Dietary Behavior Change – An Affordable Healthcare Solution for Chronic Kidney Disease

Carl Juresic, founder of Kidney Ally shares what he learned being a patient and how he is using it to build his company.

  1. Can you tell our audience about yourself?

Greetings, I’m Carl Juresic, CEO and Co-founder of Kidney Ally, a digital health startup aimed at empowering kidney disease patients with tools for effective self-management. With a background in consulting, strategy, and technology, I am passionate about developing innovative solutions to complex problems.

Our primary objective is to create a platform that enables kidney disease patients to manage their condition efficiently, utilizing cutting-edge technology, artificial intelligence, and personalised support to enhance patient outcomes and overall well-being.

Kidney Ally was co-founded with Ruth Kander, an NHS renal clinician with 25 years of experience, two years ago. Since then, we have successfully developed our platform and fostered valuable relationships within the healthcare community. 

As a kidney transplant recipient, my personal experience with Chronic Kidney Disease drives my dedication to making a difference in patients’ lives. The healthcare industry offers numerous opportunities for innovation and positive change, and I am deeply committed to leveraging technology for improved patient care. Our work at Kidney Ally directly contributes to better health outcomes for kidney disease patients, providing motivation and fulfillment in our mission.

  1. Can you tell our audience about Kidney Ally?

Kidney Ally is a fully virtual business, with my location in Sydney, Australia, and Ruth’s in London, UK. We cater to the 850 million global Chronic Kidney Disease patients and their carers, offering personalised support at every stage. 

Our four key services focus on patient education as the core digital offering.

I founded Kidney Ally to address the market gap for patient-centric solutions, particularly in dietary behavior change, to slow kidney disease progression. Our goal is to become a trusted partner for kidney disease patients, improving health outcomes through technology, AI, and personalised care. Our mission reflects this commitment by aiming to empower 10 million patients globally with tools to combat Chronic Kidney Disease.

  1. What problem is Kidney Ally solving & how? 

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects 37 million Americans and 850 million people globally. Patients can slow CKD progression through dietary changes, but access to personalised and effective diet management tools is limited.

Kidney Ally’s AI-driven, personalised education module addresses this issue. Patients input their medical history, and the platform tailors video content to their condition, providing accurate, customised advice for effective disease management.

Our AI-driven approach offers three key benefits:

  1. Affordable – At $3.99 USD per month, we cater to CKD patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those in developing nations lacking access to dialysis or transplants.
  2. Scalable – Our proprietary technology enables rapid adaptation to different languages and cultures, making it accessible to nephrologists, kidney health organizations, hospitals, and insurers in any country.
  3. Patient-centric – As a patient-founded business, we prioritise patient-friendly terminology and language, enhancing the course quality and potential outcomes for CKD patients.
  1. What have been the biggest achievements of Kidney Ally? 

Over the past year, Kidney Ally has achieved significant milestones. However, our proudest moment was successfully launched our digital platform, www.kidneyally.com  at the start of the year, fully bootrapped! Within months of launching, we already have 2k subscribers to our free product and paying customers benefiting from our premium AI-driven solution. This financial success demonstrates our solution’s appeal to our target market.

Here are some of the kind words from our members.

“After my CKD diagnosis I didn’t know where to turn for trustworthy advice. The internet was contradictory and it left me feeling lost. Then I discovered Kidney Ally. I decided to see what it was all about. It’s the friendliest group supporting those with Kidney related issues, and offering dietary advice and recipes. It’s my go to place for support. In addition Kidney Ally offers a premium service for a small fee that provides tailored videos, recipes and blogs. The videos have been invaluable to myself and my husband. We now have a better understanding of my condition and tips on how to manage it. Really recommend signing up!” – Carolin, UK

“I was so lost in my kidney journey. When I found Kidney Ally, I decided to give it a look. What an amazing tool this is becoming for me. I can’t wait for added content, especially more recipes. Thank you for creating this!” – Resa M, USA

Our growth is fundamentally driven by our wider Kidney Ally community. Kidney Ally runs the largest kidney disease community online, with 20k members in our private Facebook group. Ruth and myself spend countless hours each week listening to our community and making content accordingly to meet their needs and pain points.

  1. What have been the biggest challenges for Kidney Ally & how did you overcome them?

Kidney Ally faced two primary challenges: navigating the healthcare industry’s complexities and tailoring our platform to diverse patient needs.

Navigating the healthcare industry initially proved challenging due to strict regulations and the need for collaboration with stakeholders. We addressed this by investing time in understanding the industry, building strong relationships, and ensuring platform compliance. We are now on track for clinical trials in 2023 to validate Kidney Ally’s medical impact.

Adapting our platform to diverse patient needs was another challenge, as Chronic Kidney Disease affects individuals differently. We engaged in ongoing dialogue with patients, professionals, and experts to identify unique needs and pain points. We then incorporated AI into our technology to ensure personalisation, user-friendliness, customisation, and effectiveness for various users.

While we’ve made substantial progress, we continue to learn, adapt, and welcome feedback to refine our platform and contribute to our mission of improving the lives of those affected by Chronic Kidney Disease.

  1. What are you most excited about in healthcare at present? How do you anticipate healthcare will change in the next 5 years?

Currently, I am excited about the integration of artificial intelligence, telehealth, and wearable technologies in healthcare, as they have the potential to transform diagnosis, treatment, and disease management, ultimately improving patient outcomes and wellbeing.

Over the next five years, healthcare is expected to become increasingly personalised, with a focus on preventive care and early intervention. AI and machine learning will enable better data analysis, leading to accurate predictions of disease progression and treatment outcomes, while telehealth will make healthcare more accessible.

Up-and-coming technologies I’m particularly excited about include advanced wearable devices, AI-driven diagnostic tools, and precision medicine. To make the most of these opportunities, people should stay informed, take an active role in their healthcare journey, and invest in continuous learning.

By staying engaged with healthcare technology advancements, both patients and healthcare professionals can contribute to shaping a more efficient, personalised, and patient-centric healthcare system.

  1. What are your favorite educational resources, and how have they influenced you?

My favorite educational resources include books, podcasts, websites, and mentorship. These have significantly influenced my personal and professional development.

Books like “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries have taught me the importance of iteration and validated learning in startups. I regularly listen to podcasts like “StartUp Podcast” and “Talking Healthtech” for insights into entrepreneurship and healthcare innovation.

Continuing education is essential for staying current in my role. I engage in online courses, conferences, webinars, and industry communities to keep up with trends, allowing me to enhance Kidney Ally’s value proposition and impact on patients’ lives.

  1. Do you have any other key messages for the audience?

In closing, I underscore the significance of patient-centered innovation in healthcare. I am readily available to share insights or best practices on implementing a patient-centric approach in digital health startups, whether at conferences or in individual discussions.

I also extend a warm invitation to those interested in learning about or collaborating on our work in AI and kidney disease. There is immense potential in applying our approach to other non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, Crohn’s, and cancer, where behavior change and nutrition play a critical role in prevention – contact me carl@kidneyally.com.

Stay updated on our journey by following @KidneyAlly across all social channels. We’re thrilled to soon be announcing our participation in a prestigious global healthcare accelerator over the coming year. Follow us for exciting developments!

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