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

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

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.”