It started with two personal battles; one during pregnancy, one lifelong. When ZenZen’s co-founders, Susa Horvath and Viktor Hodobay, faced the harsh realities of managing diabetes they discovered the same truth from two different sides: the healthcare system wasn’t built for continuous, compassionate support.
Susa’s pregnancy joy turned into fear the moment she heard, “You have gestational diabetes.” Confusion over what to eat, constant monitoring, and sleepless nights became routine. Viktor, living with Type 1 diabetes, understood that same mental load from a different angle, which is the exhaustion of managing a condition every single day.
Together, they decided to build what didn’t exist: a supportive digital companion that combines medical precision, emotional intelligence, and real personalization.
A certified companion for mothers worldwide
ZenZen is a certified medical device designed to simplify diabetes management during pregnancy. It combines a pregnancy tracker, diabetes manager, and meal planner in one seamless experience.
Built with medical compliance and empathy at its core, ZenZen transforms fragmented care into a single digital therapeutic companion. It replaces outdated paper logs and disconnected tools with intuitive, medically grounded support that women can trust every day.
At the heart of ZenZen is its Conversational AI, built on the RAG framework. This technology enables real-time, personalized guidance that feels more like a conversation with a trusted friend than a static chatbot. It provides instant, clinically safe advice and relieves the constant mental strain of “Am I doing this right?” that so many mothers experience.
Turning anxiety into action
ZenZen’s AI doesn’t just talk — it listens, learns, and adapts. Each interaction helps mothers navigate decisions about food, glucose tracking, and daily routines while offering reassurance grounded in medical data.
The app currently operates in seven European countries (Germany, the UK, Switzerland, France, and Luxembourg) and has just launched in the United States.
Since earning its Class I certification, ZenZen has already attracted partnerships with Charité Berlin, the Luxembourg Institute of Health, and the Ministry of Health Luxembourg. It has also secured grants from the Diabetes Center Bern and Fit4Start, totaling €60,000, with a matching opportunity of €100,000.
A data-driven future for preventive care
ZenZen’s roadmap goes far beyond monitoring. The team is developing voice-based diagnostics with the Luxembourg Institute of Health to detect emotional stress and early signs of risk. They’re also working on microbiome-based nutrition plans and plan to achieve Class IIa certification by 2027, unlocking early screening and diagnostic support for all pregnancies.
This expansion transforms ZenZen from a management tool into a preventive health companion — capable of identifying risks before they become problems.
A team built on empathy and expertise
What makes ZenZen special is the lived experience behind it.
Half of the team are mothers who have faced gestational diabetes themselves. The founders combine medical and technical knowledge with empathy born from personal struggle.
- Susa Horvath, CEO – communications and patient advocacy.
- Viktor Hodobay, CTO – AI and full-stack development.
- Supported by a team of clinicians, psychologists, and regulatory experts ensuring both compliance and compassion.
Their motivation remains simple yet powerful: to make pregnancy with diabetes less frightening and more empowering.
Beyond a startup
Globally, 1 in 6 pregnancies is affected by diabetes, a number that has tripled in the last decade. Without the right tools, women are left to navigate these risks alone, and healthcare systems bear the cost of preventable complications.
ZenZen is here to change that by offering an accessible, certified, and empathetic companion that supports both patients and clinicians.
We’re proud to support ZenZen as they bring care, science, and empathy together by creating technology that truly understands what mothers need.