Health-tech startup yields promising results

AMSTERDAM, November 3, 2021 – Health-tech startup Clear has raised 1.1 million euros in a successful financing round with international impact investor Mustard Seed Maze, the Dutch digital health VC Healthy.Capital and a number of angels to further develop its digital health program helping people with type 2 diabetes. It is still in talks with several parties to further expand the round.

Clear was founded in 2019 by Piet Hein van Dam (PhD) and Madelon Bracke (PhD) as a spin-out of the global early-stage VC Antler. It offers a health program based on a personal glucose meter, an app, a proprietary glucose algorithm and an AI food recommender. The power of the program lies in 100% personalization. Everyone’s reaction to food is personal. This is a scientific fact for several years already. Through a sensor and an app, Clear analyzes blood glucose levels to detect individual reactions to food. It then provides users with personalized advice in real-time. Users can analyze their individual biological response to specific foods and receive tailor-made advice on how to improve their blood sugar control and health and how to prevent lifestyle-related diseases.

A study (Citizenlab GripOpDiabetes) earlier this year in the Netherlands, together with TOPFit Citizenlab and Vitaal Twente, relealed that the Clear program has a positive effect on reducing symptoms of type 2 diabetes. By following the Clear program, average daily blood glucose values went down, body mass index (BMI) decreased, and even medication was reduced. Following up on these promising results, Clear is now discussing with health insurers to get the Clear program reimbursed.

Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Madelon Bracke: “Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in Europe. An average of 1 million people in the Netherlands now has type 2 diabetes, and in Europe, the number increases to 60 million, mostly due to overweight and obesity, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity (source: WHO, Health Topics). With Clear, we want to change that.”

António Miguel, Managing Partner at pan-European impact fund Mustard Seed Maze says “Around 2 billion people in the world are overweight, with 500 million people having diabetes type 2 (of which 50% are undiagnosed). The consequences of unhealthy lifestyles have staggering consequences in people’s lives and public budgets. We have been taking a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition, but if with Netflix and Spotify we can personalize what we watch or listen to, why should we not have the same personalization approach to things that really matter: what we eat. Personalized nutrition has tremendous potential in making a systemic impact into how people understand their body, make better food choices and improve their health. Clear embodies this vision which is fully aligned with our investment thesis at Mustard Seed Maze.”

Douwe Jippes, Managing Partner at Healthy.Capital adds: “Clear has exceptional potential. At Healthy.Capital it is our mission to make an impact in healthcare. Clear’s team built a great digital healthcare service that enables customers to act on their personal biometric insights. Personalization of nutritional advice will change the way customers perceive their lifestyle.”