Issue No. 320: Flying Solo
Alone and lonely aren’t the same.
Silent Stigma
Americans are split on the value of solitude. Over half say alone time is vital to well-being, but many struggle with silence.
In one experiment, 49% of people did not enjoy being alone with their thoughts, leading 67% of men and 25% of women to choose self-administered electric shock over 15 minutes of quiet.
Personal preference aside, our always-on culture prioritizes doing over being, feeding a need for constant stimulation.
Trickle-down. Conflicted, 81% of teens feel negative pressure to meet expectations around appearance, social status, activism, and future success, with most admitting social media makes it worse. Yet, they still spend ~4.5 hrs/day on phones.
Tabula Rasa
Amid a loneliness crisis, calling for solitude seems counterintuitive, but it could help.
Research links intentional alone time with the ability to self-regulate emotions, live authentically, and ignore outside influence. Unlike loneliness, which is unwanted isolation, solitude can be confidently chosen and benefit relationships.
A caveat, not all alone time is equal. Doomscrolling with AirPods isn’t the same as embracing quiet. Only the latter yields lasting reward — with deliberate silence shown to relax the body, sharpen the mind, and stimulate new brain cells.
Sacred Pause
As online chatter gets louder and noise pollution worsens, true psychological solitude—void of screens or sounds—has become a luxury.
Experiencing chronic stress from constant buzz, consumers are at higher risk of health consequences ranging from anxiety and hypertension to stroke. Hitting a wall, many are paying for escape.
Vacation. “Quiet life travel” was a top Pinterest trend last year, with searches for “wellness retreat aesthetic” and “calm places” spiking.
As tech execs take silent 10-day Vipassana courses, less intensive options like remote getaways from Postcard Cabins are scaling. Ultra-exclusive, Larry Ellison’s Sensei hosts well-being retreats on a private Hawaiian island.
Meditation. Selling staycations, wellness companies are bringing zen vibes home.
Walden’s meditation products create contemplative sanctuaries, Loop’s earplugs block noise, and HigherDOSE’s red light tools help people downshift. Upping the ambience, Vitruvi’s humidifiers cleanse the air, and Loftie’s sunrise alarm serves soothing soundscapes.
Simplification. Selling the self-aware lifestyle, products are pitching a stripped-down ethos.
Redefining productivity, Monk Manual’s planners distinguish between busyness and progress. Reminding time is currency, while on earth’s activewear prompts people to consider purpose. Nixing unnecessary ingredients, Nécessaire promises “less but better” personal care products.
Punchline: In the constantly connected digital age, self-assured stillness is lacking. Cutting through the noise, brands are simulating silence to help consumers recenter.
🎙 On the Podcast
Monarch Athletic Club co-founder & medical director Dr. Ryan Greene discusses its medical wellness ecosystem.
Bridging premium fitness and expert medicine, Monarch Athletic Club offers membership-based services spanning personal training, preventative health, nutrition support, and physical therapy.
We also cover: Reimagining insurance incentives, scaling a premium wellness experience, and making high-performance health more accessible.
Listen to today’s episode here.
💸 Hone Health targets longevity care
The telemedicine clinic secured $33M and acquired at-home healthcare provider ivee, evolving beyond hormonal optimization.
V1. Established as a men’s health clinic, Hone has tested 300K patients and treated 55K to date — pairing lifestyle interventions with TRT and other supplements.
Leveraging its framework and hormone dataset, the company is pushing into proactive longevity care for men and women.
Stacked. Combating chronic conditions like diabetes, CVD, cancer, and dementia, Hone will personalize longevity stacks — combining Rx meds, nine forthcoming supplements, and recovery protocols.
Meanwhile, the ivee acquisition adds in-home services like IV therapy and phlebotomy, enabling direct-to-patient care delivery.
Takeaway: Connecting hormonal health and longevity medicine through a comprehensive EMR, Hone is shifting its focus to upgrade traditional telehealth.
💰 Tap Into the $150B HSA/FSA Market
Flex unlocks seamless HSA/FSA spending on health and wellness products.
