Sydney-based Amelio Health says it is the only Australian company selected for the 2024 Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) program, which provides seed funding, mentoring and office services in Des Moines Iowa, with 100-days of on-site support. 

Winners meet with more than 75 insurance-focused mentors, and make final presentations at the Global Insurance Symposium. 

"Our investors are insurance carriers, our mentors are primarily insurance executives. Startups participating in our program find product-market fit and do customer discovery faster than they could ever do at any other accelerator,” GIA said. 

Amelio was founded by former nurse Kathy Hubble at the start of 2020. Its program addresses pain management and getting patients back to work with a 24/7 health coach and tailored weekly sessions, supported by an AI platform with data collected via wearable devices and patient feedback. 

A pilot study found Amelio’s eight-week program achieved a 95% increase in capacity to return to work, a reduction in opioid use of more than 60%, and it halved pain scores, anxiety, depression, fatigue and sleep disturbance. 

“We provide a digital therapeutic intervention for those on claim with pain that inhibits them from normal activities and work. We have a 24/7 live support and health coaching service provided by qualified health professionals, driven by data analytics from psychosocial tools, evidence-based education and wearable data,” it says. 

Ms Hubble formerly worked for life insurance companies as a return-to-work specialist and while at Munich Re identified the need for programs to address the commercial challenge for insurers. In late October, she met US insurers and presented in Las Vegas. 

Chronic pain affects one in five Australians. The Amelio program has so far enrolled more than 100 participants, almost all referred by insurers that pay around $4000 for the eight-week program, which is done remotely and covers areas such as nutrition, why medications don’t work long term, sleep and mood, resilience, managing flare-ups, and preparing to return to work.