Improving the quality of life for patients with thyroid disorders — Why we invested in Hashiona

Hashiona, one of our recent investments, has officially launched an all-in-one application for patients suffering from thyroid disorders. The company aims to become a vertically integrated solution by creating digital therapeutics as well as a virtual clinic addressing the current problem of the growing shortage of endocrinologists.

The problem

Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism are lifelong conditions that significantly decrease the patient’s quality of life. What makes the disease particularly hard to diagnose are up to 45 symptoms affecting every patient differently and progressing slowly over the years. The patients can experience fatigue and sluggishness, troubles with memory and concentration, depression, increased sensitivity to cold, weight gain, pale/puffy face, and constipation. A woman is about five to eight times more likely to be diagnosed with a thyroid condition than a man. About 25% of patients with autoimmune diseases tend to develop additional autoimmune diseases.

Current treatment and its challenges

The only currently available treatment involves levothyroxine which is a man-made version of the thyroid hormone, thyroxine (T4). With more than 100m prescriptions yearly, levothyroxine is among the top 5 drugs prescribed in the US. According to some sources, levothyroxine has held the commanding position as the most prescribed medication in the United States in 2016 and 2018. The frequency of Hashimoto’s disease is a growing trend which is also combined with the increasing shortage of endocrinologists. Dr. Sethu Reddy, vice president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists says: “This is due to several factors, including a flat rate on endocrinologists being trained, a rate of about 8% per year of retirement, and an increasing incidence of endocrine and metabolic disorders in the U.S. population”. The same problem is observed in Europe. Reddy adds that the pandemic may be exacerbating the situation: “The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demands on endocrinologists providing in-patient care. Reduced outpatient volume and increased number of hygiene procedures to keep clinics clean have led to greater pressures in the clinic,” he says.

Hashiona’s solution

One of the ways to remission include lifestyle changes — stress reduction, diet change and regular fitness. Hashimoto patients are usually young women, digitally native and able to manage their health by implementing healthy behaviors. Through Hashiona, they can digitally connect, share their experiences and motivate each other while completing their 20-days Hashiona remission programme.

The solution provides the patients with insights into their health conditions post-diagnosis. It collects symptoms and identifies the individual health patterns by using patient’s data and AI to compare them with the data aggregated by Hashiona.

Download the App here (Android only).

The Founding Team

Eva Galant (co-founder and CEO), Hashimoto patient, engineer, manager and entrepreneur. Before starting Hashiona, she co-founded three companies and has been in the startup ecosystem for many years. One of her recent activities includes launching WeWork’s operations in Poland and Australia.

Konrad Koniarski (co-founder and CTO), a software developer with 12 years of experience in mobile app development. Worked on projects for such players as Samsung, Roche, RBS, and Formula 1.

Are you building a startup relevant to C/S?

If you are a founder building a company in the area of digital health, we’d love to hear from you! Send us your pitch here: https://www.calmstorm.vc/pitch