HelpAround launched what it says is the first mobile platform for people with diabetes (PWD) and their friends, family and caregivers that reveals fellow “diabetes helpers” from the crowd. This in turn should help people resolve sudden health crises, like getting caught without essential over-the-counter blood glucose test strips.
HelpAround is also designed as a resource outside of crisis situations where users find each other the best local healthcare services, insurance plans, doctors, pharmacies and retail opportunities.While the service shouldn’t replace emergency room or doctor’s office visits, the patent-pending Mobile Safety Net technology shows a nearby mix of other (relevant) users from one’s social graphs and public social media streams, and then facilitates connections according to shared patient interests and needs.
HelpAround is also designed as a resource outside of crisis situations where users find each other the best local healthcare services, insurance plans, doctors, pharmacies and retail opportunities. The built-in peer-to-peer support is a vital upgrade to the static content from online forums and in-person support groups, which lack the comforting anonymity of a virtual medium. Yet, its mobile-first approach allows HelpAround to feel as universal and immediate as diabetes often does.
“Diabetes management is exhausting for both patients and caregivers, yet there hasn’t been a healthcare industry after-care solution that helps patients by connecting them to each other,” said HelpAround CEO and co-founder Yishai Knobel. “HelpAround’s premise is: the best resource for a patient is another patient. We harness the superior trust, empathy and camaraderie within the diabetes patient community, allowing members to discover peers who truly ‘get it.'”
HelpAround also announced that it has raised $550,000 in funding co-led by Windham Venture Partners and angel investors Walter Winshall, Robert Oringer and former Harmonix COO Michael Dornbrook.HelpAround also doubles as a patient engagement platform for healthcare providers, brands and retailers which can join patients’ conversations in identity-based groups – such as Type 2 Diabetes, Moms of Children with Diabetes and Teens with Diabetes. What’s more, these parties are able to launch their own branded groups within HelpAround, further boosting patient recruitment and brand visibility. Examples of branded HelpAround groups include EsTuDiabetes for the Spanish-speaking diabetes community and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund of Israel for Israelis with Type 1 diabetes.
Alongside the service launch, HelpAround also announced that it has raised $550,000 in funding co-led by Windham Venture Partners and angel investors Walter Winshall, Robert Oringer and former Harmonix COO Michael Dornbrook.
The HelpAround UI is available in English, Spanish, French, and Hebrew, though users may type in any language. Their mobile app is available for the iPhone and Android-based devices.