Kurbo Health, a San Francisco, and Palo Alto, CA-based provider of a program to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic using mobile tools, raised $5.8m in Series A funding.
The round was led by Signia Venture Partners with participation from Data Collective, Bessemer Venture Partners and Promus Ventures, as well as Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, and Greg Badros, former VP of Engineering and Product at Facebook.
Co-founded by CEO Joanna Strober, Kurbo incorporates smartphone apps, virtual feedback and live, personalized coaching to teach kids, teens and their families how to eat healthier and lose weight. Based on the Stanford University Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital’s pediatric obesity program, Kurbo’s system follows the “Traffic Light Diet” food classification system, which encourages users to consume fewer “red foods” (i.e., processed foods high in sugar and fat), more “greens” (most fruits and vegetables) and “yellows” (e.g., whole grain breads, dairy products, lean meats, etc.) in moderation. The system has three components: (1) the mobile app, which contains a food tracker, games, progress screens, videos and “Krunch” challenges; (2) virtual feedback and suggestions based on the foods tracked; and (3) live, expert coaching delivered via phone, video and text to give participants feedback, encouragement and recommendations.
The company is part of Rock Health, a full-service seed fund for digital health startups.
FinSMEs
30/06/2014