London-based health tech startup Second Nature raises $10 million to combat obesity and diabetes

London-based Second Nature, the tech-enabled digital health programme designed to combat obesity, has raised $10 million in a funding round led by Beringea.

Previously named OurPath, the health tech startup is the first “lifestyle change programme” to be commissioned by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) for diabetes management. Second Nature’s twelve-week program combines advice from health experts with tracking technology on a smartphone app, and peer-reviewed studies confirm the programme’s habit changes have led to sustained weight loss.

“Healthcare systems are struggling to cope with spiralling rates of obesity and associated illnesses, which are projected to cost the global economy $1.2 trillion annually by 2025. Second Nature’s pioneering approach to lifestyle change empowers people to address these conditions, develop sustainably healthier habits, and foster long-term physical and mental wellbeing in the process,” commented Philip Edmondson-Jones, an investment manager at Beringea who will join the startup’s board.

Founded in 2015 by Chris Edson and Mike Gibbs, two former NHS advisors, the company now employs 80 people.

“Our goal as Second Nature is to solve obesity. We need to rise above the confusing health misinformation to provide clarity about what’s really important: changing habits. Our new brand and investment will help us realise that,” said Gibbs.

The round included investments from Uniqa Ventures, the venture capital fund of European insurance group Uniqa, and the founders of mySugr, the digital diabetes management platform which was acquired by Roche. Existing investors Connect, Speedinvest, and Bethnal Green Ventures also participated.