STARTUP STORY
FROM PERSONAL CHALLENGE TO HEALTHTECH INNOVATION
For millions worldwide living with complex chronic illnesses like ME/CFS and Long COVID, the journey to diagnosis and effective management can feel like navigating a maze blindfolded. Tests come back normal, symptoms persist, and limited time with doctors makes it hard to convey the full picture. Edoardo Galli, a biomedical engineer with a PhD in physics, experienced this firsthand and saw an opportunity to innovate.
Together with Eliza Grigg, he founded ChronicAlly, a platform that pairs wearable technology with a mobile application to help people monitor and manage complex chronic conditions more effectively.
When lived experience reveals a gap
“ChronicAlly started as a personal project”, Edoardo reflects. “I was dealing with symptoms that tests couldn’t explain, so I tried using wearable devices to understand what was happening day to day. I was collecting a lot of data, but fitness wearables weren’t designed to support this kind of use, so the process was time-consuming and unsustainable.”
“When we connected with others in the complex chronic illness community, we realised this wasn’t just our experience”, Eliza adds. “These conditions are poorly understood, so many people end up managing them largely on their own, spending years trying to find answers.”
Built alongside the people it’s for
From day one, user insights have helped shape ChronicAlly, and now they are running their first pilot programme with 21 testers in New Zealand. They interviewed 70 potential users from more than 200 applicants to understand their stories and further ChronicAlly’s validation findings. “We wanted a broad range of testers,” Eliza explains. “People who could give us honest feedback on things that work, things that don’t work and opinions that may further the development of our platform.”
“This is the first time we have given ChronicAlly to people and our testers have been incredibly engaged and patient. Their feedback has helped shape everything from the apps features to how we present the data.”
Breaking the boom-bust cycle
Many people with complex chronic illnesses have a shopping list of symptoms and live in a cycle of “boom and bust”: doing too much on a good day, then crashing with worse symptoms for days or weeks afterwards. “Pacing is a commonly recommended strategy to break this cycle, but it’s notoriously difficult to do without feedback”, Eliza explains.
ChronicAlly was designed to make pacing easier and actionable, rather than something people have to guess at. By combining continuous physiological data from wearables with simple symptom tracking, the platform helps users see when they are approaching their limits and adjust before risking overexertion.
“In real time, users can receive alerts if their heart rate exceeds personalised thresholds, prompting them to slow down or rest”, Edoardo says, “Over longer periods, the system helps people understand how different activities affect their symptoms and recovery”, Eliza adds.
An energy budget, not a performance target
Users wear a discreet device that continuously monitors heart rate and related signals, translating this data into an estimate of daily energy use. The concept is simple: energy is limited, slow to replenish, and needs to be spent carefully.
"It’s the opposite of typical fitness and wellness apps," Edoardo says. "Instead of pushing people to do more, the platform tells them when to rest or be mindful about their activities."
“By pairing the data with journaling, the platform and users can gradually identify patterns like what triggers symptom flares, what supports recovery, and how to make small adjustments that add up over time”
Learning from experienced mentors
Alongside the Ministry of Awesome’s Founder Catalyst programme, ChronicAlly has leaned on expert mentorship from Dr Dianne Jones at Startup Aotearoa. “Dianne has previous experience in wearable tech, so it is incredibly valuable to be able to bounce ideas off someone with industry knowledge,” said Edoardo. Eliza adds, “In our discussions, she helps us think about different ways to approach a problem and shares her experiences with developing medical technology.”
Their approach to mentorship is relatively cyclical; “We’ve gone through phases where we talk to a lot of people, gather as much information as we can, then retreat and focus on building ChronicAlly.” Eliza says. “However, there are a couple of mentors that we engage with regularly no matter the stage, and Dianne has become one of these mentors for us.”
Dr. Dianne Jones - Startup Aotearoa Coach
Looking ahead
As ChronicAlly continues its pilot and moves closer to wider testing, the team remains focused on empowering people to better understand and manage their complex illnesses.
The early response has reinforced the need for tools that prioritise empathy, lived experience, and meaningful data. For Edoardo and Eliza, ChronicAlly represents a step toward more patient‑centred HealthTech, helping people navigate complex chronic illness with greater clarity and support.