due to its large population, the country has long had the highest number of diabetic patients worldwide. According to the latest data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the top three countries in terms of the number of diabetic patients are projected to remain unchanged by 2030.

Ranking of the Number of Diabetes Patients by Country and Future Projections (Source: International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Website)

Therefore, the diabetes health management platform developed in response to this situation has emerged as a timely solution; it is not only a boon for patients with diabetes but also a societal necessity.

Second Nature’s technical team and experts frequently publish articles, papers, and research findings in various journals and related websites. These publications demonstrate the depth of their research, serve as promotional efforts for Second Nature, and provide valuable support to individuals with diabetes and other patient populations.

In China, there are numerous companies and software platforms similar to Second Nature, covering categories such as personal health management, health information monitoring, weight loss coaching, and healthy habit formation. Examples include Huanran Xinsheng, Sugar Angel, Jian Tang, Tang You Space, Health Cloud Alarm, Xue Tang Bao, Tang Yi Sheng, Re Liang, Lai Shou, Yi Kang Yuan, and PiPi Health.