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It’s easy to get caught up in the news and activities of the industry’s global giants, but what about the smaller firms pushing boundaries with bold ideas? In this instalment of Start-up of the Month – which celebrates lesser-known companies and their innovations – we speak to Georgia Myers, CEO and founder of Flow Health Science, about their flagship product, Klario. Inspired by a gap in hypoglycaemia care, Klario is designed to go beyond standard glucose-only treatments, combining 15g of fast-acting carbohydrates with additional adaptive energy sources in a convenient, ready-to-drink format.

Your flagship product, Klario, recently won Best Health Innovation at the Food Innovation Awards. What was the inspiration behind Klario, and how does it work?

Klario is a clinically proven hypo recovery product that helps people feel and function better after a diabetes hypo compared with standard glucose‑only products.

Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar, ‘hypo’) is a daily reality for people with diabetes, often followed by a rollercoaster of glucose spikes and crashes, alongside what many describe as a ‘hypo hangover’ of brain fog and fatigue – even after blood sugar has normalised. Some people experience 100–200 hypos a year. While technology has transformed diabetes care through advanced insulins, pumps and continuous glucose monitors, people with diabetes told us that hypo treatment itself has changed very little.

That gap between what the glucose monitor shows and how people actually feel became the starting point for Klario. The aim was to design a hypo product to address this gap – in a format that is convenient, evidence-based and easy to use in real life. We designed Klario to combine 15g of fast-acting carbohydrates with adaptive energy sources. In simple terms, Klario helps restore blood glucose while also addressing the underlying energy deficit that contributes to the ongoing fatigue and cognitive symptoms. This multi-energy approach is new, moving beyond traditional glucose products to offer complete recovery after a hypo.

Klario is the first step of our mission at Flow Health Science: to transform health outcomes through trusted, clinically-proven advanced nutrition.

You describe Klario as the first major innovation in hypoglycaemia treatment in over 100 years. How do you see it reshaping the boundary between functional foods and pharmaceuticals?

Hypoglycaemia treatment has remained largely unchanged for decades, with the focus almost entirely on rapid glucose delivery. Klario is different because it introduces a defi ned mechanism, a specific use case and purpose-built clinical evidence.

That combination is what we mean by advanced nutrition. It is not just about adding ingredients or making broad wellbeing claims; it is about creating products with a clear indication, backed by high-quality, specific clinical data.

In that sense, Klario sits at the intersection of food and pharma. It retains the accessibility and usability of a consumer product, but adds a level of scientific rigour and specificity more typical of medicines.

This is a broader platform opportunity. Klario is the first of a pipeline of products where we apply the same “target, build, prove” approach across multiple health areas.

Traditional glucose products prioritise speed over experience. How did you balance clinical performance with taste, format and usability?

One of our core principles is that excellent clinical performance on paper is not enough. If a product does not look and taste good or is inconvenient to use, it will not help people as much as it could.

So we treated taste, usability and format as integral to real-world performance, not optional extras. The ready-to-drink format was particularly important because it allows us to deliver Klario in a way that is intuitive, portable and easy to use.

Our goal was to meet the clinical standards expected in hypoglycaemia management while also matching the expectations consumers now have around flavour and overall experience.

What were the biggest formulation challenges in bringing Klario into a ready-to-drink format?

The biggest formulation challenge was making the science and the final product design work together at the same time.

Study participants rated the new option better than their usual glucose treatment, including speed of symptom relief, ability to get back to normal activities, and confidence in managing hypos

This is often the hidden side of innovation – the final product may look straightforward, but getting there requires a high level of technical discipline and many iterations.

What has been Flow Health Science’s biggest challenge to date?

Adding clinical proof alongside developing a great product is our biggest challenge for Klario and our pipeline of products. For the future, we are also asking people to think differently about hypo care and aim for complete recovery.

In an independent commentary published in a major scientific journal, leading diabetologists, Professors Louis Monnier and David Owens, described this approach as a “potential new standard of care” for hypo recovery. However, it is clear that change demands not only great evidence but impactful engagement with the diabetes community. This is the challenge for today.

What has been the company’s greatest achievement so far?

Our greatest achievement has been turning a scientific concept into a clinically proven product that makes a real difference to people with diabetes.

For the clinical studies, in people with type 1 diabetes, over 1,000 hypos were analysed. Participants rated the new option better than their usual treatment on questionnaires, including speed of symptom relief, such as the hypo hangover, ability to get back to normal activities, and confidence in managing hypos.

Importantly, alongside these reported experiences, objective data from continuous glucose monitors showed Klario led to more time in the target range in the two hours after a low and 27% fewer repeat lows in that period, with no loss of overall glucose control.

Winning Best Health Innovation is a meaningful milestone: it matters that Klario is being recognised for its real-world relevance. The combination of clinical validation, product quality and early traction is something we are particularly proud of.

How important is peer-reviewed evidence and medical endorsement in gaining traction?

For Klario and future Flow Health Science pipeline products, generating robust, specific clinical evidence and publishing it in leading peer-reviewed journals is central to our strategy.

For people with diabetes, evidence helps them navigate their self-care choices with confidence. For healthcare professionals, it is a vital part of understanding where Klario fits and which patients may benefit most. For investors, it demonstrates that Flow Health Science can create long-term, differentiated value for consumers, health systems and partners.

Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for Flow Health Science and Klario?

Our vision is to build Flow Health Science into a leader in clinically proven advanced nutrition. This means delivering our planned pipeline of products in oncology, endocrinology and performance.

For Klario, we want complete recovery to be an easy choice for everyone.

We are developing different formats and flavours to meet the needs of many different people with diabetes and their varied lifestyles. We are building for long-term impact, not just a single product launch.

What advice would you give to start-ups in food, beverage or nutraceuticals?

Start with a real unmet need, not just a product idea. If the problem is meaningful enough, it will guide everything else and help you make better decisions. Also, invest early in high-quality evidence and be realistic about the time it takes to move from innovation to adoption. The companies that succeed in this space combine a deep understanding of the problems people face with scientific rigour and excellent execution.