Intuity Medical Secures Additional $15M in Second C-Round, Bringing Total C-Funding to $55M to Accelerate Commercialization of POGO Automated Glucose Monitor

Diabetes management device manufacturer Intuity Medical announced that it has secured an additional $15 million in its Series C financing round, led by PTV Healthcare Capital. New investors include KCK Group and several affiliates of Luther King Capital Management, while existing investors Accuitive Medical Ventures, Investor Growth Capital, US Venture Partners, Venrock, and Versant Ventures also continued their participation in this round.

Intuity Medical has developed the Pogo Automatic Blood Glucose Monitoring System, the first blood glucose meter on the market to enable simple, one-step testing. Following a $40 million Series C financing round last November, the company secured an additional $15 million in a second Series C round earlier this year, bringing its total Series C funding to $55 million.

Pogo Blood Glucose Meter

The Pogo product received FDA approval in April 2016. This device integrates a lancet, lancing pen, and testing port into a single unit, featuring a film-strip-style cartridge design. It enables users to perform blood glucose tests discreetly, even in public settings, with on-demand usability that eliminates the need for separate test strips or collection devices. This represents a significant benefit for diabetic patients who require frequent blood glucose monitoring but are burdened by the need to carry multiple bulky devices.

Currently, the global number of individuals with diabetes has reached an astonishing 422 million. Conventional blood glucose testing is cumbersome, which is one of the reasons why blood glucose control remains generally poor among patients.

Intuity aims to narrow the lifestyle gap between individuals with diabetes and those without, enabling them to manage their condition discreetly. Due to the cumbersome nature of blood glucose testing, some patients delay or even discontinue monitoring, leading to significant challenges in diabetes management. Strict glycemic control can reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications, such as blindness, kidney damage, and nerve damage, by up to 76%.

A major advantage of the Pogo system is that it requires only a minimal blood sample (0.25 microliters) to measure blood glucose levels, with automatic lancing and sampling from the finger upon pressing the test end. The entire process takes approximately 4 seconds. Used test strips and lancets are stored within the device, and the cartridge containing the discarded testing materials can be disposed of after 10 tests.

After each blood draw, the Pogo system analyzes the patient’s blood glucose data using the company’s patented cloud platform—the “Diabetes Pattern Management System.” These data can be shared between patients and physicians to identify key trends in disease progression, enable comprehensive monitoring of blood glucose levels, and facilitate timely intervention for abnormalities.

Intuity is firmly committed to the concept of simplifying blood glucose testing. In fact, a study conducted by Intuity in collaboration with Yankelovich found that 69% of patients with diabetes stated they would be willing to test more frequently if blood glucose testing were simplified. Previously, a related clinical trial for the Pogo product revealed that more than half of the 287 participants reported that POGO helped them adhere to their daily blood glucose monitoring routines better than existing glucose meters. By reducing the number of testing steps and eliminating the need for bulky testing supplies, POGO has removed these common barriers, making blood glucose monitoring feel much easier for patients and alleviating the constant reminder of “you are a diabetic” associated with previous methods.

“The new financing will help us further commercialize Pogo, our automated blood glucose product, bringing it to the U.S. diabetes market and serving those with a greater need for convenience in blood glucose testing,” said Emory Anderson, Chairman and CEO of Intuity Medical, in a statement.