Grow your business with HSA/FSA.
High-tech takeout is hitting tables.
Foodborne
Diet-related diseases are a leading cause of death in the US, costing over $1T annually and fueling 85% of healthcare spending.
Insurance-backed, medically tailored food-as-medicine programs promise answers but only apply to already-sick patients with a doctor’s signoff.
Catering to everyone else, meal delivery services are repositioning around preventative wellness.
Ready-Made
More than education, eating well often comes down to time and access, with 49% saying cost is the biggest barrier. Too busy to experiment, the majority are bored with old recipes and meal prep yet rarely try new foods.
Applying the innovator’s mindset to our nation’s nutrition problem, revamped meal services are leveraging tech to cut costs, up customization, add variety, and make America healthy again.
Wonder. Valued at $7B, Marc Lore-owned Wonder is building a multi-brand food platform — acquiring meal kit company Blue Apron, delivery app Grubhub, and media company Tastemade to realize its vision of a vertically integrated, AI-powered mealtime super app.
Recently relaunched, Blue Apron moved from subscriptions to à la carte while doubling its menu, adding microwaveable and family-style meals plus protein-packed options for $10–$14.
HelloFresh. All-in on AI, HelloFresh allocated $70M to overhaul its experience. Focusing on wellness, it’s offering low-cal, high-protein, and no-prep meals for $10–$11.50.
Leveraging machine learning, it uses Netflix-style personalization to reduce overwhelm as it adds 50+ menu options.
CookUnity. Crossing $350M in ’24 revenue, “chef-to-consumer” marketplace CookUnity charges $11–$14 per meal, playing middleman for independent cooks.
Also veering into food-as-med, it’s partnering with health insurers on culturally relevant, condition-specific menus for Alzheimer’s, cancer recovery, GLP-1 use, and more.
CloudKitchens. Led by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick, Cloud Kitchen is plotting an “internet food court” with autonomous kitchens and self-driving delivery.
Competing with grocery stores, it’s aiming to cut labor costs from ~30% of revenue to 7%, driving prices low enough to make private robo-chefs widely affordable.
Sous-Chefs
A B2B2C solution, Mealogic secured $16M in June, steering behind-the-scenes ops for Territory Foods, Season Health, and Whole30. Upgrading grab-and-go, goop Kitchen is scaling ghost kitchens across LA, and Urban Remedy is in 400+ Whole Foods.
Raising over $100M, Farmer’s Fridge has installed 2K+ healthy vending machines across airports, hospitals, and offices. Serving from-scratch food to kids, Everytable is partnering with California K–12s, starting with Compton Unified this fall.
Looking ahead: Solving decision fatigue, AI-driven automation could usher in an era of “fine fast food,” making healthy prepared meals accessible to anyone unwilling—or unable—to slow down.
🎙 On the Podcast
Rorra co-founder Brian Keller discusses building trust in the water filtration category.
Prioritizing design excellence, Rorra sells user-friendly water filters that deliver cleaner, safer drinking and bathing water — backed by NSF testing and transparent performance reports.
We also cover: UX design philosophy, going direct-to-consumer, and educating consumers without scare tactics.
Listen to today’s episode here
🩺 Cancer care gets redesigned
Value-based oncology enabler Thyme Care raised $97M at a $1B valuation to support patients beyond treatment.
Care navigation. Tackling overlooked hurdles, Thyme coordinates rides, manages appointments, and reduces costly readmissions. Its outcomes-based model has scaled from 10K to 80K patients since December while overseeing $5B in oncology spend.
Rising burden. Cancer cases are increasing, with breast and colorectal diagnoses trending younger. Meanwhile, targeted therapies and diagnostics have improved five-year survivorship to 91% — meaning 18.6M Americans live with cancer.
Whole-patient. Beyond medicine, startups are delivering wraparound care — spanning emotional support, financial stability, and the everyday logistics.
Daymark Health raised $20M to provide holistic support, Jasper Health delivers 1:1 virtual guidance, and Outcomes4Me acquired lifestyle app Mika to build an AI-powered survivorship OS.
