Perfood

What Perfood does

Perfood GmbH is a Lübeck, Germany-based digital health company founded in 2017 that develops and commercializes a single product, glucura — a prescription-only digital therapeutic (DiGA) approved by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) for the management of Type 2 diabetes in non-insulin-dependent adults. The product is a smartphone application paired with a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor: the app ingests CGM data and dietary/activity inputs, uses an AI-based recommendation engine to evaluate meals against the user's individual glycemic response, and delivers personalized weekly nutrition and movement goals plus video coaching content. The company operates through a related entity, Perfood Laboratories GmbH, also based in Lübeck.

Perfood's commercial model is built on the German DiGA framework. Patients obtain a prescription from any licensed physician, submit it via Perfood's in-house prescription service (Antragsservice), and receive the product at 100% cost coverage from statutory health insurers (gesetzliche Krankenkassen), with most private insurers also covering it. A direct self-pay pathway exists but is secondary. Distribution is currently exclusively domestic through the prescription pathway, supported by a dedicated healthcare-professional (Fachkreise) channel with PVS prescription-system integration, content marketing, and a clinical-study publication effort. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range.

The clinical evidence base is glucura's principal commercial asset: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial with 320 adults over six months demonstrated significant HbA1c reduction and weight loss with effects reportedly comparable to medication. Total disclosed funding is approximately $6 million across a 2020 Series A led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (with UV-Cap and Verve Ventures) and a 2022 round with BONVENTURE. In 2025 the company publicly stated it is considering UK and US market expansion.

Name

Perfood

Legal name

Perfood GmbH

Website

https://perfood.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Perfood GmbH is a Lübeck-based digital health company that develops glucura, a BfArM-approved prescription digital therapeutic (DiGA) for Type 2 diabetes management, combining continuous glucose monitoring sensors with AI-powered meal analysis and personalized lifestyle coaching, reimbursed by German statutory health insurers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Therapeutics

akta.pro primary industry

Diabetes Digital Therapeutics & Dose Decision Support (Bolus Calculators) (HLAHAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cardiometabolic RPM & Chronic Disease Management (diabetes, hypertension, CHF, obesity) (HLALAFAA), Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Systems (HLAHAHAA)

Keywords

• Digital therapeutics
• Diabetes management
• Continuous glucose monitoring
• Personalized nutrition coaching
• Digital health applications

Headquarters

HQ city

Lübeck

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. DiGA Prescription Reimbursement (Statutory Health Insurance): As a listed DiGA (Digital Health Application) approved by BfArM, glucura is fully reimbursed by all statutory health insurance providers in Germany. Patients receive the product at 100% cost coverage with prescription. Follow-up prescriptions are also fully covered by health insurance.
2. Private Health Insurance Reimbursement: Many private health insurance providers in Germany also cover costs for glucura. Patients can inquire with their private insurer about reimbursement eligibility.
3. Direct Self-Pay: Patients can self-pay for glucura by contacting customer support and receiving an invoice for direct payment if insurance coverage is not available or preferred.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Perfood develops glucura, a prescribed digital therapeutic (DiGA) for adults with non-insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes. The app integrates continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor data with AI-powered meal analysis and personalized lifestyle coaching to drive sustainable HbA1c reduction and weight loss. It is approved by BfArM and fully reimbursed by German statutory and many private health insurers.

Product overview

Perfood offers a single unified product: glucura, a prescription-based digital therapeutic (DiGA) for type 2 diabetes management. The product combines a mobile app with a provided glucose sensor, leveraging AI to analyze meal responses and provide personalized recommendations. The system includes an nutrition diary, activity tracking, food scanner, recipes, and weekly behavioral goals—all delivered through a smartphone application that integrates continuous glucose monitoring data for real-time insights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• glucura: A DiGA (Digital Health Application) approved by BfArM for Type 2 Diabetes management, using CGM-driven lifestyle coaching and personalized nutrition recommendations.

Products and services

• glucura A clinically validated digital therapeutic (DiGA) for adults with non-insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes that uses continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors integrated with AI-powered meal analysis to provide personalized nutrition recommendations, real-time blood sugar tracking, and behavioral coaching for sustainable HbA1c reduction and weight management. Delivered via smartphone app paired with a glucose sensor, reimbursed 100% by German statutory health insurance on prescription.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant HbA1c reduction over six months demonstrated in multicenter RCT with 320 adults
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Omada Health: Omada Health is a US digital chronic-disease management platform with diabetes and cardiometabolic programs reimbursed by employers and payers. It is comparable to glucura as a reimbursed digital therapeutic targeting Type 2 diabetes through behavioral coaching.
• Virta Health: Virta Health is a US digital therapeutic that uses CGM-driven nutrition coaching to reverse Type 2 diabetes, with published clinical evidence showing HbA1c reduction. It is a direct functional peer to glucura's lifestyle-coaching model and a likely US-market competitor if Perfood expands there.
• mySugr: mySugr (acquired by Roche) is a Vienna-based diabetes self-management app with CGM integration and similar lifestyle coaching features. It is the most directly comparable competitor to glucura in the German-speaking market and competes for the same Type 2 diabetes patient and prescriber audience.
• DarioHealth: DarioHealth offers a connected diabetes management platform combining a smart glucometer, app, and AI-driven coaching. It overlaps with glucura on CGM/AI-driven personalization for Type 2 diabetes and shares a similar payer-reimbursement commercial model.
• Glooko: Glooko is a diabetes data management platform that aggregates CGM, insulin pump, and glucometer data with patient-facing apps. It is comparable to glucura as a CGM-integrated diabetes software platform serving patients and providers across multiple geographies.

Emerging players

• Welldoc: Welldoc develops AI-powered digital health products for diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure, with several FDA clearances. It overlaps with glucura on AI-driven chronic-disease coaching and offers a comparable regulatory and reimbursement playbook.
• Better Therapeutics: Better Therapeutics is a US prescription digital therapeutic company pursuing FDA-authorized software for Type 2 diabetes. It is comparable to glucura as a clinically validated, regulated digital therapeutic for Type 2 diabetes and a relevant precedent for US regulatory strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Dexcom: Dexcom is the leading CGM hardware manufacturer with its own patient-facing app and partner ecosystem. It is comparable as the dominant upstream provider of CGM data that glucura relies on, and could move downstream into coaching apps to compete directly with Perfood.
• Roche Diabetes Care: Roche Diabetes Care (parent of mySugr, Accu-Chek) is a broad incumbent in diabetes hardware, software, and digital services. It is comparable to Perfood as the dominant integrated diabetes player whose mySugr subsidiary competes head-to-head with glucura for German patients and prescribers.
• Abbott (FreeStyle Libre): Abbott's FreeStyle Libre is the world's highest-volume consumer CGM system with an integrated patient app. It is comparable as a CGM incumbent that could bundle or partner on coaching functionality similar to glucura.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/perfoodgmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Perfood