Newsenselab (M-sense)

What Newsenselab (M-sense) does

Newsenselab GmbH, now operating commercially as Perfood GmbH under the brands M-sense and sinCephalea, is a Berlin- and Lübeck-based digital health company founded in 2016 that develops prescription digital therapeutics for migraine prophylaxis. Its core product, sinCephalea (formerly M-sense Migräne), combines a 10–14 day continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) period with a nutrition diary to generate personalized low-glycemic dietary recommendations intended to reduce migraine attack frequency. The app is listed in Germany's official DiGA (Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen) registry following a clinical trial that demonstrated efficacy, making it reimbursable by statutory health insurers.

The company's commercial model is prescription-led and aligned with the German DiGA framework. Patients obtain the app via a doctor's or psychotherapist's prescription, including through remote video consultation, and statutory health insurers cover 100% of the cost for eligible patients, creating a zero-copay consumer experience and a single-payer reimbursement channel. The product is supported by an active content-marketing ecosystem (blog, newsletter, webinars, Facebook community) that drives top-of-funnel awareness. The team comprises over 70 employees across medicine, nutrition science, and product, led by co-founder and CEO Dr. Markus A. Dahlem, who has 25+ years of migraine research experience.

Since launch the app has helped more than 100,000 users, and the company has secured multiple funding rounds from 2016 through 2023, including HTGF, IBB Ventures, MedTech Entrepreneurs, and Noaber. Operations appear to have transitioned from the original Berlin entity (Newsenselab GmbH) to Perfood GmbH, registered in Lübeck, where the legal entity and VAT ID (DE313496662) are based. The company remains private, single-country (Germany, with DACH scope), and single-indication, with all growth and regulatory risk tied to the German DiGA framework.

Name

Newsenselab (M-sense)

Legal name

Perfood GmbH

Website

https://m-sense.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Health Applications (DiGA) / Digital Therapeutics

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Medication Adherence, Digital Therapeutics & Remote Coaching (condition-specific programs) (HLALAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Connected Therapeutics & Smart Drug Delivery Monitoring (HLACAFAL), Medication Adherence, Reminders & Patient Support (HLACAKAF), Chronic Condition Management & Remote Monitoring (e.g., diabetes, HTN) (HLALADAD)

Keywords

• Migraine prophylaxis app
• Digital therapeutics
• Blood glucose monitoring
• Digital health application
• Personalized nutrition recommendations

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Health Insurance Reimbursement (Germany): As a DiGA (Digital Health Application) listed in Germany's official registry, the app is fully reimbursed by statutory health insurance companies. Patients receive the app free of charge via prescription from their doctor or psychotherapist.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Newsenselab operates sinCephalea (formerly M-sense Migraine), a prescription-based digital health application (DiGA) for non-drug migraine prophylaxis. Users undergo a 14-day test phase wearing a glucose sensor while logging nutrition, and the app delivers personalized low-glycemic dietary recommendations intended to stabilize blood sugar and reduce migraine attack frequency. The app is reimbursed 100% by German statutory health insurance upon physician or psychotherapist prescription.

Product overview

Newsenselab developed M-sense (M-sense Migraine/M-sense Migräne), a digital health application for migraine management that was approved and reimbursed in Germany as a DiGA (Digital Health Application). The product portfolio has evolved to sinCephalea Migräneprophylaxe, which is the current prescription-based migraine prevention app. sinCephalea offers personalized nutrition recommendations based on continuous glucose monitoring, helping users identify food triggers and maintain stable blood sugar to reduce migraine attack frequency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• M-sense Migraine: Digital health application for migraine treatment, approved and reimbursed in Germany
• sinCephalea

Products and services

• sinCephalea Migräneprophylaxe A prescription-based digital health application (DiGA) for migraine prophylaxis using personalized nutrition recommendations based on individual blood glucose responses. Users wear a glucose sensor for at least 10–14 days and log meals, movement, and relaxation, after which the app surfaces the foods that keep their blood sugar stable and reduces migraine attacks. Distributed in Germany via physician or psychotherapist prescription with 100% statutory health insurance reimbursement.
• M-sense Migraine The predecessor digital health application for migraine management developed by Newsenselab, approved and reimbursed in Germany as a DiGA after clinical trials demonstrated efficacy. Helped over 100,000 users and was prescribed by doctors before being succeeded by the sinCephalea brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 users helped with migraine management
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• German Statutory Health Insurance CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStatutory health insurers (gesetzliche Krankenkassen) in Germany reimburse the app at 100% cost coverage for patients with valid prescriptions, enabling nationwide access.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kaia Health: German-founded digital therapeutics company offering app-based, prescription-grade programs for chronic pain (back, MSK) listed as a DiGA in Germany. Comparable to M-sense in regulatory pathway, prescription-based GTM, and recurring insurance reimbursement.
• Selfapy: Berlin-based digital therapeutics company with DiGA-listed programs for depression, burnout, and anxiety. Operates the same German prescription/insurance model as M-sense and competes for the same physician prescriber pool.
• Cara Care: German DiGA-listed digital therapeutic for IBS and digestive disorders, prescribed by physicians and reimbursed by statutory health insurance. Closely comparable business model, regulatory pathway, and D2C-plus-prescriber GTM.
• Sleepiz / Mementor: German digital health company behind the DiGA-listed somnio app for insomnia. Shares M-sense's prescription-driven, insurance-reimbursed model and targets chronic-condition patients via the same statutory health insurance billing infrastructure.
• Aidhere: Hamburg-based digital therapeutics company with DiGA-listed programs for weight management (Zanadio). Operates the identical German prescription/reimbursement model and is a head-to-head example of a single-condition, single-product DiGA business.

Broad incumbents

• Click Therapeutics: US-based prescription digital therapeutics company developing software as a regulated medical product across multiple indications including pain. Comparable in building evidence-based, prescribed software therapies but operates at broader scale and via FDA pathway rather than DiGA.
• Akili Interactive: US-listed digital therapeutics company with FDA-cleared software for ADHD and other cognitive conditions. Comparable as a prescription digital therapeutic platform business, but broader indication portfolio and different regulatory jurisdiction than M-sense.
• Novartis (Aimovig): Global pharmaceutical company marketing Aimovig, the first FDA-approved anti-CGRP preventive for migraine. Competes with M-sense for the same migraine patient population via a different mechanism (monoclonal antibody injection) rather than as a digital therapeutic.
• Pfizer (Nurtec ODT): Pharmaceutical company marketing Nurtec ODT, an oral CGRP receptor antagonist for acute and preventive treatment of migraine. Represents the pharmaceutical competitive set that M-sense positions against as a non-drug alternative.

Regional players

• CureApp: Japanese digital therapeutics company with regulatory-approved, prescription software for nicotine addiction and hypertension. Closely comparable business model (DTx as regulated medical product) but operates in Japan rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/847992970130247
• Xx.com/msense_app

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors6 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 Newsenselab (M-sense)