Health IT, Startups

Can you spare a glucose tab? Entrepreneurs want to help diabetics connect in emergencies

One of the most stressful things that can happen to diabetics, especially for their parents, […]

One of the most stressful things that can happen to diabetics, especially for their parents, is when they find themselves without a piece of essential equipment for managing their conditions. Entrepreneurs behind HelpAround have launched a service in the U.S. to help connect diabetes patients with each other to make it easier to obtain over-the-counter events at concert and sporting venues and at other times when pharmacies aren’t immediately available.

Its founders view HelpAround as part of the “sharing economy” in the tradition of AirBnB, Lyft and Etsy.

The idea behind the Israeli company, co-founded by Yishay Knobel and Shlomi Aflalo, is to provide over-the-counter products to people who need them most. U.S.-based spokesman Scott Piro emphasized that it wouldn’t include prescription medication. Also, the emphasis is more on creating a social network of peers rather than as a way to strike up relationships. Its app is available for iPhone and Android networks, according to its website.

Here’s how it works. When members of the HelpAround community express a need for a specific product like a blood-glucose testing strip, glucose tab or monitor, HelpAround notifies potential helpers either by sending a notification to their phones or by displaying an “unread” indication on the app’s icon. Once HelpAround notifies potential helpers, they can either respond publicly or privately through a one-on-one message.

The app identifies peers most likely to help based on their current location, relevance to the request, past behavior and other factors, Knobel said in emailed responses to questions.

But how comfortable would most people feel approaching essentially a stranger, whether they share a chronic condition or not? Knobel admitted that’s an issue the company wrestled with early on, but then look at AirBnB. That’s a more intimate relationship — going into someone’s home and sleeping there — and that company doesn’t seem to be having trouble attracting customers. But ground rules in the “sharing economy” apply. Users still have to use caution and common sense to protect themselves. He added that it removed the financial incentive from the equation by making the service donation only.

“We were pleasantly surprised to discover the level of camaraderie and trust in the diabetes community,” said Knobel. “The dynamic in the diabetes community reminds us a bit of a secret society, where members can easily tell that ‘you’re one of ours.'”

It also developed a Web-based widget for EsTuDiabetes, one of the largest Spanish speaking diabetes communities. For people without smartphones, it uses IP addresses to track location rather than GPS. Another component, Nurse on Call, is a partnership between the company and TeamHealth to provide live phone support with registered nurses from a mobile app 24/7.

Knobel worked for AgaMatix which developed the first iPhone blood-glucose monitors. The founder of AgaMatix, Sonny Vu, has joined the company as an adviser. Aflalo was vice president for research and development at eXelate, a behavioral ad targeting company.

The company also sees scope to expand its service to people with allergies, Piro said.

Earlier this month the company raised $500,000 co-led by Windham Venture Partners and angel investors Walter Winshall, Robert Oringer and former Harmonix COO Michael Dornbrook. It plans to use that funding to bring on other diabetes communities beyond EsTuDiabetes.

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