KingFit prescription for growth: DiabetesCare startup becomes a pandemic must-have

October 12, 2020  |  Austin Barnes

Miguel Johns, KingFit

WICHITA — A new partnership with a medical giant is adding even more fuel to a momentous 2020 for Kansas-grown KingFit, said Miguel Johns. 

Miguel Johns, KingFit

Miguel Johns, KingFit

The startup has entered an agreement with BioTel Care, the diabetes division of BioTelemetry — a $2 billion publicly-traded company, that aims to improve health outcomes through innovation. 

“This partnership opens doors to new employer and health plan customers with immeasurable, increased credibility,” Johns, KingFit founder, told Startland News. 

“Healthcare is a risk-averse industry, so having a partner like BioTel Care puts our startup on a new level in the eyes of the market.”

The partnership follows the acquisition of another KingFit product by one of its customers earlier this year and specifically elevates its DiabetesCare platform — a tracking application that allows diabetes patients to track their glucose levels, caloites, exercise, and mental health status. 

Click here to read more about the company, a graduate of the Enterprise Center in Johnson County’s Pitch Perfect program. 

The biggest benefit is our opportunities for revenue. We have multiple offers coming to market with BioTel Care including  both direct to consumer and employer-based offerings,” Johns explained. 

“We’ve been learning over the years what it means to do business to business deals in healthcare. It takes relationships, time, patience, and collaboration. We’ve been able to use our previous experiences to handle the BioTel relationship correctly,” he said, noting the deal has already seen the companies participate in a pilot project that paired the DiabetesCare platform with BioTel Care’s cellular glucose monitoring device. 

“Their team is amazing and our skills complement each other very well. I think that is key. We are very good at what they lack, they provide what we do not. Together we have a unique offering both for direct to consumer and for employer groups.”

Johns said the deal was in the works prior to the COVID-19 pandemic — a global ordeal that’s accelerated the need for healthtech products, he added. 

We were able to continue moving forward and launch our pilot as businesses began to reopen. COVID has accelerated the adoption of products like ours as they have gone from nice-to-have to must-have.”

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2020 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Ami Freeberg, Longfellow Farm

    Longfellow Farm coworking the soil amid KC’s urban food desert

    By Tommy Felts | November 15, 2017

    In a city ripe with coworking office spaces, there’s a hunger for similar environments outdoors, Ami Freeberg said. As with maintaining individual workplaces, traditional urban farming also can be isolating and expensive, the Longfellow Farm manager said. By working together, however, the collaborative process allows for shared resources, greater human expertise and, of course, more…

    Procrastinating? Eat the frog, don’t chase the squirrels

    By Tommy Felts | November 14, 2017

    On the metal wall in front of my desk, I’ve magnetically fastened a famous recommendation from Mark Twain. “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day,” the humorist from Missouri wrote.   Though it can become an aspiration rather than a rule,…

    Jordan Williams, Keefe Cravat

    KCultivator Q&A: ‘Fashionpreneur’ Jordan Williams on starting with nothing but his smile

    By Tommy Felts | November 14, 2017

    Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Check out our features on Plexpod founder Gerald Smith, innovation coach Diana Kander, Victor & Penny’s Erin McGrane, SEED Law’s Adrienne Haynes, Code Koalas’ Robert Manigold, Prep-KC CEO Susan Wally and community builder Donald Carter. Jordan…

    The Kritiq, MADE Urban Apparel

    KC designers put streetwear innovation, culture on Kritiq runway (Photos)

    By Tommy Felts | November 13, 2017

    Fashion entrepreneurs at Sunday night’s Kritiq fashion show shared many of the same struggles on their ways to the runway, Mark Launiu said. “One of our designers here was asked, ‘What’s your inspiration?’ And I think a lot of us can relate,” said Launiu, co-founder at MADE Urban Apparel and lead organizer of the event.…