Punchline: For patients and caregivers, surviving cancer is only part of the story. As cases rise, care models must evolve to improve quality of life as well as extend it.
🏦 All-in-one HSA/FSA Infrastructure
Designed for health and wellness brands, Flex makes HSA/FSA spending seamless.
400%. The increase in HSAs since 2011.
60M. The number of Americans with an HSA or FSA account.
$150B. The number of dedicated HSA/FSA dollars waiting to be spent.
Built for enterprise scale, Flex adapts to any tech stack and business model, increasing average order value by 50% and checkout conversion by 30%.
Powering discovery, its Flex Market exposes high-intent shoppers to FSA/HSA-eligible products, while real-time analytics let sellers strengthen their funnel.
Get started today and see why leading brands like Therabody, Ultrahuman, and Dermstore already use Flex to unlock HSA/FSA spending.
💪 Women power performance nutrition
Women now make up 30% of creatine purchases at GNC, up from 18% in 2020. Globally, they also account for 51% of consumers seeking more protein, overtaking men in a market once dominated by bodybuilders.
Mainstream momentum. As more women take up strength training, creatine and protein are transcending gym culture — with sales projected to reach $4.2B and $50B+, respectively, as they become everyday wellness staples.
Expanding benefits. Beyond muscle, research highlights their role in bone health, cognition, mood, and menopause, widening appeal across genders and life stages.
Category reinvention. Innovation is reshaping delivery and messaging. From gummies to sparkling beverages and protein lattes, brands are repositioning around energy, longevity, and lifestyle.
Takeaway: Protein and creatine are no longer niche. With women driving adoption, breakthrough brands will stand out through credibility, science, and new formats.
📰 News & Notes
- Top health & wellness deals of Q3.
- Wellness queries top ChatGPT use.
- EōS Fitness integrates EGYM Genius.
- Plunge upgrades at-home cold plunges.
- Tenōre unveils flagship surf store in Waikiki.
- Biolinq scores FDA nod for needle-free CGM.
- WHOOP opens advanced labs to 350K waitlist.
- Superpower taps Stratos Health for B2B plans.
- Smart strength brand Vitruvian enters administration in AUS.
- EGYM opens US HQ, teams with Kolter Homes on active aging.
- NikeSKIMS drops debut activewear collection for women athletes.
- Tia Health, Molecular Testing Labs link on at-home STI diagnostics.
- Seed expands beyond probiotics with brain, sleep health supplements.
- Want more health and wellness news? Follow Fitt Insider on Instagram.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Cancer care platform Thyme Care raised a $97M Series D at a $1B valuation.
Padel operator Epic Padel raised a $10M seed round led by NowaisWorld and Stryde Ventures.
Virtual neurology clinic Neura Health raised $11.4M in a Series A led by American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Venture Fund.
Women’s whole-person health platform Visana Health secured $24M in a Series A round.
BeSound, an ultrasound diagnostic for breast cancer screening, raised $6.8M.
Moneta Health, provider of AI-powered cognitive rehabilitation therapy, secured $4.5M in a round.
Wraparound mental health platform Mamaya Health raised $3M in a round.
Protein soda brand DON’T QUIT secured an investment from NBA star Russell Westbrook.
Diabetes management platform Glooko acquired Monarch Medical Technologies, developer of glucose management software.
Planet Fitness franchisee Easy Mile Fitness acquired 17 sites from Bravo Fit Franchise Group.
Europe 🇪🇺
Belgian sleep health company Sunrise secured $29M in a round led by Eurozeo.
UK-based Rem3dy Health, operator of 3D-printed gummy vitamin brand Nourished, announced £9M ($12M) in funding.
Belgian supplements brand Insentials landed a minority equity investment from Eutopia and FG Bros.
Investment firm Rhein Invest acquired a majority stake in German fitness studio operator MC Shape.
Asia 🌏
Ayurvedic wellness brand Kapiva secured $60M in a Series D round led by 360 ONE Asset and Vertex Growth.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
