Together we are solving diabetes, one human at a time - online coaching platform

Personalised one-on-one healthcare is the answer to the problems diabetics face says Guidepost CEO, Graham Rowe.

It's estimated that one in ten 10 South Africans has diabetes, according to Heart and Stroke Foundation SA.

Coaching platform Guidepost says it gets results helping diabetics live healthier lives because it believes in the power of human connections.

The e-health company incorporates coaches, healthcare providers and insurers to look after clients' specific needs.

Bruce Whitfield interviews Graham Rowe, co-founder and CEO of Guidepost.

Rowe details his journey from genetics Masters student and strategy consultant in the insurance industry to winner of an entrepreneurial game show (Big Break Legacy) and now CEO of his own e-health platform.

I started studying at UCT in 2000 when the human genome had just been sequenced for the first time... I was really fascinated by this and especially the prospect of personalised medicine - using genetic information to tailor healthcare to the unique needs of every single human being.

Graham Rowe, Co-founder and CEO - Guidepost

Nine years later it was discussions with now-business partner Richard Johnson that eventually led to the creation of Guidepost in 2012.

We realised there was a much bigger opportunity, which is we can give personalised and tailored one-to-one care to every person based on their psychology, based on their blood sugar levels, based on everything there is to know about this person...

Graham Rowe, Co-founder and CEO - Guidepost

... connect with them on a heart-to-heart basis, transform their health and get better outcomes.

Graham Rowe, Co-founder and CEO - Guidepost

Rowe explains how the analytical skills he developed during his studies fed into his insurance strategy work and then again aligned with his personalised health vision.

We were doing all sorts of amazing stuff, analysing all sorts of insurance data, tailoring stuff to individual customers and I thought if we can do this for someone who's got a funeral policy, why can't we do this for people who've got diabetes!

Graham Rowe, Co-founder and CEO - Guidepost

Why don't we tailor the way that we treat them and analyse their data with the same level of rigour and attention to detail that we do in the insurance industry!

Graham Rowe, Co-founder and CEO - Guidepost

Guidepost now counts over 100 nurses in its network and employs 50 people fulltime, serving "thousands and thousands of South Africans".

You can find out more on the company website.

Listen to the inspirational interview below:

More from ShapeShifter