Livongo Health, a consumer digital health company that is empowering people with chronic diseases to live better has acquired Retrofit, a provider of innovative weight-management and disease-prevention programs that transform lives, workplaces and communities. The acquisition provides Livongo with a proven, evidence-based, Diabetes Prevention Program, enhances its data science capabilities, and boosts expertise in holistic weight management, including nutrition, exercise and mindset.
“Retrofit has built strong, evidence-based, offerings in weight management and disease prevention and brings a great group of committed people. We’re excited to welcome their team into the Livongo family,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Livongo. “For our members, we now have more services that make it easier to prevent individuals from getting sick and, if they do, working with them to return to health and stay healthy. And for our clients, we’re now addressing the comprehensive health challenges their employees face, with the goal of caring for each as a whole person.”
Livongo’s first diabetes management program targeted to people with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes is completely mobile, digital and personalized to the user. It allows people with diabetes to effectively manage important aspects of their illness on their own. It also allows them to easily keep their family members and care team informed in real-time.
Retrofit Diabetes Prevention is now available from Livongo as Livongo DPP powered by Retrofit. The CDC-recognized DPP offering complements Livongo for Diabetes and Livongo for Hypertension. Livongo also plans to blend its technology-driven contextual ‘nudges’ with an expanded nationwide team of health coaches to support members with a wider range of weight-management and nutrition services, such as personal coaching from registered dietitians, exercise physiologists and behavior coaches.
In addition, Livongo’s data science capabilities will be enriched by Retrofit’s 7+ years of data insights, expert coaches and access to a proprietary lifestyle factor segmentation used to tailor care to individuals’ unique needs. The segmentation is based on 30+ years of clinical research and has been in use in clinical practice for more than a decade by nationally renowned obesity expert Dr. Robert Kushner. Dr. Kushner, who is Professor of Medicine at the Northwestern UniversityFeinberg School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern Medicine, is a member of Retrofit’s Scientific Advisory Board.
The acquisition comes after announcing a massive $105M funding round and inking a strategic partnership with Cambia Health Solutions to provide diabetes management to its members. The company now employs more than 300 people, with offices in Mountain View, California and Chicago, Illinois. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
