Award winning diabetes platform announced as first start-up to be accepted onto Leeds accelerator

A video sharing platform designed to support children and families in self-managing their Type 1 diabetes has been accepted onto a Leeds-based 12-week accelerator programme.

DigiBete was created by parents, Maddie and Rob Julian after their 20-month old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. It features a video sharing platform and other educational resources to help people self-manage their condition. The company hopes to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes and remove any barriers to good diabetes care.

DigiBete was launched as a free website in February this year and has since won the ‘Best Use of Technology and Social Media’ at the Leeds Hospital’s NHS Trust ‘Time to Shine’ awards.

Now, DigiBete is the first start-up to be accepted onto the Leeds-based Elmwood LaunchPod accelerator. Hosted by brand design consultancy, Elmwood, the accelerator connects start-ups with access to mentoring, growth networks and potential funding.

Type 1 diabetes currently affects an estimated 400,000 people in the UK with over 29,000 of them being children. Care for Type 1 diabetes is traditionally done through regular NHS appointments and educational material for diabetes is often paper-based and focussed on Type 2 diabetes.

Sarah Dear, managing partner at Elmwood and managing director of Elmwood LaunchPod, commented: “We’ve had a positive response to the consumer health accelerator programme and are delighted to announce DigiBete as our first confirmed participants. We want to make a real difference by bringing emerging ideas to market that will lead the way in consumer health experiences and help position Yorkshire as one of the UK’s leading innovation hubs contributing to the region’s economy.”

Maddie & Rob Julian, co-founders of DigiBete, said: “We’re thrilled to be involved with Elmwood LaunchPod and are looking forward to the next stage of developing our company to help people and families self-manage their Type 1 Diabetes. This fits very well with our creative aims, where we can work in an environment that really values the arts alongside science and technology. We’re constantly innovating this valuable resource and seeking ways to expand and extend our digital approach and look forward to developing the DigiBete brand with the support of Elmwood.”