Imagine a treatment for Type 2 diabetes that requires neither surgery, medication nor calorie restriction, but rather relies on adherence to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, tracked by regular finger-stick checks of blood chemistry, and guided remotely by a team of physicians, coaches, and algorithms?

That’s the premise of Virta Health, a San Francisco-based digital health company formed in 2014 and launched officially today, with $37M in the bank from investors including Dr. Robert Kocher of Venrock. The kickoff follows Tuesday’s publication of the results of an uncontrolled clinical study of several hundred patients in Indiana, who will be treated and followed for two years; the just-published data -- an interim report of sorts -- represent the first 10 weeks of study, sponsored by Virta.

“Our mission is to reverse diabetes in 100 million people by 2025. It’s an ambitious goal, but we’re motivated every day by the lives we’ve already changed,” Virta co-founder Sami Inkinen said.

we only get paid for results, which is how everybody should be incentivized.

Jos toi Sami Innkisen homma onnistuu, niin ei kai sit enää voida puhua yksittäistapauksista?

The co-founder of Trulia has a new startup, Virta Health, that wants to help type 2 diabetes patients bring their diet and weight under control — and therefore their disease — without surgery or medications.

Sami Inkinen, co-founder of the real estate firm Trulia, figured he, of all people, was healthy. After all, he was a globally top-ranked triathlete. But around 2012, Inkinen’s doctor informed him that, despite his rigorous exercise, his carbohydrate-heavy diet had put him at risk for type 2 diabetes.

That led Inkinen to dive into the disease’s causes. And on Wednesday, he announced Virta Health, a new tech startup with a program that may, according to early research, be able to help patients reverse a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

1. A highly individualized approach to nutritional biochemistry: With particular focus on carbohydrate intake and nutritional ketosis, Virta addresses the underlying causes of insulin resistance and shifts the paradigm from managing diabetes to safely and sustainably reversing it.

2. Technology that enables continuous, remote care and personalization at scale: The Virta Clinic reinvents typical, periodic outpatient care by offering continuous, remote care enabled by our technology. We use data science and machine learning to help Virta physicians and dedicated Virta health coaches personalize each patient’s care plan and offer real-time support and guidance.