Nathan Givoni & Simon Szewach on Gelteq

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/10/03

Nathan Givoni is the Chief Executive Officer and cofounder of Gelteq. He is a trusted health and wellness professional and qualified dietitian with over 15 years of experience. He founded (and later sold) Lifestyle Breakthrough, a medical and allied health consulting company with locations across Australia. He has launched and continues to support a not-for-profit health promotion charity, the Metabolic Health Foundation, to help address the growing epidemic of metabolic-related conditions in Australia. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physiology & Psychology, First Class Honors in Physiology, and a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics from Monash University. Nathan has worked as an adjunct lecturer at Monash University and has published multiple papers after his undergraduate degree.

Simon Szewach is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Gelteq, a global biotechnology company specializing in formulating, developing, and manufacturing an innovative and new ingestible gel technology. He has successfully launched new product trends in the finance, health, technology, and sports sectors with companies such as nTouch Pty Ltd, a proximity-based marketing platform, and StartHere.com.au, an incentive-based shopping platform. Simon is also the co-founder and Director of the Sports Diplomacy Alliance and holds a Bachelor of Business in Banking & Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies (Korean) from Monash University in Australia.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we are here with Nathan Givoni and Simon Szewach, cofounders of Geltech, and its Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman, respectively.

To start, the reason for founding this company relates to some people’s problems with something as simple as swallowing a pill. Difficulty with this is called dysphagia. How significant is this issue? How prevalent is it? And what came to mind when you noticed the need for a solution?

Givoni & Szewach: Globally, nearly 800 million people struggle with swallowing. About 600 million are adults, and a couple hundred million are children.

We see this as a crucial issue for those with trouble swallowing standard medications, whether pills, capsules, gummies, or similar. If people can’t take their medications to manage medical conditions or even take nutritional supplements, they will struggle to maintain their health. It is essential to provide a solution that allows them to improve and maintain their health. This issue affects older adults as well, as dysphagia can arise from various medical conditions, including those treated with radiotherapy for cancer. So, there is a wide range of causes.

For us, it’s about addressing a much larger market than most people realize and ensuring it’s well-served.

Jacobsen: What is the basic science behind this drug delivery system to overcome dysphagia?

Givoni & Szewach: We’ve developed a gel-based product that can be delivered through a pouch with a nozzle. Essentially, it’s a thickened liquid designed to deliver nutrients or medications. We offer a range of textures, specifically varying thicknesses, which meet the dysphagia criteria. There’s a standard called IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative), which sets thickness levels appropriate for people with dysphagia based on their assessments. We have developed a gel base that meets each of these levels.

The core of the technology is creating a uniform, consistent thickness and a gel matrix that can stably hold nutrients. Additionally, we can modulate the taste of ingredients to make them more pleasant. Many medications or nutritional products can taste unpleasant when converted to a liquid or gummy form. We work on taste modulation and masking to improve the user’s experience.

Jacobsen: How do you make this palatable for animal medications?

Givoni & Szewach: It’s easier for them to consume animal medications because you can’t just feed an animal medication directly — you don’t want to get bitten in the process! We flavour the product with animal palatants to make it something they enjoy consuming. We might use flavours like chicken, beef, or fish, depending on the need.

We keep the dose small and manageable. It can either be squeezed directly into the animal’s mouth, making it easy to administer or used as a food topper. Whatever the preference of the person or the animal, we provide options to work through the medication or nutritional space.

Jacobsen: Regarding flavour modulation, do you conduct human trials to determine the top five flavours people like? Does that help bring a concept to market more easily?

Givoni & Szewach: We rely heavily on anecdotal evidence and existing trials related to regional flavour preferences. Rather than being too specific, we collaborate with customers from different regions worldwide and tailor the flavours accordingly. For example, Asia might prefer flavour profiles different from those of the United States. We try to match flavours to regional tastes and preferences.

Jacobsen: What are some of the popular flavours?

Givoni & Szewach: Common flavors include orange and apple. Depending on the product, you also have berry flavours like strawberry or blueberry. Some people associate certain flavours with health benefits. For example, blueberries are linked to cognitive health, so people prefer that association with certain products. More exotic fruits and coconut-based flavours might be popular in regions like the Middle East.

Jacobsen: How do you ensure the stability of the nutrients in the gel and prevent them from degrading over time?

Givoni & Szewach: We conduct rigorous stability testing to ensure the nutrients remain stable and effective for at least a two-year shelf life. The gel matrix is designed to protect the nutrients by preventing exposure to air, which helps avoid oxidation and ensures the ingredients don’t degrade over time.

