In this Q&A, you’ll hear from Bill Snyder, founder & CEO of Cylinder Health, a digital care platform for digestive health. Aiming to better serve the 40% of people experiencing daily GI issues, Bill shares how Cylinder’s integrative approach drives ROI and engagement for organizations — and better quality of life for its users.
Tell us about Cylinder Health.
Bill Snyder: Cylinder delivers easily accessible, personalized, clinician-backed digital care to those suffering from the full spectrum of digestive issues.
Digestive health is a very personal and oftentimes stigmatized topic that can have profound effects on an individual’s overall health and well-being. At Cylinder, we put our members—and their guts—first.
Cylinder’s tech-forward, human-first program connects members to the right level of support at the right time through an easy-to-use interface. Combining personalized lifestyle recommendations, CBT therapy courses, and support from gastroenterologists, nutritionists, and more, our integrated approach seeks out the root causes of GI problems.
Bringing the healthcare ecosystem together, our platform delivers up to 5:1 ROI to B2B partners like Texas A&M University and US Foods, with an average of 13% employee engagement (compared to an average of 5% from other chronic care services).
What led you to pursue this opportunity?
BS: We work with individuals who suffer from chronic digestive conditions and their related symptoms — a passion area for me because I have seen the toll that digestive health conditions take on people from physical, emotional, and mental perspectives.
Gastrointestinal issues affect 40% of people daily, and I knew there needed to be an innovative solution to ensure that people were getting the right care at the right time.
How did you turn your idea into a company?
BS: I’d previously led another health tech company, Vivante Health, that supported members for a broader set of conditions.
During that time, I tried to refocus the business on serving members who specifically suffered from chronic digestive conditions. But there was more to do.
Ultimately, I founded Cylinder in 2021 with the mission to revolutionize digital health, gut first. Purchasing the remaining assets of Vivante, we sought to create a new product with the belief we could transform outcomes for patients and partners.
Since 2021, we have impacted the lives of over 100K members in all 50 states. We’ve published incredible peer-reviewed clinical outcomes, and we’ve built a team of some of the most talented people in digital health, and it still feels like we are just getting started.
How big can this get?
BS: The digital health TAM is $40B in the US and $964B globally.
We expect the market to increasingly rely on tech-enabled solutions, including solutions that leverage AI to address the high demand for digestive health treatment unable to be met by the limited supply of existing providers.
How do you reach your core customer?
BS: Cylinder is a B2B2C model selling to large self-funded employers and health plans, and we’ve seen incredible growth in both segments.
I think there are three main reasons for that: First, we’ve been able to generate incredible outcomes at scale. We’ve shown great clinical improvement for patients, cost reductions, and an incredible user experience.
The second is our ability to work within the care ecosystem. We’re actively billing through claims with several major health plans, and we’re also working in collaboration with brick-and-mortar providers, ensuring there’s no siloed care.
The third is just the recognition of the scope and the seriousness of this problem. More and more employers and health plans are seeing this as a major cost driver, and they understand they need something innovative to help reduce costs and improve the care for their employees and plan members.
What’s next on the roadmap?
BS: At the core of everything we do is our commitment to delivering world-class outcomes for the people we serve nationwide, every single day.
Looking ahead, we have some major developments in the pipeline over the next six months, including new peer-reviewed research, significant partner expansions, and cutting-edge product enhancements, including diagnostic capabilities from our acquisition of Dieta Health.
Stay tuned for all to come!
If you’re interested in having your company featured in our Q&A series, send an email to team@fitt.co.
