Progress Me raised 5 million SEK to prevent and treat eating disorders
Eating disorders among young adults is a major and growing problem in society and those who are affected have difficulties getting the right treatment through traditional health care. This is something that the Swedish startup, Progress Me (https://www.progressme.se), wants to address by developing a completely new digital platform to prevent and treat eating disorders. Petronella Gustafsson started Progress Me after suffering from a serious eating disorder. Based on her own experiences of not receiving any effective help, she found an alternative method that worked. The method is based on re-building self-esteem and self-confidence. In recent years, Progress Me has worked hard to digitize that method to prevent eating disorders, including helpful contributions from the Swedish Agency of Innovation, Vinnova.
Self-esteem and self-confidence are the fundamental grounds in the interactive app that Progress Me have launched. Through evidence-based research, they have learned that failing self-esteem and self-confidence is the basis of why too many suffer from eating disorders. In practice, the app aims to create opportunities for individuals to work on precisely these two building blocks. ‘’This app is just right in time and we think it is well needed amongst all the different calorie counting apps and exercise trackers’’, says Petronella Gustafsson, founder & CEO of Progress Me.
Progress Me’s platform have been tested for several years, both directly by young adults, relatives and in the Swedish primary care system. The mobile application has over 3 500 users and the company will begin testing of a hopefully groundbreaking solution with a self-developed back end system in May. This means that, for example, therapists will be able to follow and communicate with their patients directly through Progress Me’s platform.
To commercialize the product and begin an upcoming international expansion, the company has now closed a seed round of 5 million SEK in a new share issue led by Jinderman & Partners (https://www.jinderman.se). ‘’We are incredibly happy to have a strong owner who not only brings capital, but also lots of expertise on how to commercialize the company for the future’’, Petronella Gustafsson continues. We have spent over 2,5 years developing the platform in close collaboration with doctors, psychologists and of course our users. Now is the right time to take the next step and invest resources in marketing the app so that we can help more people.
”There is great potential in streamlining parts of the Swedish traditional healthcare through digitisation. Progress Me is a great example of a disruptive care service that is targeting a group of patients that unfortunately does not receive sufficient attention either from traditional healthcare or the new digital care services”, concludes Petronella Gustafsson, founder & CEO of Progress Me.
Progress Me works actively on strengthening young adults who have, or have had, some form of eating disorder. The company was founded by Petronella Gustafsson in 2018 together with Stina Gunnarsson, Cornelia Gustafsson and Mehrnosh Rabiei.
For more information, please contact:
Petronella Gustafsson, Founder & CEO
+46 73-650 46 80 petronella@progressme.se
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