Livongo Health Secures $52.5M Series D Funding to Expand Beyond Diabetes into Hypertension and Other Chronic Conditions

Livongo for Diabetes product, including hardware, intelligent cloud, and virtual care

VCBeat has learned that Livongo Health, a technology-driven diabetes management company, recently secured $52.5 million in Series D financing. The round was co-led by existing investors General Catalyst and the international investment firm Kinnevik, with full participation from prior investors, including Microsoft Ventures, American Investment Holdings, and EDBI. The funding aims to expand Livongo’s business into other global markets, accelerate the growth of its diabetes services, and extend its offerings to other chronic diseases. Livongo Health was previously listed on VCBeat’s 2016 “Top 100 Future Healthcare Companies” International List.

Livongo Health is the first chronic disease management company dedicated to serving patients with diabetes, providing mobile, digital, and personalized services. It empowers diabetic patients to effectively manage their condition and conveniently share timely information with their families and healthcare teams.

Livongo was founded in the fall of 2014 by Glen Tullman, former president of Allscripts. The company has completed six rounds of financing to date, raising a total of over $140 million and attracting significant investor interest. Its backers include prominent investment institutions such as KPCB, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, all of which possess deep expertise across the healthcare industry chain.

In the field of diabetes management, its position and achievements are also quite remarkable. VCBeat has learned that Livongo’s exclusive diabetes program has been adopted by national-level health plans in the United States, as well as by the country’s largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), collectively covering the health management of more than 3 million people.

Livongo Health’s current product, called Livongo for Diabetes, consists of connected devices, a smart cloud platform, and a virtual care team. The Livongo meter serves as both a connected glucometer and pedometer, while enabling seamless data sharing. It is a standalone device featuring a color touchscreen and cellular connectivity.

During use, the device reads your blood glucose levels and transmits this information to Livongo Health’s monitoring servers. If readings fall outside the normal range, the user is flagged and provided with specific recommendations, such as drinking a glass of fruit juice or taking a walk. If data deviates significantly from baseline patterns, the patient receives a call from a specialist advising on next steps; according to company materials, the minimum response time is kept within 90 seconds.

Livongo strives to reduce barriers to device usage. For example, it provides blood glucose test strips free of charge, and all stored data is easily accessible, eliminating the need for users to continuously log their current status.

Livongo Health partners with insurance and pharmacy benefit providers to offer its products to potential patients. Glen Tullman, CEO of Livongo, stated that they have collected sufficient data demonstrating that Livongo Health can save payers up to $100 per month.

This new funding will accelerate investment in research and development, expanding the company’s rules engine from 10,000 to over 100,000 rules to enable personalized management. As Livongo Health continues its steady growth, it has already planned to expand beyond diabetes into areas such as hypertension and high cholesterol.

“Our team is exploring healthier lifestyles, which goes beyond chronic disease management and means we must address all health issues in a comprehensive manner,” Tullman said in a statement. “In addition to diabetes, we will expand into other chronic conditions such as hypertension, continuing to deliver our products and expertise to help improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs.”

Chris Bischoff, Senior Investment Director at Kinnevik, stated in a press release: “Diabetes is a lifelong condition with a large and rapidly growing patient population that requires comprehensive management approaches to improve quality of life and meet patient needs. Livongo has significant potential to replicate its U.S. success in Europe and other international markets. We are delighted to partner with Livongo to become a global leader in chronic care management.”