Diversity is a hallmark of Memphis’ population. And the city is known for its entrepreneurial nature. The inaugural class of Memphis Inno's Startups to Watch reflects that racial, gender, and business-focused diversity.
Since its fall 2021 launch, Memphis Inno — MBJ’s brand geared toward startups, technology, and innovation — has expanded its coverage of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The section highlights startups and founders who are breaking technological ground in their respective industries, with new ventures and innovative product offerings. Represented among Memphis Inno’s Startups to Watch in 2022 are entities with concerns as varied as medical technology, music and digital content, transportation, finance, and retail.
Some are early stage companies figuring out how to get off the ground, and others already have significant sources of funding and are looking to scale up. All are uniquely Memphis ventures.
Diatech Diabetes
On his ninth birthday, John Wilcox was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. These days, he’s looking to help others with the health condition. Wilcox is the CEO and cofounder of Diatech Diabetes, a local medical device startup that’s developing a software platform to help people with diabetes obtain proper amounts of insulin.
There are about 600,000 diabetes patients who use insulin pumps in the U.S. They regularly inject insulin into their body, ideally ensuring that they receive the correct amount of insulin. The margin for error is high, though, and malfunctions happen frequently.
Diatech’s software is set to study data in an insulin pump’s system to make analyses and predictions while also providing alarms when a pump is malfunctioning and insulin dosages aren’t right. The startup plans to sell the software to insulin pump manufacturers, and the company is operating on a flexible, two-year timeline. It wants to complete clinical studies and form a strong relationship with a pump manufacturer by 2023 or 2024.
Already, it’s scored a $300,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. And in November, Diatech won The Next Big Thing — an annual pitch competition hosted by The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter — which came with a $10,000 prize.
