As is often the case, the beginnings were ‘accidental’ and triggered by a very personal reason, in this case me and my diabetes. I didn’t just decide suddenly one day to quit my job and set up a company. It was a gradual process whereby an initial idea kept evolving into what we are today, one of the best applications for diabetes worldwide.
To understand how everything began, we have to go back to 2008. At that time, I was living in London and I had just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Following the diagnosis, surprised and somewhat concerned, I decided to return to Barcelona to start this new chapter of my life closer to family.
The truth is that as an IT developer, I quickly realized that the treatment for diabetes was very outdated. I couldn’t understand why in the 21st century I had to manage my diabetes using a paper notebook, noting down values by hand and always eating the same things in order to not run any risks.
The use of mobile phones was becoming more and more commonplace and as a fan of technological innovation, I wondered whether it wouldn’t be easier to use technology to manage these daily tasks. Wouldn’t it be better to take daily decisions with a bit of technological help?
In 2012, I started to program an app for my own personal use, so that I could be more independent and be able to safely vary my diet. I dreamed of having my doctor in my pocket!
The initial results were incredible, I managed to lower my HbA1c to levels close to those of a person without diabetes. I started to share my program with other patients and doctors and it was received very positively.
It was then that my friend María Jesús encouraged me to create a company in order to convert what was a personal project into a global solution: to develop an integrated platform for managing diabetes and ensure that all those with diabetes could reap the rewards of technology. Now, how difficult could it be?! 🙂
Our goal from the beginning was to make the technology available to the patient. Give them access to the necessary knowledge in order to make them the expert in managing their illness.
It is fair to say that these past 4-5 years have been an absolute roller coaster and just as in any start-up, there have been very challenging times. Nevertheless, we are more convinced than ever of our goal, the vision of SocialDiabetes and what we can offer to the world.
We are patients working for patients, independent from the industry. We are a digital health platform dedicated to transforming diabetes management. With your help, we know can do it.
Would you like to try SocialDiabetes?
