Why We Invested in Hello Inside
Revolutionising Women’s Health through Metabolic Health
by Scarlett Chen — Verge Managing Partner
As the only female Managing Partner at Verge, women’s health is an issue that stands close to my heart. Finding health tech startups that are addressing the $1 trillion women’s health gap is not just a professional priority but a personal mission. The importance of women’s health cannot be overstated; it impacts not only individual lives but also the broader society, influencing family well-being, economic productivity, and community health.
I’m proud to announce that we recently had the opportunity to invest in Hello Inside, an Austrian startup that has developed the first intelligent metabolic health companion for women throughout life. The solution offers personalised insights into how lifestyle choices — such as food, stress, movement, and sleep — and women-specific data such as menstrual cycles and hormones, affect metabolic health. I have been investing in the metabolic health space since 2017, as I believe metabolic health is foundational to one’s general health.
Tackling the Women’s Health Gap
At the beginning of the year, McKinsey released a landmark report on women’s health, highlighting the $1 trillion gap in women’s health. They reported that women spend 25% more time in poor health compared to men. The gender health gap is expected to add up to 75 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by 2040, with more than half of this gap occurring during their working years. This report underscores the profound disparities and the urgent need for innovative solutions in the women’s health space. Despite the growing conversation around women’s health, seeing such stark figures reinforces how much work is still needed.
Enter Hello Inside
The comprehensive approach is underpinned by glucose monitoring to track metabolic health for women. Specifically, Hello Inside provides users with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). The data from the CGM is combined with physiological data and user-reported meal information, which their algorithm analyses to develop metabolic profiles. These profiles are then used to provide users with insights for maintaining stable glucose levels and improving their overall health. They bolster this offering through various learning programs for users to act on the results of their tracking and scoring.
Metabolic health is a critical, yet often overlooked, component of women’s health. Hello Inside is primarily focused on leveraging metabolic health to offer a comprehensive view of how everyday choices impact overall wellbeing. This is particularly crucial for women, as our metabolic processes can be very different from men due to hormonal variations throughout different life stages.
From User to Investor
I’ve always been a proponent of testing startups’ products before considering an investment. This was no different with Hello Inside. After our first meeting, I asked their CEO, Mario, to let me try their solution. Day 1 into testing, I was hooked. The Abbott Libre 3 was about the size of a coin, and the black Hello Inside patch on my arm was a proud statement of its own. The app integrated seamlessly with Abbott Libre 3, my Oura Ring and Apple Health kit. The app’s user interface is intuitive, the insights provided were both eye-opening and actionable, the tutorials on hormonal health, metabolic health, menopause, etc, provided me with valuable knowledge and understanding of my own cycle and health. As someone who values data-driven decision-making, seeing the impact of my dietary and lifestyle choices in real time was incredibly empowering.
I come from a family of diabetics, and I know that I’m genetically prone to diabetes and hypertension, which means prevention is key. Thanks to Hello Inside, I learned that I was already insulin resistant, despite having an HBA1C number that is still normal but trending up. Even though the HBA1C number is used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes, it is a simple average and misses all the ups and downs in the blood glucose level, which makes it tricky to know what contributes to the composition of that number. With metabolic health, the key is to avoid spikes as that’s when it gets damaging to your internal organs including the brain, and maximise Time in Range (when blood glucose levels are in the target healthy range). I realised my blood glucose level was higher when I was under stress or didn’t sleep well; I realised I had brain fog when my blood glucose was through the roof, and I was agitated when my level was too low; I realised had super high spikes reacting to cooked oatmeal and congee which is easy to absorb; I realised taking a 30 min walk 30 min after I finish a meal effectively reduces the spike; I realised even if I don’t change my food choice, by eating vegetables first, meat next, carbohydrates last, I was able to level out my spikes much better; I realised I had body temperature pattern changes according to the phases in my menstrual cycle, and my blood sugar levels are impacted by my hormone levels.
