A 10x better annual physical.
👋 Quick note: This week, we’re back with another long-form report.
Tracking trends, we’re breaking down H1’s biggest moves across healthcare, wearables, fitness, activewear, longevity, nutrition, neurotech, social wellness, and more.
You’ll find a preview below, and our full analysis here. It’s 100% free to read, with no email sign-up or download required.
The wellness industry has been surging for years, but momentum is stronger than ever.
Heat check. Hyperaware of healthcare’s shortcomings, people are more willing to pay for out-of-pocket services, shifting wellness spending from aspirational to foundational.
Skeptical of systemic change, consumers are taking control, and quantified self-care is spawning custom wellness stacks. Collectively, Americans already budget $1.1T for wellness, with 78% saying they’ll continue spending the same or more.
Gut check. Celebrating the wellness industry’s $6.3T rise without confronting its shortcomings is misguided. Despite record spending, well-being is stuck.
- Objectively, US life expectancy has hovered around 78 since 2007.
- Subjectively, people are lonely, overstimulated, and lacking purpose.
- Americans live longer than less developed nations, but spend the most years sick.
Worse, polarizing rhetoric is making wellness feel like a zero-sum game rather than a win for all.
What it means: The industry is at a tipping point. H1 was full of positive gains across categories, and the future looks bright. But in order to remain relevant and produce real outcomes, wellness needs a new ethos.
Looking ahead: Next week, we’ll be back with Part II, where we’ll explore future-proof playbooks and strategic frameworks to take the industry to the next level.
Read the full report → here.
🎙 On the Podcast
Hone Health co-founder and CEO Saad Alam discusses building a longevity care system.
On a mission to extend healthspan, Hone Health’s platform combines AI-powered diagnostics, telehealth consults, personalized treatment plans, and guidance from specialized physicians.
We also cover: Normalizing hormone health, systemically changing medical education, and making premium care accessible to Middle America.
Listen to today’s episode here
💥 Novo Nordisk drops Hims & Hers
The drugmaker and telehealth startup are clashing over knockoff Wegovy.
Big swing. Less than two months after partnering to distribute the semaglutide-based obesity drug, Novo ended the agreement.
Claiming Hims continued selling cheaper, unapproved versions after the shortage designation was lifted, the pharma giant called it “illegal mass compounding” and “deceptive marketing.”
Fallout. Hims CEO Andrew Dudum accused Novo of pressuring the company to push Wegovy regardless of patient need — a move he framed as anticompetitive and unethical.
Hims shares plunged 35%, its worst drop on record. Novo slipped 5% amid growing concern over GLP-1 competition and regulations.
Moat or misconduct? Vertically integrated, Hims operates compounding pharmacies, boosting margins while drawing scrutiny. Tightening its supply chain, Novo contends that “knockoff” semaglutide often uses unregulated APIs from China.
Looking ahead: Telehealth upstarts are racing to own patient access while Big Pharma tightens its grip on exclusivity and supply. As weight loss drugs go mainstream, the real fight is over who controls the customer relationship.
⚡ A New Era of Personal Health
Health shouldn’t be gatekept, and quality care shouldn’t cost a fortune.
Democratizing concierge medicine, Superpower is on a mission to restore health agency for all.
By the experts. Superpower is backed by top longevity docs and leading investors, with a staff of clinical experts who translate your biometrics into custom medical and lifestyle plans.
For the people. Concierge clinics and elite doctors typically charge $15–$100k, but Superpower leverages tech to make preventative services accessible to all.
10x better than an average physical, Superpower looks at the whole you, combining 100+ lab tests, biological age tracking, and a personalized health management dashboard.
A new era of personal health is here: Personalized. Preventative. Performance enhancing.
Get $50 off your membership using code FITT50 (first 50 sales only).
🤖 The state of AI fitness
Adoption is rising, but trust, accuracy, and impact are lagging.
Locked in. According to ABC Fitness, 61% of consumers have used AI to track workouts, and 49% rely on it for nutrition. Leading the way, nearly half of Gen Z and millennial users engage with AI-powered fitness and wellness apps daily.
Doubtful. Only 33% of Gen Z and 43% of millennials fully trust AI-powered fitness apps, while just 17% of boomers engage with these tools, citing privacy concerns, lack of personalization, and poor usability.
With nearly half of users reporting irrelevant or inaccurate suggestions, many tools still fall short of delivering real value.
All business. To win over skeptical consumers, operators can turn AI into a competitive advantage by personalizing programs, integrating wearables, and building trust through usability, transparency, and outcomes.
Takeaway: Adoption is outpacing impact. To close the gap, fitness brands must align tech with immediate user needs and deliver solutions that feel less like prototypes.
📰 News & Notes
- D1 Training opens 150th location.
- Garmin unveils arm-worn sleep wearable.
- Polar, Amazfit launch WHOOP competitors.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch adds longevity features.
- Labcorp unveils white-label functional diagnostics.
- Maven Clinic, Oura optimize women’s health outcomes.
- Life Time preps Manhattan “urban athletic country club.”
- Australia’s Gurner Group enlists biohacker Ben Greenfield.
- Jesse Itzler’s Runningman festival returns this September.
- Solace NYC taps Solace House Inc. for in-gym counseling.
- Happy Ring gains FDA clearance for at-home sleep testing.
- Joi + Blokes teams with wellness advocate Radhi Devlukia.
- Withings data links sleep deprivation to heart failure, obesity.
- Featured roles: Head of Finance at a luxury social wellness club. Art Director for a performance-focused nicotine alternatives brand.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Dear Media, a women-focused podcast network, acquired digital fitness platform obé Fitness.
Mealogic, a B2B2C food-as-medicine provider, secured $16M in a funding round.
Sports data and management company Teamworks raised $235M in a Series F led by Dragoneer Investment Group.
Visby Medical, developer of at-home women’s sexual health diagnostics, raised $55M in a funding round.
Women’s pelvic health company Materna Medical landed $20M in a Series B2 round.
Better-for-you candy brand Better Sour landed funding from Taste Tomorrow Ventures.
SportsVisio, an AI-powered sports video analytics platform, added $3.2M in funding.
Cofertility CFO Karl Nislow acquired Goodhome, an indoor environmental health diagnostics company.
VR baseball and softball training platform WIN Reality acquired swing sensor tech maker Blast Motion.
Sanmai Technologies, developer of ultrasound-based neurostimulation tech, secured $12M in a round led by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Europe 🇪🇺
UK-based CPG giant Unilever acquired US-based men’s natural personal care brand Dr. Squatch.
Spanish racket sports booking and management brand Playtomic acquired Timp, a Spanish health club management platform.
Spain’s Alter Capital increased its stake in WiFit Gyms, becoming majority shareholder.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
