Omri Casspi invests in Israeli nutrition tech company DayTwo
Israeli basketballer Omri Casspi has invested an undisclosed sum in startup DayTwo.
DayTwo has developed an application for adjusting the diet of diabetes and prediabetes patients on the basis of their microbiome (the microbes in their gut) to help them maintain as stable a sugar level as possible. Although the application is first and foremost aimed at preventing and treating diabetes, it is also suitable for healthy people and athletes.
Casspi began using the product over a year ago, in order to adjust his diet and maintain optimal blood sugar levels in the face of his wide variations in exertion each day as a sportsman.
“For the first time in my career, I adjusted my diet personally and according the kinds of activity I do. I realized that there were foods and combinations of foods that were recommended to me by the world’s greatest experts in the course of my career, and that these did not necessarily suit my needs,” he said in a statement.
“The clearest example is my meal before a game, pasta and tomato sauce, which turned out to be something not so good for me. I always tried to maintain nutrition that suited me, and today, thanks to this technology, I have a much more balanced diet as far as sugar levels in my body are concerned, and that helps me with my needs as a professional sportsman. I feel more alert, sharp, I don’t have drops in sugar levels during the game, my energy level is high, and I recover better after games.”
DayTwo is currently active mainly in the Israeli market, and has started a soft launch in the US. Following the investment, the company will recruit dozens of development people for expanding its activity in the US market, in the professional sports area, with an emphasis on the NBA, and vis-a-vis health organizations that treat type 2 diabetes.
At the same time, the company is expanding its activity at its Israeli branch in Hod Hasharon.
DayTwo was founded by Marius Nacht, one of the founders of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., together with Lihi Segal (CEO) and Yuval Ofek (chairman). The research that forms the basis of the technology was carried out at the Weizmann Institute by a research group led by Prof. Eran Segal and Prof. Eran Elinav. So far, DayTwo has raised some $17 million. Among its investors are Johnson & Johnson, US hospital chain Mayo Clinic, French fund Seventure Partners, which partly specializes in investment in microbiome and nutrition companies, and additional private investors. (Globes/TNS)