Phil Southerland, Founder and CEO at Supersapiens, discusses his personal motivations for starting Supersapiens as a Type1 diabetic and their long-time partnership with Abbott. He also talks about working with powerful sports organizations like the Atlanta Falcons, New York Yankees, and San Antonio Spurs. The conversation centers around the future of wearable sensors and continuous glucose monitors.
Continuous glucose monitoring technology has revolutionized the lives of people with diabetes, ensuring better control and safety.
Super Sapiens leverages continuous glucose monitoring to help individuals master their metabolism and achieve desired outcomes, expanding its reach beyond elite athletes.
Phil Southerland's journey with Team Type 1 and Team Novonordisk proved that individuals with diabetes can excel in sports, promoting metabolic health and inspiring a new generation.
Deep dives
Importance of Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Continuous glucose monitoring technology has revolutionized the lives of people with diabetes, ensuring better control and safety. It allows individuals to engage in any activity without the fear of dangerous blood sugar fluctuations. Previously, individuals would go to bed uncertain if they would wake up in the morning because of unpredictable glucose levels. The technology provides real-time data on glucose levels, helping athletes manage their weight, optimize sleep, and achieve stability throughout the day. Continuous glucose monitoring educates users on how different factors, such as metabolism and activity, impact the body's response to food and insulin. It has proven to be a game-changer for athletes and individuals with diabetes, encouraging them to push boundaries and achieve their best selves.
Super Sapiens: Mastering Metabolism for Desired Outcomes
Super Sapiens, a 24/7 fitness tool, leverages continuous glucose monitoring to help individuals master their metabolism and achieve desired outcomes. While initially perceived as a tool for elite athletes to enhance performance, Super Sapiens has now expanded its reach to anyone looking to improve their metabolic health. The tool educates users on the impact of various factors on their body's metabolism and helps them find personalized approaches for weight management, sleep optimization, and overall performance. Super Sapiens aims to empower individuals to be the best version of themselves, whether it's giving a presentation, doing a podcast, or achieving personal bests in athletic endeavors.
The Journey of Team Type 1 and Team Novonordisk
Phil Southerland, the CEO and co-founder of Super Sapiens, shares his journey with Team Type 1 and Team Novonordisk, all-diabetic professional cycling teams. The journey began with a vision to change the perception of diabetes, which was seen as a doom and gloom disease. Through glucose monitoring and metabolic control, the teams proved that individuals with diabetes could excel in sports and paved the way for a new narrative. Phil's personal experience with continuous glucose monitoring during races like the Race Across America further deepened his understanding of optimal glucose levels for athletic performance. Phil's teams became pioneers in promoting metabolic health and inspiring a new generation of people with diabetes.
The Trials and Triumphs of Fundraising
Phil Southerland recounts the challenging journey of fundraising for Super Sapiens. Initially, he invested his own money to kickstart the project and hired the first few employees. He then leveraged his network to secure investment, targeting individuals and firms who believed in the vision. Phil emphasizes the importance of due diligence when evaluating potential investors to ensure a reliable and supportive partnership. The fundraising process included facing numerous rejections and setbacks, leading Phil to refine his pitch and persistently seek new opportunities. Despite financial struggles, he remained dedicated and successfully raised multiple rounds of capital, demonstrating the resilience and commitment required to build a successful startup.
The Future of Super Sapiens and Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Looking ahead, Phil Southerland envisions a future where continuous glucose monitoring becomes more accessible and widespread. He anticipates a flood of sensors entering the market, thanks to the successes of companies like Abbott and Dexcom. The focus will shift towards improving the accuracy, scalability, and affordability of sensors to benefit a broader consumer base. Super Sapiens aims to incorporate additional analytes, such as lactate and ketones, to provide users with a more comprehensive understanding of their metabolic health. Phil has a long-term vision of empowering children, teenagers, and individuals of all ages with continuous glucose monitoring to prevent diseases and optimize overall health. By quantifying the value of factors like exercise and nutrition, Super Sapiens aims to create a supportive and active community focused on spreading metabolic health and well-being to society.
In this podcast, we spoke with the CEO and founder of Supersapiens, the company that is on a mission to use real-time glucose insights to shape the future of human performance.
Phil discusses his personal motivations for starting Supersapiens as a Type1 diabetic and his love for entrepreneurship. He also gave us exclusive insights into the company's long-time partnership with Abbott and how the American medical company has built a unique real-time streaming sensor for its use case.
Moreover, Phil talks about the power of referrals and how this led him to work with powerful sports organizations such as the Atlanta Falcons (NFL), the New York Yankees (MLB), team Ineos Grenadiers (Tour de France), and the San Antonio Spurs (NBA).
Lastly, the conversation centers around the future of wearable sensors and continuous glucose monitors.
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00:00 - Intro
01:09 - What is Supersapiens
07:07 - The evolution of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)
14:31 - Phil's personal motivation to starting Supersapiens
19:53 - The first athletes adopting the product - elite cycling teams
22:30 - Partnership with Abbott and real-time streaming sensor
23:33 - The first product they built - MVP
26:17 - Working closely with elite athletes and metabolic response to stress
33:25 - Phil's approach to fundraising and investors - the power of referrals
44:15 - Advice for pitching to investors - insights from Eric Min and Chip Hawkins
49:38 - The future of sensors and partnership with Terra
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