Issue No. 267: Buying Time

This issue is presented by

Raising the bar with science-backed supplements.

Companies are selling longevity. But we can’t buy extra years — yet.

Aging Up

By 2050, the global 65+ population will more than double to 1.6B.

Among those in the US, the majority will have at least one chronic disease.

Opting out of America’s sickcare model, a new school of thought says aging itself is the disease.

The Long Game

Challenging the notion of inevitable decline, biotech, gyms, healthcare, and wellness companies want to boost longevity.

Popularizing the concept of healthspan while spotlighting our shrinking lifespan, their message is resonating:

Nearly 70% of consumers are interested in DTC genetic tests.
The longevity market is on pace for $600B by 2025, per BoA.
The global medspa market is set to increase from $18.6B in 2023 to $49B by 2030.

Emerging Camps

Cornering sects of belief, brands are securing market share.

Eternalists. Chasing immortality, Sam Altman-backed Retro Biosciences, Jeff Bezos-backed Altos Labs, and Peter Thiel-backed NewLimit leverage epigenetics to make old cells young. Elsewhere, Elysium Health and Timeline Nutrition’s science-backed supplements promise cellular renewal.

Externalists. Staying skin-deep, medspas Ever/Body, Glowbar, and Skin Pharm are using fresh funds to scale. Capitalizing on aesthetic insecurities, wellness brands Moon Juice and Alo package dermocosmetics alongside anti-aging ingestibles.

Minimalists. Detoxing from tech, some consumers are sticking to the basics — mindful movement, quality sleep, cold showers, fresh food, and time in nature. Wellness retreats are cashing in, fusing community with all of the above.

Go-getters. Taking agency, nearly one in three Americans use wearables for inside-out self-health. Tracking metrics, they’re following Peter Attia’s path to centenarian success — stacking Zone 2 cardio, strength training, and recovery for holistic wellness.

Appealing to optimizers, Modern Age and InsideTracker combine biological age tests, DNA-based diets, nutraceuticals, and coaching for preventative health plans.

Influencers. Adding hype, media personalities are pushing life extension.

Sharing his protocol with podcast listeners, Andrew Huberman endorses AG1 and Momentous. Following Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof playbook, Bryan Johnson turned his controversial “Blueprint” into a CPG brand.

Disrupting healthcare, Peter Diamandis and Tony Robbins founded preventative care companies Lifeforce and Fountain Life. Harvard genetics professor David Sinclair launched Tally Health. And Dr. Mark Hyman co-founded lab testing startup Function Health.

Connectors. Keeping pace, gyms, recovery studios, and wellness clinics sell longevity-as-a-service — packaging consults, blood panels, health reports, GLP-1s, IV drips, and hormone replacement into all-in-one offerings.

Missing Pieces

A caveat, 70% of US consumers say they don’t want to live forever. And the majority value relationships and purpose over more years.

So, while distinguishing healthspan from lifespan is an important—and welcome—shift, sacrificing happiness for self-optimization is a net negative.

Because they can’t be quantified, pleasure and meaning are absent from the commercial longevity equation — overlooking a critical measure of a life well lived.

Punchline: Ultimately, we won’t know what is—or isn’t—working until it’s too late. But as the longevity business matures and backs its splashy claims with evidence, commodified aging cures could become reality.

🎙 On the Podcast

Daily Harvest episode artwork for Fitt Insider podcast

Daily Harvest founder Rachel Drori talks revamping frozen food.

Over 10 years, Rachel built a $1B company. Now, the meal delivery service is entering retail — launching pre-prepped smoothies, soup, and healthy bowls in Kroger.

We also cover: weathering a recall, stepping down as CEO, and the challenges of DTC brands.

Listen to today’s episode here.

🔦 CES 2024 spotlights preventative health innovations

Quantified health was a key theme of CES 2024, with companies showcasing the future of disease prevention.

Home health hubs. Amplifying self-health, AI bathroom mirrors from Baracoda and NuraLogix analyze facial expressions for daily mental health checkups.

Bringing doctor’s visits home, the Withings ecosystem added a handheld “multiscope” with an ECG, oximeter, stethoscope, and thermometer.

