OneTwenty: The Venture Leader Medtech changing the future of diabetes technology

"Our midterm goal is
for 1 million people living with diabetes
to use devices powered by OneTwenty."

Can you tell us who your product or solution helps, and how?
Our diabetes algorithms steer insulin delivery devices and will help >100m people living with diabetes worldwide to keep their blood glucose in a healthy range for 90% of the day while making 95% of their current 180 daily interactions unnecessary. 

What market are you addressing and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
As a B2B provider of critical software, we focus on the insulin delivery medical device market, complemented by the blood glucose sensor market as our second pillar. Each of these markets sums up to an annual total market volume of around EUR 15 bn. In both markets, our ambition is to work with the market leaders, which is currently proving realistic. Our midterm goal is for 1 million people living with diabetes to use devices powered by OneTwenty.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
Some of the best friends of my co-founder and I are living with diabetes T1 and we accompanied them in their daily challenges: 50% of the day with a blood sugar out of range, interactions with devices every 5-10 min, constant stress and uncertainty. At the same time, we were developing an ML solution in our previous start-up to help people with nutrition as medicine. We knew that we could and had to improve their lives, so we started OneTwenty to achieve this, and we succeeded.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Medtech roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
First of all, it is an amazing opportunity to meet and exchange with such a unique group of entrepreneurs within the team and those we will visit. Furthermore, a strong US network will be vital for us in the upcoming years. Last but not least, we will initiate our new fundraising round in January 2025 with a special focus on US investors, so the timing couldn't be better.
 

What are your team’s key achievements to date?
Achieved market-beating performance, ISO 13485 certified as provider of critical software, first fundraising round successfully closed and oversubscribed, signed contracts with two market leaders, member of CDL’s global Medtech cohort 2023/24

What is the most challenging and rewarding aspect of being a founder?
Have a real and direct impact on people's lives on topics that mean something to you. With all the risks and rewards associated. 

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
You can be ingenious, innovative, industrious, hard-working, communicative, smart, experienced, persuasive, fast, and many other things that are necessary to be a successful founder, but the final deciding factor between success and failure is luck. So give your luck enough scope to attack. And don't take it personally if it doesn't work out.

What is your favourite productivity hack/tool and why?
LinkedIn is a game changer. I built my complete diabetes tech network and acquired the majority of our clients based on LinkedIn. Sounds weird, is a fact. Apart from that: I love blockers in my calendar. 

What was your dream job when you were a child?
I always wanted to be the inventor of a police trickery machine (Polizei-Austricks-Maschine). Today, at least, I work with inventors.