Five Questions With: Aaron Horowitz

Aaron Horowitz, co-founder and CEO of Sproutel, talked recently with Providence Business News about his company, which is known for its product, Jerry the Bear, a robotic bear that helps children with type-1 diabetes learn about their illness. The Providence company has sold 500 units since 2013. Now Sproutel, which has been in business for 3½ years, is getting ready to unveil its next version of Jerry the Bear in September.

PBN: How will Sproutel use the nearly $150,000 in federal funding from the Small Business Innovation Research Program that it recently received?
HOROWITZ:
We’ll be using the funds from our SBIR grant to advance product development of Jerry the Bear and conduct our first bit of research! We’re also working with a number of incredible collaborators to refine the content and curriculum delivered through Jerry.
PBN: How many employees do you have? Where did the idea for Jerry the Bear come from? How much have you raised in funding?
HOROWITZ:
We’ve been in business for 3.5 years and currently have four full-time staff. The idea for Jerry the Bear came from observing children play doctor with their stuffed animals. We noticed that children with type 1 diabetes actually took care of their stuffed animals as if they also had diabetes. Jerry the Bear was born from the desire to bring this play pattern to life in a way that was both comforting and educational. To date we have raised $628,000, fueling us to ship our first two production runs of Jerry and sell bears to 4 percent of children newly diagnosed last year.
PBN: I noticed that the website states that Jerry the Bear will be ready in September – have you received a lot of preorders? How much is it?
HOROWITZ:
Yes! We’re launching preorders for a new version of Jerry the Bear in September. While I can’t reveal too much, the current model of Jerry the Bear is priced at $300 USD; our new version will be significantly cheaper.
PBN: How do you think this product will help children with Type 1 diabetes manage their illness? (What age group is it for?)
HOROWITZ:
Jerry the Bear is best suited to children ages 4 to 9. Jerry helps children cope with type 1 diabetes and empowers them with education. Kids tell us that Jerry has given them a vocabulary to talk about their disease and parents tell us that Jerry has reduced the overall stress associated with diabetes in the household.
PBN: Do you have any other products in the works to help children with other kinds of illnesses?
HOROWITZ:
Yes again! The pre-orders we’re launching in September are for a new version of Jerry the Bear focused on general health and wellness education. We’ve always seen Jerry the Bear as a platform to convey best practices in health management and this new version is a realization of that vision. While Jerry will be fun and educational for all kids, there will be specific content modules tailored to children with food allergies, asthma and type 1 diabetes.

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