Expand reach. Americans have over $150B in HSA/FSA accounts — with Flex, consumers can spend those funds on your brand, resulting in a 15% average increase in new customers.
Boost revenue. Consumers save 30–40% on purchases made with their HSA/FSA, translating to a 20% boost in cart size.
Optimize your checkout. Flex’s single-page checkout flow drives high conversions, and its real-time analytics dashboard helps optimize your HSA/FSA channel.
Bonus points. Driving discovery, Flex connects its community of high-intent HSA/FSA buyers to new brands through the Flex Market.
Get started today, and see why top brands like Ultrahuman, iFIT, and Ozlo Sleep choose Flex.
📈 Neko Health is scaling Stateside
The preventative healthcare startup co-founded by Spotify’s Daniel Ek added $260M, reaching a $1.8B valuation.
Head-to-toe. Neko’s £299 (~$370) full-body scan maps millions of data points in minutes, screening for cardiovascular risks, skin cancer, and metabolic issues.
Wait and see. With 10K scans completed across London and Stockholm locations, demand is surging — 100K+ people are waitlisted, and 80% of members pre-book a follow-up scan.
As healthcare costs rise and outcomes suffer, Neko’s aims to fill a void – with consumers willing to pay out of pocket for personalized care and peace of mind.
Prevention playbook. CEO Hjalmar Nilsonne believes Neko’s AI-powered diagnostics represent a new paradigm, making proactive screenings more accessible to catch diseases before they develop.
Looking ahead: With US expansion in the works, Neko aims to accelerate healthcare’s evolution — converting waitlist demand into operational scale.
📰 News & Notes
- Tom Brady joins fitness app Future in merger.
- Meta plans Oakley smart glasses for athletes.
- Therabody announces women’s health initiative.
- Echelon partners with Flex to offer HSA/FSA payment options.
- Canyon Ranch launches menopause-focused wellness retreats.
- Sixth Street taps English FA director to scale US women’s soccer.
- Lettuce Grow stocks indoor produce growing systems at Costco.
- STRONG Pilates adds strength attachment to patented reformers.
- Non-GMO Project introduces UPF warning label. [Re-read: New Rule]
- F45 Training highlights franchise performance, preps FS8 expansion.
- BON CHARGE releases global report highlighting red light therapy’s rise.
- Questex to host Sibec fitness equipment buyer-supplier event in Orlando this May.
- Mental performance app alphabeats tapped tennis star Austin Krajicek as advisor.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Personal training app Future merged with Autograph, a fan loyalty and engagement app co-founded by NFL vet Tom Brady.
Hone Health, telemedicine platform for hormonal health and longevity, secured $33M in a Series A and acquired ivee, an in-home wellness service provider.
Muscle health diagnostics platform Springbok Analytics secured $5M in a Series A round led by Transition Equity Partners, with participation from the NBA and others.
Women’s hormonal health platform Allara Health raised $26M in Series B funding led by Index Ventures.
MSK care platform Sword Health acquired UK-based prehabilitation platform Surgery Hero.
Women’s cardiovascular care platform Systole Health raised $2M in pre-seed funding.
Eleos, an AI-powered behavioral healthcare admin platform, raised $60M in a Series C.
Sunfish, an IVF financing platform, secured $10M in a Series A round.
Fertility insurance provider Gaia raised $14M in a round led by Valar.
Coconut water brand ZICO Rising closed a $9.1M Series B round.
Manas AI, an AI cancer drug development company, landed $24.6M in a seed round co-led by General Catalyst and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Europe 🇪🇺
Neko Health, a Stockholm-born preventative health clinic, raised $260M in a Series B round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
UK-based run coaching app Coopah secured undisclosed funding from dmg ventures.
Kidney Beam, makers of an exercise-led kidney care app, secured £610K ($757) in seed funding.
Italian multinational confectionery company Ferrero Group acquired protein snack maker Power Crunch.
Asia 🌏
Israeli clinical AI platform Aidoc landed undisclosed funding from Amazon Web Services.
MOVE [REPEAT], a Singapore-based boutique fitness collective, acquired a partnership stake in Australian studio chain REVL Training.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
