A Waterloo-based company is aiming to fill what its founders describe as a gap in preventive health care by combining continuous glucose monitoring with personalized coaching for people diagnosed with prediabetes.
Michelle McCorkell co-founded SugarTrack Consulting in 2025 after learning she had prediabetes, a condition marked by elevated blood sugar that can progress to Type 2 diabetes if left unaddressed. McCorkell said the issue became personal for her in 2024, when her husband was diagnosed with insulin-dependent, late-onset Type 1 diabetes. Around the same time, she discovered her own blood sugar levels were rising, something she says she had no prior awareness of.
McCorkell teamed up with her friend Jennifer Bruce, a community pharmacist with more than 25 years of experience, to launch the business. Bruce had already been working with some of her pharmacy clients on managing prediabetes and had a long-standing interest in nutrition and the condition. The two say their professional backgrounds complemented each other well enough to build a company around it.
According to McCorkell, roughly 30 per cent of Canadians are estimated to have either prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes. While the condition can often be managed or reversed through lifestyle changes involving diet and exercise, Bruce said many people are not connected with a diabetes educator until their condition has progressed much further.
“Most people don’t get sent to a diabetes educator until they’re almost at the diabetic stage or get told they have diabetes,” Bruce said.
SugarTrack’s non-medical program relies on the FreeStyle Libre 2, a continuous glucose monitor made by Abbott. The small, water-resistant sensor is worn on the arm and tracks blood sugar levels continuously over a 14-day period. Clients can use their own device or have one supplied by the company. Through a companion app, users also log details such as food intake, physical activity and sleep.
Bruce said that without guidance, people using these monitors on their own often struggle to interpret the data or know what changes to make. SugarTrack’s program includes an initial virtual appointment to set up the monitor, check-ins with Bruce throughout the two-week monitoring period, and a final meeting where clients receive a personalized written report along with recommendations.
“Our program allows us to see exactly what you’re eating, tracking patterns and showing you some very small changes you can make that will actually influence your blood sugar a lot,” Bruce said.
McCorkell described the close monitoring as central to the company’s approach. “Our unique value proposition is that there’s somebody with eyes on you for the full 14 days,” she said, adding that this level of attention provides encouragement and accountability for clients.
McCorkell served as SugarTrack’s first test client, and Bruce said her blood sugar levels dropped significantly after making changes identified through the program. “It changed my life,” McCorkell said.
SugarTrack’s pricing starts at $325 for plans where clients provide their own monitor, or $399 if the company supplies the device. An extended “Ultimate” plan includes two monitors and two separate 14-day monitoring periods, along with additional meetings spread over a 10-week span, allowing clients to track how lifestyle and dietary changes affect their glucose levels over a longer stretch of time. The company also offers a free 10-minute consultation for prospective clients to learn more about the plans. SugarTrack said its programs may qualify for reimbursement under some health care spending or wellness benefit plans offered by employers.
While people with prediabetes represent the company’s primary target market, Bruce and McCorkell said the program can also benefit people with Type 2 diabetes who are not on insulin, as well as anyone interested in better understanding how their glucose levels affect factors like sleep, energy and weight management.
The company recently received a $5,000 starter grant from the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre. As SugarTrack grows, the founders say they hope to bring on additional pharmacists or registered dietitians and potentially build their own customized technology platform.
“We’re very pleased with the response,” Bruce said. “We get a lot of positive feedback, and we see a lot of changes in people.”
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