Industry Innovators

Born out of founders Maddie and Rob Julian’s personal experience of being parents of a child with Type 1 diabetes, Leeds-based DigiBete has developed an innovative, multi-award-winning digital platform that helps support children, young people and their families to self-manage their own diabetes.

Co-designed with patients, families and clinicians, the DigiBete web platform includes a range of clinically approved videos and information on areas such as diabetes technology, food and exercise management, psychology tools as well as offering 24/7 support for young people and their families, living with the challenges of diabetes. The DigiBete Clinic and Patient Support App provides easy access to these resources and other important functionality as well as assisting clinics in helping young people and their families to better self-manage their condition.

Maddie and Rob’s journey started when their son Otis was diagnosed aged just 20 months with life-long insulin dependent Type 1 diabetes. What began as a small partnership with Leeds Children’s Hospital in 2015 has now expanded to over 256 clinics in the UK and Ireland.

Since its inception, the DigiBete app has made significant progress in England and Wales including:

• 95% uptake from Children and Young People’s diabetes clinics.
• Use by 96% of patients and families diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
• 100% uptake in some of the most deprived areas of the country.

How we supported the company

We have played an instrumental role in helping the company with initial adoption and spread. Our partnership with DigiBete began in 2016, and since then we have continued to support them with the expertise and guidance to navigate the complex healthcare innovation and regulatory landscape. DigiBete was one of the first cohort of innovator companies to join Propel@YH, our digital health accelerator. Propel@YH offers a six-month course of masterclasses and guidance for HealthTech SMEs looking to access the NHS market. As part of their involvement DigiBete was able to receive support and resources to help them to grow and develop successfully.

Since being part of the accelerator, DigiBete has secured a range of research collaborations which can be directly attributed to their involvement in the Propel@YH programme including:

• the development of the Academy diabetes training platform for healthcare professionals, working with a major diabetes technology company and national diabetes organisations.
• the development of the Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes platforms and apps and a digital care plan for schools, working with the central NHS diabetes programme leads and the National Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network.

“The Propel@YH programme has been a timely and incredibly helpful resource for our company. This was just before we were commissioned by the NHS, which meant that by the time we were commissioned centrally, we were compliant with Digital Technology Assessment Criteria and well-versed in the regulatory landscape required for our product”.  Maddie Julian, DigiBete co-founder and CEO

International growth

Having successfully spread their innovation across England and Wales, DigiBete is now expanding into overseas markets and has established itself in Pakistan and are shortly about to embark on developing the platform and App for India. As part of their global strategy, DigiBete joined the delegation of UK HealthTech innovators attending Arab Health 2025 with the Health Innovation Network. Arab Health is the largest gathering of healthcare and trade professionals in the Middle East and North Africa region. The 2025 edition welcomed more than 131,332 attendees, 40 exhibiting pavilions, and 3,627 exhibiting companies from 191 countries.

By partnering with organisations such as the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) and the Department for International Trade (DIT), we provide companies with opportunities to showcase their innovations and services at leading international health technology fairs.

Since 2024 we have been working with PureHealth, the largest integrated healthcare network in the United Arab Emirates. They run a full sector health ecosystem that covers hospitals, clinics, diagnostics, insurance, pharmacies, health-tech, procurement and more, and they have a particular focus on longevity. As part of the Health Innovation Network’s delegation exhibiting at Arab Health 2025, DigiBete had the opportunity to pitch its innovations to PureHealth, increasing its chances of exporting its digital solutions in the Middle East and North Africa.

Talking about Arab Health Maddie commented: “Attending Arab Health was a real Milestone for DigiBete and opened our eyes to how big the international markets are. Although complex, the needs of those living with diabetes and long term conditions are the same the world over.  DigiBete attracted lots of interest and we are currently following up on a number of leads from the conference.”

Find out more about DigiBete and get in touch if you would like to know how we can support your journey info@healthinnovationyh.org.uk