In 2015, Norwest invested in a bold idea: that evidence-based chronic care could be delivered virtually, at scale, and with clinical rigor. The company leading that charge was Omada Health.
At the time, “digital health” was still a vague term. Most efforts sat in innovation labs rather than core healthcare operations. Very few companies had demonstrated that virtual care could deliver clinically validated outcomes.
Since then, the landscape has changed dramatically — with employers and health plans demanding measurable outcomes, regulatory recognition, and scalable platforms.
Now, a decade later, Omada has become a category-defining leader in digital chronic care, serving more than one million members and over 2,000 enterprise customers, supported by 30 peer-reviewed publications.
In June of 2025, Omada marked a new milestone with its IPO on NASDAQ under the ticker OMDA. With the company’s public listing, we’re celebrating ten years of partnership built on trust, shared conviction, and a commitment to long-term outcomes.
Beginning with a Mission
When Sean Duffy co-founded Omada Health in 2011, he wasn’t just launching a healthtech startup, he was pioneering a new category. From neuroscience at Columbia to Google and then Harvard’s MD/MBA program, Sean’s path took a pivotal turn during an internship at global design firm, IDEO. There, he was introduced to the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a clinical trial that proved lifestyle changes could significantly reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes for individuals with prediabetes – or a high risk of developing diabetes – and an elevated body mass index.
“[We] believed we could reach people virtually and create a program that could have a broader impact and help make a dent in the growing problem of obesity-related chronic conditions.” — Sean Duffy, Co-founder & CEO, Omada Health
“[We] believed we could reach people virtually and create a program that could have a broader impact and help make a dent in the growing problem of obesity-related chronic conditions.”
— Sean Duffy, Co-founder & CEO, Omada Health
That belief led to his founding vision for Omada: prevent and manage chronic disease through digital programs rooted in behavioral science and clinical validation. Omada’s model combines personalized coaching, connected technology, and behavior change science to help people manage and improve their health in daily life.
In the company’s earliest days, Sean served as the company’s first health coach, personally coaching members the team had recruited. That’s the kind of founder dedication our team loves to see.
“We weren’t just investing in a product. We were backing exceptional entrepreneurs.” — Casper de Clercq, Norwest General Partner
“We weren’t just investing in a product. We were backing exceptional entrepreneurs.”
— Casper de Clercq, Norwest General Partner
Scaling with Evidence and Trust
When we led the company’s $48M Series C round in 2015, Omada had already demonstrated early traction and clinical validation.
Early partners like Costco shared stories of life-changing improvements in their employees’ health and well-being. One participant said: “My cholesterol, BMI, and blood pressure are all back in the normal range, and I’m doing outdoor activities I missed for years.”
Omada’s combination of clinical validation, recognition from national health authorities, a bold outcomes-based business model, and early customer success stories set it apart in a crowded digital health landscape. Those qualities also fueled a number of industry firsts and milestones, including:
- Publishing peer-reviewed outcomes showing participants at risk for type 2 diabetes could maintain weight loss and blood sugar improvements two years after starting the virtual care program.
- Among the first to receive full recognition from the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program for deployments of Omada’s Prevention & Weight Health program.
- Expansion into multiple chronic conditions beyond diabetes prevention — including weight health, diabetes management, hypertension, and musculoskeletal care.
- Integration with GLP-1 therapies to support long-term weight management and behavior change, ensuring patients sustain results beyond their time on the medication.
At the heart of these successes was resilient leadership, a mission-driven culture and values, and trusted relationships. Trust has guided Omada and Norwest through product pivots, scaling challenges, and strategic decisions on the path to IPO.
“The best relationship with an investor is the same as with a customer or member—it starts with cultivating trust.” — Sean Duffy, Co-founder, Omada Health
For over a decade, we’ve been proud to stand side by side with Sean and his team as the company grew from a bold idea into a public leader in digital chronic care.
“The best relationship with an investor is the same as with a customer or member—it starts with cultivating trust.”
— Sean Duffy, Co-founder, Omada Health
IPO and the Road Ahead
Today, Omada’s platform continues to work toward bending the curve on chronic disease by delivering measurable outcomes at scale. That means helping people reduce their risk of co-morbid conditions, improve long-term health outcomes, and lower the overall cost burden of multiple conditions. Yet the work is far from finished. With over 100 million Americans living with chronic conditions, the need for accessible, digital-first care has never been greater.
“At this scale, you can see a path to actually, truly achieving our mission to bend the curve.” – Sean Duffy, Co-founder, Omada Health
“At this scale, you can see a path to actually, truly achieving our mission to bend the curve.”
– Sean Duffy, Co-founder, Omada Health
We’re proud to have supported Omada’s journey from 20,000 members in 2015 to more than one million all-time members — and we’re even more excited for what’s next. The healthcare landscape has evolved dramatically since we first invested, and we believe the next decade promises even greater transformation.
Looking ahead, the opportunities — and responsibilities — for digital health are only growing. New therapies like highly effective anti-obesity medications, rising expectations from payers and providers, and the continued increase in chronic disease will define the next decade. Omada recently announced a new offering to prescribe anti-obesity medicine, including GLP-1s, to tailor support for members before, during, and after medication treatment.
Meeting this moment will require solutions that are not only innovative, but also rigorously evidence-based. Together with founders like Sean and teams like Omada’s, we believe the future of healthcare will be defined by digital care that is scalable, measurable, and deeply human.