Monitoring living spaces, metabolic health startup Ultrahuman unveiled Home, an environmental health platform assessing temperature, humidity, light exposure, and air quality.

Wearable labs. Medical-grade devices want to diagnose disease. Pison Ready measures cognitive agility, EVOLVE MVMT’s ankle strap offers gait training, and Mojawa’s hearables translate biometrics into real-time training cues.

And the smart ring wars are intensifying, with Movano, Lotus, Amazfit, and YogiFi chasing Oura.

Consumer-friendly CGM. Glucose monitoring is expanding beyond diabetes patients.

Manufacturers Abbott and Dexcom both released mini insulin pump-compatible CGMs. Abbott also launched its consumer Lingo device in the UK, while Dexcom readies Stelo, its metabolic health-focused series.

Sidestepping CGMs, January AI’s new app predicts glucose levels from food photos.

Takeaway: For better or worse, personal well-being—once left to intuition—now has a number value. But unless these innovations can collectively move the needle on public health, it’s inundation, not optimization.

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🍎 Consumers are hungry for personalized nutrition

A recent Deloitte survey found grocery shoppers are seeking fresh foods for personal well-being.

91% of consumers say fresh food is key to a wholesome diet.
>80% think consuming fresh meals can aid weight loss.
83% believe unprocessed eats reduce risk of chronic health conditions.

Supermarket sweep. Waking up to the harmful effects of ultra-processed foods, 90% of respondents said fresh food makes them happy — with the grocery store serving as a path to preventative health.

Gaining traction, eight in 10 shoppers want personalized nutrition options, up 18% since 2021. And 64% are sold on the role of fresh food as medicine.

But… With food costs set to spike in 2024, healthy options might not be in the budget.

So, chronic diet-related disease and obesity rates continue to rise — revealing a disconnect between intentions, actions, and health outcomes.

Takeaway: Consumers are craving better-for-you foods, but the catalyst to behavior change likely comes down to convenience and affordability — two challenges that remain unsolved.

📰 News & Notes

Fitt Jobs: Your dream health & fitness career is here.
meta[bolic] syncs up Oura data for GLP-1 weight loss programs.
WHOOP quantifies Barry’s signature workouts, adds digital community.
Modern Age tackles fear of aging through refreshed longevity glossary.
lululemon doubles down on golf, signs pro Min Woo Lee as ambassador.
Fitbit co-founders depart Google amid mass voice tech and hardware layoffs.
MNLY partners with HYROX, delivers precision performance recos to male racers.
Endurance training platform enduco adds AI “Coach Squad” for continuous support.
January AI sets up new feature translating food photos to predicted glucose response.
Grocer Hy-Vee taps Soda Health for insurance-backed food as medicine, health screens.
Building a health and fitness company? Fitt Consulting Group is your team’s unfair advantage.

💰 Money Moves

UK-based walk-in mental health clinic Self Space raised €2.6M ($2.8M) led by Redrice Ventures.
Portable golf training system GolfForever raised $10M in a Series A round led by Clerisy.
Triathlon apparel brand Varlo Sports raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round, including backing from REI Path Ahead Ventures.
Newly formed holding group BC Brands acquired luxury women’s activewear brands BANDIER and Carbon38.
Dutch gym chain Basic-Fit acquired 42 McFIT and five Holmes Place locations in Spain from RSG Group.
Plant-based burger chain Next Level Burger acquired vegan fast-casual concept Veggie Grill.
7NXT, parent company of D2C fitness and nutrition platform Gymondo, acquired German mindfulness app 7Mind.
Animal-free dairy developer Perfect Day closed a $90M pre-Series E round.
Parallel Learning, a telehealth platform for kids with special needs, raised $6.125M in a funding round led by Rethink Impact.
Suicide prevention startup Vita Health closed a $22.5M Series A round.
VR/AR healthcare platform XRHealth secured $6M in a funding round led by Asabys Partners.
National Crunch Fitness franchisee Fitness Ventures acquired Crunch Toledo.
Michigan-based Crunch Fitness developer Primetime Fitness entered a strategic growth partnership with investor CapitalSpring.

Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.