Glucose Executive Announces IPO Filing: Aiming to Become China's Largest and Most Professional Diabetes Management Platform

From Broad Platforms to a Focus on Diabetes

After three years of development, Ouyang Jun led his team to create a large-scale platform based on chronic disease management. “We have been working with middle-aged and elderly individuals as well as chronic disease patients for over a decade, giving us deep insights into this population. During this process, we aimed to manage patients through internet-based solutions and provide them with convenient services, which led to the development of our Cloud Health Management Platform.”

 ((Glucose Management Executive, Chairman Ouyang Jun)

The term “large platform” was used because, at the time, it was a comprehensive platform covering multiple conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Precisely because it was too “perfect” in its breadth, it was unable to achieve depth and specialization in any single area. In early 2014, Ouyang Jun implemented a major strategic adjustment, dedicating full efforts to focusing on diabetes management. “Although the comprehensive large platform had already been built, we aimed to provide vertical services tailored to diabetes patients, with health management at the core. Therefore, leveraging an in-depth cloud-based data management platform, we subsequently launched the ‘Blood Sugar Executive’ APP for patients and the ‘Blood Sugar Executive Clinic’ APP for physicians.”

Building on the foundation of the original large-scale platform, Xuetang Gaoguan has developed a diabetes analysis and management model subdivided into 45 categories. It has also secured more than ten technical patents, including those for an intelligent early-warning system and a physician management platform, and was awarded First Prize in the 2014 Innovation Fund Program supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.

It is worth noting that from the outset, Xuetang Gao (Blood Sugar Manager) established a dedicated professional medical team of approximately 20 members, comprising endocrinologists, health managers, dietitians, exercise specialists, and psychological counselors, to participate in the construction and development of disease algorithm models. Possessing such a large base of full-time physicians is indeed rare in the mobile healthcare sector for diabetes management.

Furthermore, the company has invited several renowned experts, including Hu Changmei, Executive Vice President of the Beijing Cerebrovascular Disease Prevention and Control Association, and Xiang Hongding and Xing Xiaoping, endocrinology specialists at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, to serve as senior medical advisors. They provide final oversight for the algorithmic models, ensuring their accuracy and reliability.

In June, Blood Sugar Executive secured a tentative investment commitment of RMB 60 million from Hybio Pharmaceutical, while simultaneously transferring a 30% equity stake to the latter. Amidst the fiercely competitive landscape of the diabetes app market, often described as the “Hundred Sugars War,” gaining investor recognition serves, to some extent, as a testament to the competitiveness of Blood Sugar Executive.For more details, please refer to VCBeat’s previous report.）

Three-minute early warning system, physician response to online consultations within one minute

Ouyang Jun told VCBeat, “The ‘Tangyou’ app collects a range of basic data—including blood glucose, blood pressure, blood oxygen, body temperature, physical activity, diet, sleep, weight, medication adherence, and complications—via manual entry or smart devices. This information is uploaded to a cloud-based health management platform, where backend systems automatically process and analyze it to formulate personalized blood glucose management plans. The system issues alerts at different stages of the disease, prompting a dedicated team of physicians to provide timely human intervention. This approach enables continuous blood glucose control, helping to maintain stable blood glucose levels.”

The Three-Minute Alert System stands out as a particularly prominent design highlight for hyperglycemia management. Each full-time physician is equipped with an iPad and participates in 24-hour rotating shifts. Once the backend system detects that a patient’s blood glucose level has reached an abnormally high value, the on-duty physician’s iPad immediately triggers an audible alarm. Within three minutes, the patient receives a phone call from the physician, along with professional medical guidance.

“This 24/7 continuous tracking and monitoring of blood glucose data for diabetic patients has already benefited many,” introduced Ouyang Jun. “I recall an elderly gentleman who disregarded his high blood glucose levels. After the warning system triggered alerts, he ignored two phone calls from his physician. However, thanks to our emergency contact binding service, the doctor then called his son, who insisted on taking him to the hospital, thereby averting a potentially life-threatening situation.”

