Tang Doctor Secures Tens of Millions in Pre-A Funding, Advancing Integrated Diabetes Care Ecosystem

On September 5, Xu Feng, co-founder of Tang Yisheng (Sugar Doctor), confirmed to VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) that the company had completed a Pre-A financing round amounting to tens of millions of yuan. This round was jointly invested by Shanghai Jiazhen and Shanghai Tenghui.

It is reported that Tang Yisheng secured several million yuan in seed funding in March 2014; in June 2015, the company received RMB 10 million in angel investment from Wanchuan Kaiyuan.

Tang Doctor, established in 2014, is positioned as a diabetes health management provider, offering comprehensive diabetes management services to patients across China through its platform. Currently, the Tang Doctor platform features two mobile apps, boasts a network of over 5,000 physicians, and has accumulated more than 2 million registered users, making it the largest diabetes management platform in China.

According to statistics from Analysys Qianfan, Tang Yisheng has ranked first in the industry in terms of monthly active users (MAU) since 2015. In July 2016, Tang Yisheng’s MAU exceeded 630,000, securing the top position in the disease management sector.

Since its inception, Tang Yisheng has held the view that the diabetes industry must achieve synergistic development between online and offline channels. As healthcare remains the core of mobile health, Tang Yisheng has actively laid out its strategy across the diabetes healthcare industry chain, integrating key sectors including medical devices, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, food, insurance, payment systems, and management services.

According to Lan Debin, a partner at Jiazhen InvestmentVCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat)Reporter, compared with other internet startups in chronic disease management, Tang Yisheng has always adhered to an online-plus-offline operational model,In the field of diabetes management and services, we are also continuously exploring and innovating, forging a distinctive path of our own.Tang Yisheng has not only won investors’ recognition through its innovative business model, but also delivered strong financial performance to them over the past two years.

1. The first diabetes app to launch an online store: As early as 2014, Tang Yisheng recognized that integrating online services with health insurance might not be feasible in the short term. Therefore, by the end of 2014, Tang Yisheng launched an in-app online store. Currently, revenue from this online store has been growing steadily.

2. The first to establish offline diabetes service centers: In 2015, while various apps were aggressively subsidizing doctors and competing for appointment slots and renowned physician resources online, Tang Yisheng took a different approach by launching offline service centers, becoming the first internet-based diabetes enterprise in China to establish physical entities. Currently, Tang Yisheng operates more than ten self-run or jointly operated offline service outlets across China, providing diabetes management services to tens of thousands of patients.

3. First to integrate medical insurance payment: In mid-2015, Tang Yisheng partnered with Tasly Pharmacy to provide home medication delivery services covered by medical insurance for users of the Tang Yisheng APP, becoming China’s first diabetes management platform to offer medical insurance payment for patients;

4. The first to launch specialized diabetes clinics: In September 2016, Tang Yisheng’s two general practice clinics in Tianjin were set to open, making Tang Yisheng the first internet-based diabetes company in China to provide medical services. This advancement enables Tang Yisheng to move deeper and faster than its competitors in integrated diabetes care and health management, while also helping to complete the closed-loop diabetes management service ecosystem.

Most critically,Lan DebinWe place great importance on the founding team of Tang Doctor. Internet entrepreneurs who possess both management experience and medical expertise are better suited to operate and monetize internet healthcare projects. This is especially true for the founder.Tong WeidongHe served as a clinician for six years, worked in media-related roles, and was also engaged in the mobile internet industry, driven by his passion for and pursuit of mobile internet.Currently, the Tang Yisheng team comprises 50 members, the vast majority of whom form a diabetes management team consisting of physicians, nurses, health coaches, and nutritionists. The team demonstrates excellent cohesion and collaboration.

In addition, “all along,We are closely monitoringChronic disease management, with a focus on the potential of the chronic disease market. Dr. Tang’s future growth prospects and key growth drivers are also substantial, aligning well with our strategic investment portfolio.”Lan Debin toldVCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat)Reporter。

“Following this round of financing, the funds will be allocated to the following four areas: 1. Continued investment in technological R&D; 2. Strengthening the closed-loop healthcare ecosystem by integrating upstream and downstream industry resources; 3. Appropriate market promotion; 4. Research and development of medical devices,” said Xu Feng, co-founder, in an interview with VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat).

Previously, Tang Yisheng integrated smart blood glucose meters, health examination devices, testing instruments, and pharmacies, enabling it to provide users with a comprehensive suite of solutions and management services for diabetes screening and treatment, medication management, and insurance and financial services.

On the “Tang Yisheng” diabetes management platform, which integrates mobile and cloud-based services, patients can conveniently store and collect information on diet, blood glucose levels, and medication regimens via a mobile health application. Through the cloud, they receive personalized feedback and alerts (for example, after collecting a patient’s blood glucose data, “Tang Yisheng” can provide various recommendations).

Meanwhile, after analyzing data such as current medication dosage, blood glucose fluctuations, and carbohydrate intake per meal, “Tang Yisheng” can send diagnostic recommendations to professional healthcare providers, who may then advise adjustments to the patient’s medication regimen based on the clinical situation.

Xu Feng also revealed that Tang Yisheng will continue to promote the upgrading and optimization of the diabetes industry chain, ultimately moving toward a group-based medical operation model through an “Internet + Healthcare + Finance” approach.

Mobile healthcare is inseparable from medicine, with medical care at its core; mobile internet serves merely as a tool and medium.

“We also believe that the most critical aspect of the doctor-patient relationship is familiarity; doctors and patients will inevitably need to meet in person and get to know each other. The internet merely serves as a tool to facilitate communication, which is why many doctor-patient contracts are now finalized through offline interactions,” founder Tong Weidong told reporters.

In fact, both the “Sugar Doctor” program and physician contracting rely on traditional pharmaceutical sales representatives to conduct regular visits to physicians. This approach not only helps cultivate physicians’ usage habits but also enables face-to-face interactions to gather their feedback and suggestions on our products, thereby facilitating continuous product improvement. We also assist physicians in managing their offline patients by referring them to online platforms. Therefore, we place greater emphasis on offline development. Typically, patients spend only a short time at hospitals, with merely a few minutes available for consultation with physicians during each visit; the majority of their time is spent outside the hospital.With the Tang Yisheng APP, doctors and patients can stay in touch at any time.

This innovative “app + service” model helps patients with diabetes achieve functionalities such as blood glucose monitoring, data storage and analysis, remote consultations, and daily reminders for diet, exercise, and medication.Ultimately, it moves toward group-based operation of medical groups through the “Internet + Healthcare + Finance” model.