Issue No. 314: Off-Beat
Unlocking revenue for wellness brands.
Too few hearts are in the right place.
Brokenhearted
The state of cardiovascular health is shockingly poor, and everybody’s at risk.
- 48% of US adults have hypertension, with 41% unaware.
- Heart failure deaths increased 906% among people <45 in the last decade.
- Strokes are up 7.8% over the same period, jumping 14.6% among 18–44-year-olds.
And while overall heart attacks have fallen since 2019, incidence among young people has shot up 66% — with a fifth of attacks now occurring under age 40.
Coming of age. Heart disease is America’s #1 killer, but 80–90% of cases are preventable.
Striking younger, experts attribute negative outcomes to poor lifestyle shifts. A lethal combination, inactivity and ultra-processed foods are fueling chronic disease.
Exacerbating the issue, factors like air pollution, microplastics, birth control pills, drug use, and COVID can all make young people more susceptible.
Big picture. A broadened patient load is challenging an already-strained system.
Currently spending $400B+ on care, US CVD-related healthcare costs are expected to triple to $1.3T by 2050. A band-aid, tirzepatide GLP-1s are being fast-tracked to combat heart disease.
But, treating symptoms ignores root causes.
Heart to Heart
Behavior change is a powerful drug, with simple shifts like prioritizing sleep, logging short runs, lifting weights, and eating a fruit-/veg-rich diet all shown to slash disease risk.
Still, the vast majority struggle to stack habits — and are unaware when cardiovascular problems start. Personalizing prevention and treatment, healthtech innovation is reshaping care.
Care package. Story Health optimizes medication programs for heart failure and hypertension, Cleerly just added $106M for AI-upgraded CT scans, and Prevencio’s blood tests help docs intervene before heart attacks happen.
Thinking B2B, Twin Health’s digital twin-assisted coaching matched GLP-1s’ effectiveness on CVD, and HelloHeart’s AI therapeutic saves employers $1.8K per employee annually.
Beyond BPM. Spotting “silent killers,” Huawei and Happy Ring beat Big Tech to blood pressure features.
Experimenting, CoraVie is piloting an implantable monitor, UCSD’s working on an ultrasound patch, and Aktiia users will simply place a finger over their smartphone camera.
Connecting heart health, fitness, and longevity, Oura and Withings doubled down on cardiovascular age. Along with AFib, Apple and Garmin are making strides on VO2 max, which VetriJect’s wearable can measure without breaking a sweat.
Punchline: By making passive checks normal, new diagnostics could catch conditions earlier among unsuspecting groups. More data may prompt anxiety, but silencing alarms could prove deadly.
🎙 On the Podcast
Equip co-founder & CEO Kristina Saffran discusses its eating disorder treatment platform.
After struggling with anorexia in her youth, Kristina founded Equip to expand access to effective treatment, offering wraparound virtual care teams for sustainable recovery.
We also cover: Breaking down stigmas, delivering quality care at scale, and advancing the field of eating disorder treatment.
Listen to today’s episode here.
💪 Group workouts get people going
Strava’s annual trend report highlights the rise of social fitness.
- Run club participation increased 59% in 2024.
- 58% of respondents say they made new friends via fitness groups.
- Making “social connections” is the top reason Gen Zers join group workouts.
Providing a boost, group runs, rides, and hikes go 40% longer than solo outings, with respondents gaining improved performance and accountability from squading up.
Opt-out. Choosing health over happy hour, 4x more people want to meet friends through a fitness group than at a bar. And 95% say they’d cut back alcohol to achieve their fitness goals.
New goals. Changing priorities, strength training is the fastest-growing activity among women, mental health is a focus for Gen Z, and Gen X is emphasizing longevity heading into 2025.
Punchline: A win-win, social fitness works wonders for physical and mental well-being while boosting digital and IRL engagement for brands.
📱Helping Wellness Brands Go Digital
Building an app has never been easier.
Developed by Headspace’s product squad, Youll’s no-code platform empowers any brand to launch a subscription-based app in just 30 days.
Flywheel. From brick-and-mortar to CPG, Youll can make any business a recurring revenue powerhouse — leveraging the power of premium content to keep users coming back.
No fuss. Unlike social media platforms, success on Youll doesn’t depend on ads, algorithms, and luck, just quality content.
Ready to unlock ancillary revenue? Book a demo to learn more.
📉 Screen time stifles physical activity
New data suggests physical activity in kids decreases proportionately as screen time increases.
Trade-offs. Among 12–17-year-olds, 71% of those who spend <2 hours per day on screens get an hour of exercise, vs. just 54% of those who spend 4+ hours.
Red flags. Adding to mounting concerns, a recent study suggests toddlers two and under with >14 hours per week of screen time have an elevated risk of autism.
Intervening, Australia recently banned social media for kids under 16, citing depression and anxiety risks.
Team up. Cause for hope, youth sports participation jumped 11% last year, reaching the highest marks in a decade — with notable gains among girls.
Beyond preventing obesity, youth leagues support better mental health in adulthood.
Looking ahead: For public health to improve, screen time and physical activity levels need to flip. Protecting the most vulnerable may require setting limits on their behalf.
📰 News & Notes
- Tim Cook: Apple is all-in on health.
- Ladder, Peloton feud over strength apps.
- Tonal preps strength studio pop-up in NYC.
- TPG shops Crunch Fitness amid hypergrowth.
- Barry’s expands in Spain, preps Madrid studio.
- lululemon raises outlook on international growth.
- Aescape lands AI massage robot in wellness studio Pause.
- Pilates, full-body scans headline ClassPass’s 2024 trend report.
- Nutrition and diet app MyNetDiary unveils AI meal-scanning feature.
- Amazon’s healthcare platform taps Hinge Health for digital MSK care.
- Function adds GRAIL’s cancer diagnostics to preventative health platform.
- Ultrahuman proclaims 30% smart ring market share, adds cycling tracking.
- If you’re hiring, we can help. Gain access to exceptional talent from the Fitt community here.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Concierge care provider Sollis Health secured $33M in a Series B round.
On the Podcast: Our conversation with Sollis Health CEO Brad Olson
Canadian racket sports court operator Fairgrounds acquired padel gear outfitter TWOTWO.
Food-as-medicine platform ModifyHealth closed $13.5M in a Series C round.
MoldCo, a diagnostic care platform for mold and biotoxin illness, raised $3M in pre-seed funding.
Cleerly, developer of AI-powered cardiovascular imaging solutions, landed $106M in a Series C extension led by Insight Partners.
Colorado Bathhouse, a Denver-area wellness spa project, raised $200K in funding.
GROWL, makers of an AI-enabled boxing bag, raised $4.75M in a seed round led by Skip Capital.
Anise Health, a mental health platform for Asian Americans, added $3M in a seed round.
Europe 🇪🇺
Much Better Adventures, a London-based booking platform for outdoor experiences, landed £5M ($6.3M) in funding.
Switzerland’s Liom (fka Spiden), developers of a noninvasive glucose-monitoring wearable, secured $25M in Series A funding.
Danish supplements maker aioss closed a $3M seed round.
Asia 🌏
Indian protein bar maker SuperYou raised undisclosed funding from Rainmatter.
Indian DTC diagnostics platform Orange Health Labs closed $12M in a round led by Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund.
WickedGüd, an Indian better-for-you food brand, secured Rs 20 Cr ($2.4M) in a pre-Series A round led by Orios Venture Partners.
Australia 🇦🇺 / New Zealand 🇳🇿
Australian operator Viva Leisure acquired a 25% stake in World Gym Australia for A$16.7M ($10.7M).
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