Initially, each doctor on the 20-member team managed an average of only 200 to 300 patients. With the in-depth development of the backend management system, 80% of administrative tasks could be handled by the system, leaving only 20% for manual intervention. This enabled a highly efficient model in which one doctor could manage up to 1,500 patients.

Currently, in addition to a team of more than 20 full-time physicians, the Blood Sugar Manager platform has onboarded over 7,000 part-time endocrinologists across China, enabling online inquiries from patients with diabetes to be answered within one minute. By establishing their own private clinics on the Blood Sugar Manager platform, these part-time physicians utilize fragmented time to address patient queries, set their own service prices, and generate income.

For individuals with diabetes, the platform offers free, open-ended consultations with physicians, as well as paid one-on-one online or telephone consultations with private doctors, with all consultation fees going directly to the physicians. To encourage physician participation, the platform provides subsidies to doctors, enabling rapid responses within one minute. With the deepening development of machine learning, the platform aims to have computers replace human agents in answering 70% of inquiries. Glucose Manager is gradually increasing this proportion to approach the theoretical target of 70%, thereby reducing labor costs and further improving response speed.

Regarding private clinics, Ouyang Jun explained that part-time physicians have undergone a shift from initial resistance and distrust to willing acceptance. Physicians have gradually come to recognize that, by leveraging the Xuetang Gao Guan Clinic platform, they can not only enhance their professional competencies by addressing practical clinical issues and facilitate scientific research through efficient patient data management, but also generate additional income and demonstrate the value of their services. These multifaceted benefits effectively motivate physicians to actively participate and proactively enroll their own patients in the clinic, which constitutes the true value that Xuetang Gao Guan delivers to physicians.

Establishing a complementary team of full-time and part-time physicians enables Glucose Executive to manage patients more professionally and comprehensively. Recognizing the management advantages of Glucose Executive, Guahao 160 (Jiuyi 160), founded in 2009, entered into a bilateral partnership to refer all diabetic patients to Glucose Executive and delegate online consultation services to them.

Open Software Interface

In fact, Ouyang Jun has a clear vision for the company’s development roadmap, which is divided into four phases: Phase I involves backend system development, essentially building the foundational tools; Phase II focuses on building a team of physicians; Phase III aims to attract a substantial user base; and Phase IV targets commercial profitability. The company is currently in Phase III, accumulating users. By opening up its software app interfaces to allow integration with any smart device, Glucose Executive is expanding its user acquisition channels. This decision reflects the company’s strategic direction and determination to prioritize blood glucose management services rather than focusing primarily on hardware sales.

The company began developing hardware in 2012, subsequently launching a range of smart devices, including activity trackers, blood pressure monitors, glucometers, Bluetooth ECG devices, and all-in-one multifunctional units. However, given that hardware development is an arduous endeavor characterized by high production costs and intense competition, the company decided during last year’s strategic restructuring to cease in-house hardware R&D. Instead, it opened up its glucose management software APIs and entered into partnerships with other renowned domestic hardware manufacturers to achieve seamless software-hardware integration, jointly forming part of the Glucose Management Health System.

Currently, the official website of Xuetang Gao (Blood Sugar Manager) features a variety of smart hardware devices with distinct characteristics, including cloud-connected blood glucose meters, Jian e Xing, Sinocare Anwen blood glucose meters, Yicheng blood glucose meters, and Dongdong smart bands, allowing users to select options based on their personal preferences.

“To incentivize users and ensure sufficient engagement, the software also employs a points-based reward mechanism: when users consistently record measurements meeting specified criteria, they can apply for complimentary consultations with dedicated physicians, thereby waiving the cost of purchasing a VIP membership.” Currently, the platform charges virtually no fees for physician-patient consultations.

Regarding future revenue streams, Ouyang Jun stated that there are many avenues to explore: “We already have a relatively clear plan for our business model, such as providing big data analytics value to pharmaceutical companies and offering diabetes management services to insurance firms, banks, and other large enterprises or platforms. However, our primary task at this stage is to help users manage their blood glucose levels and deliver an exceptional user experience; profitability will then follow naturally. My vision is to build Blood Glucose Steward into the largest and most professional diabetes management platform in China.”

Editor: Bu Yan