Jacobsen: Are there differences between fat-soluble vitamins and minerals versus water-soluble ones when it comes to preserving their stability in the gel?

Givoni & Szewach: Yes, there are differences. Our base formula has variations, which are protected by our intellectual property (IP), allowing us to accommodate water- and oil-soluble ingredients. The formulation for water-based ingredients is slightly different from oil-based ones to maintain the required stability.

We can combine water- and oil-soluble ingredients in one product or keep them separate in different products. We adjust the gel matrix accordingly to accommodate each.

Jacobsen: How do you develop partnerships to scale this up and help the 630 million adults and 100 million children who have difficulties swallowing pills?

Givoni & Szewach: That’s a great question. We work with several B2B customers who may already offer different solutions, such as pills, powders, or tablets. We aim to partner with them to introduce an innovative delivery system for their customers. Many people who couldn’t take pills or powders now have access to a solution. It’s a B2B solution from our end.

Jacobsen: What barriers and hurdles have you encountered, and what do you anticipate as you develop the technology further and expand the business?

Givoni & Szewach: The main barrier is that it’s still a new delivery system. Traditionally, pills, powders, tablets, and pastes have been around long, so people sometimes associate gels with pastes. Pastes can have negative side effects, like getting stuck on the tongue and requiring water afterward. Our solution is much more hydro-based, so you don’t need to take anything after it. The challenge is getting people to adopt this new solution, which not everyone has tried before.

Jacobsen: So, you’re pointing to more of a cultural and social barrier, where people are used to taking pills?

Givoni & Szewach: Yes, absolutely. However, once people try the gel solution, they tend to have a much better experience than other delivery methods and almost enjoy their treatments.

Jacobsen: Are there countries where there isn’t a strong culture of taking pills or capsules and where gels might be more easily accepted because there isn’t a preexisting barrier?

Givoni & Szewach: It’s more common in ethnic communities, like in China with traditional Chinese medicine or Indian ethnic medicines, where they might have used other delivery methods that aren’t as tied to pills, powders, and capsules.

Jacobsen: Where are you looking to make the biggest impact on expansion in the 2020s? How are you planning to bring this delivery method to the mainstream market? Is it a regional product?

Givoni & Szewach: No, it’s both. From a regional perspective, we focus on North America and see significant growth for GelTech there in the next 12 months. We’re opening new offices on both the East and West Coasts. Asia-Pacific continues to be a major market for us, and we see that expanding. We’re also moving into the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa) and have early product rollouts in Australia.

As for the products themselves, over the next 12 to 24 months, we’re focusing on the nutraceutical space, looking at vitamins and tablets, and exploring different sports market opportunities.

Givoni & Szewach: We’ll roll out a range of sports-based products globally across different sports. Later, we’ll extend this to the animal space and eventually to the pharmaceutical space.

Jacobsen: Do different gels have the potential to be slow-release versus rapid-release, depending on the application? For example, someone in sports might need rapid release, while a regular consumer needs a daily dose of a particular vitamin.

Givoni & Szewach: Yes, absolutely. We customize the release mechanism based on the product’s purpose. If it needs to be slow-release, we ensure the base is suited for that. Conversely, we can adjust the formulation for rapid release, often used in the sports sector.

Jacobsen: What are potential future adaptations of this technology in a more advanced form?

Givoni & Szewach: The biggest area of future development is in the pharmaceutical space. We’re currently working on getting products through regulatory approval in different regions and continuing to adapt for various medications. We’re also exploring poly-pill options, which combine therapies, to ensure we can reach a much larger audience in the medication space.

Jacobsen: Are there any substances that cannot be taken in a stable gel form and would require a different methodology?

Givoni & Szewach: Some compounds, particularly those administered by injection — subcutaneously or into other regions — are only stable when injected. These substances are not currently a priority for oral dosage forms, so we haven’t tested them in a gel format. However, we may explore these options as we scale in the future.

Jacobsen: Personal question: How did the two of you meet?

Givoni & Szewach: Well, we met in Melbourne, Australia, through a mutual colleague. Nathan and I are from the same city and attended the same school, although we were a few years apart and didn’t know each other back then. Our colleague introduced us, and Nathan was working on a new gel delivery system. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jacobsen: Are there any other areas I still need to cover that should be mentioned for this particular product or technology?

Givoni & Szewach: No, you’ve covered most of the key areas related to the business. Your questions have allowed us to address everything important.

Jacobsen: Excellent. Simon and Nathan, thank you both very much for your time today.

Givoni & Szewach: Thank you, Scott. We appreciate the opportunity.

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