I engaged with the app more than 12 times a day on average. I got to know myself on a much deeper level (“Hello Inside!”). Thanks to valuable insights revealed by the app, I’ve made massive changes in my diet, exercise and lifestyle, benefiting me for decades to come. Going forward, I can see myself using Hello Inside intensively twice a year, and each time for 28 days (one menstrual cycle). I look forward to monitoring and controlling my own health using personalised coaching that’s provided for me only.
Consumer First Approach
High engagement is notoriously difficult to achieve in digital health. Having 90% engagement on a digital health app almost defies gravity. Finding apps and solutions that boast strong engagement rates is a critical success factor that we look for in our consumer-focused investments. Hello Inside is a perfect example of this. Not only did I find myself regularly engaging with the app, but their metrics also reflect this high user engagement. On average, users open the app 10 times a day and log meals 3.5 times a day. These metrics indicate a strong user commitment, which is essential for the long-term success of the platform.
High engagement extends beyond making a strong investment case for a startup. Many poor health outcomes today stem from diseases that we know how to prevent, manage, or cure. The crux of the issue lies in behavioural change to actually manage these conditions and live healthier lives. In fact, 40% of health is determined by behaviour. When users are consistently engaged with an app like Hello Inside, they are more likely to adopt healthier habits and make informed decisions about their lifestyle. This continuous interaction and feedback loop can lead to sustained improvements in metabolic health, which is crucial for preventing illness and enhancing overall well-being.
Most people struggle to make these positive behavioural changes that lead to better health. This issue stems from subpar consumer experience, not medicine. Think back to how the largest consumer-focused companies like Facebook, Apple, or Uber changed the behaviour of millions or billions of people. These companies succeeded by focusing on building experiences from the consumer’s perspective. Applying a similar approach to healthcare could be the winning recipe for spurring behaviour change and achieving better health outcomes.
In consumer health, the key to long-term survival and profitability is to create an engaging product that users love to use, over and over again. Hello Inside has many users raving about its product on social media. From my own experience, the Hello Inside patch on my arm has inspired many interesting conversations, and 1–2 min into the conversation, almost without exception, I get asked the question “Where can I buy this product?” I have regrettably told my friends that Hello Inside is not yet in the US or Asia. But I know, a solution like this has significant market potential, and people around me would love to empower their own health by getting a solution that’s personalised based on their own data.
Outstanding Team
This is a key reason we were keen on backing Hello Inside, the team consists of outstanding serial entrepreneurs who are passionate about tackling challenges in women’s health and metabolic health. Before founding Hello Inside, Co-Founder and CEO Mario Aichlseder was the VP of Growth at Runtastic, where he joined as one of their first employees. At Runtastic, he helped scale the company from zero to 140 million users and eventually to an acquisition by Adidas. By gamifying exercise, Runtastic motivated users to establish consistent fitness routines and drove personal health improvement, and Mario has brought that expertise to Hello Inside. Mario’s proven ability to drive consumer engagement and behaviour change is invaluable. Co-Founder and COO Jürgen Furian is no stranger to any Austrian startups, having co-founded Pioneers.io which served as a valuable network for startups and corporations in Austria. Vinzenz Weber, Co-Founder and CTO, was previously the CTO for Diagnosia, Austria’s most used medicine app. Special shout-outs to Dr. Anne Latz and Amy Keenan, leaders in women’s health, for being part of the team and together building out this incredible journey thus far. It takes a strong interdisciplinary team to build a service that handles the complex field of Women’s Metabolic Health. The unique talents and experiences of those team-members, is the foundation of Hello Inside´s success.
Looking Forward
Investing in Hello Inside is just one step in our broader commitment to supporting healthtech innovations that address significant unmet needs. Women’s health, particularly in metabolic health, remains a vastly underserved market in any market globally. By backing startups like Hello Inside, we hope to catalyse change and drive meaningful improvements in health outcomes for women worldwide.
We are highly interested in looking for more women’s health startups. If you are a founder working on innovative solutions in this space, we encourage you to reach out.
