Keyto Raises $ 2.5 Million to Help People Stick to the Ketogenic Diet

Funding also included the participation of Floodgate Abstract Companies and Hydra Ventures and by Julia Hartz . Eventbrite co-founder and CEO, and Kevin Hartz co-founder of Eventbrite and first investor in Pinterest PayPal and Airbnb ].

True to its name, Keyto describes itself as a health program including a smart breath sensor ect when the body is in ketosis (state in which it burns fat rather than sugars and carbohydrates as fuel) and a scientific app that provides personalized food and lifestyle recommendations based on each individual's physiology. The device, says Keyto, detects ketones in the blood via the breathalyzer, which according to Wu is less messy and more accurate than urine test strips or blood tests.

Keyto was created in August but the CEO Ray Wu (pictured below) told Crunchbase News that the founding team was working on the premise that the underpinned for five years. Keyto's ability to raise seed money from relatively well-known investors stems from the fact that the startup's offerings are based on science, he said. Wu, MD, also co-founded Weilos which in 2015 was sold to Weight Watchers International as the foundation for its Connect application.

year, the ketogenic diet has become one of the most popular diets in the United States. We believe the market is ripe for a device like Keyto, which can help people achieve their goals more effectively, "said Sacks, co-founder and general partner of Craft Ventures, in a statement. "The Keyto team's proven track record, combined with the unique form factor of its product, makes it a very compelling investment."

Co-Founder Dr. Ethan Weiss also Associate Professor and Preventive Cardiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, said in a statement that the company had been striving to make the science behind the "simple" ketogenic diet with a device Real-time metabolism tracking, combined with an app that offers concrete recommendations to help people lose weight fast while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. "

Keyto will use these funds to develop the research and development of its proprietary gas nanosensor as well as its manufacturing capabilities, according to Wu

" The first thing we will do with the funds is to produce the first batch of devices. The first units should begin shipping in January, "Wu told Crunchbase News . "We will start by selling them online and then by retail later in 2019."

The company will continue to work on "improving the device," he added.

"We see ourselves as a hardware, compatible software company," said Wu Wu Crunchbase News . "So we're going to spend a lot of money developing software to help people succeed in this program."

Illustration: Li-Anne Dias