Phil Southerland's story, founder of Supersapiens, is an inspiring tale of resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Born with type 1 diabetes, Southerland managed his disease through the years and thus was innately versed in metabolic management. These early life experiences laid the foundation for the development of Supersapiens, a data-driven energy management system for athletes developed in collaboration with Abbott.
Diabetes technology has significantly enhanced the quality of life for individuals diagnosed with the condition. For Southerland and other diabetics, using Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) devices brought previously elusive confidence and freedom. These medical appliances reduced the worry among users, making it possible for them to socialize again, participate in activities, and sleep peacefully at night.
The journey of creating Supersapiens began with personal need, where Southerland navigated his metabolic health through devices such as Dexcom and Freestyle Libre. The information from these devices provided insights into the interplay between glucose and insulin levels and enabled him to make small, user-specific adjustments to his insulin doses. This realization of the power of metabolic data sparked a desire in Southerland to introduce it to more people and enhance their health outcomes.
Soon the vision took form, and Southerland started using sport as a platform to expand beyond just diabetes. Having served as an athlete and owned a professional sporting team for almost two decades, he recognized that cyclists, much like those with diabetes, required optimization of glucose levels for the best performance. He built a team and developed an app that the Jumbo-Visma cycling team first used, recording significant victories since.
Several factors came into play to understand the metabolic process, such as the impact of physical activity and exercise, stress reactions and psychological responses that influence glucose levels, and the timing of meals. Armed with insights from these variances, the company began to build a glucose monitoring system that not only caters to individuals with diabetes but is also beneficial for athletes and those looking to lead healthier lives.
Despite the technological leaps, the entrepreneurial journey for Southerland was not all smooth. In the early illustrious days of the company, the founder initially relied on his savings to get Supersapiens off the ground. The company faced financial challenges and even rejected an investment offer of 1.5 million dollars. Southerland liquidated more of his savings and pumped another million dollars into the company. The much-needed funding eventually came later.
Lessons learned from the challenging funding period underscored the importance of perseverance, storytelling, and networking. Southerland learned the importance of patient capital and the selection of long-term investment partners. Financial discipline, focus, and methodical planning were recognized as imperative to keeping the burn low and aiming toward profitability.
Looking forward, the market for sensor technology, like the one Supersapiens has developed, presents a promising outlook as more companies like Abbot, Dexcom, and Medtronics are joining the fray to capitalize on this potential. Scaling production to cater to a broader market remains a challenge, but that doesn't overshadow the pivotal role these technologies can play in metabolic health and beyond.
The company has plans to expand its data tracking by measuring other metabolic parameters such as lactate, ketones and alcohol levels, with a mission to improve preventive healthcare in children and teens. The focus is to educate users on nutrition and exercises and quantify the value of physical activities. In connection to stress and performance, they're also working on optimizing glucose and metabolic health, which will particularly benefit female athletes and entrepreneurs to achieve optimal health and improve their power and consistency.