Issue No. 324: Go Long
There is no finish line.
Proving Ground
Like elite athletes, everyday exercisers want to extend their prime.
- 60% prioritize products that promote longevity.
- 73% aspire to live a long, healthy life beyond 100 years old.
- 26% would methodically track all lifestyle habits if it extended their life.
But, conditional to quality of life, 75% of Americans would choose better health now over more years later — creating an opportunity to bridge the gap.
Inner athlete. As cutting-edge sports science reaches the masses, wellness consumers increasingly connect performance metrics—like body composition, HRV, and VO2 max—to healthspan.
Translating cutting-edge protocols into accessible training plans, operators are reframing fitness as a pillar of longevity beyond athletic achievement.
Performance complex. Building performance-driven gyms, Exos trains joes like pros, D1 Training adapts sports conditioning for group classes, and HYROX is scaling fitness racing studios. Full-service, Kollective’s “social performance club” spans workouts, recovery, and co-working.
Sports med. As gyms bolt on diagnostics, high-performance labs engineer outcomes.
Equal parts GP and PT, Monarch Athletic Club is developing five new clubs, Eternal is readying athlete-focused care clinics, and Humanaunt integrates VALD force plates into longevity evals.
Decoding strength, Dr. Andy Galpin-backed Springbok Analytics could make muscular scans an essential tool.
Training camp. No days off, Canyon Ranch and the NBPA partnered on athletic retreats.
Emulating pros, high-end resort Aman enlists Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic for wellness routines, as Italian medspa Palace Merano and luxury hotel SIRO add in-house sports recovery labs.
On brand. Tapping athletes as focus groups, training grounds like PUMA’s NITRO LAB, the TRACK at New Balance, and Nike’s Sports Research Lab distill elite performance into product innovation.
Applying insights, The Swoosh analyzes running form at its Shanghai concept store, while its boutique studios train all-around athleticism.
Day in the life. Linking exercisers and athletes, Tom Brady will help Future users win the inner game. Beta-testing with LeBron, Nike and Hyperice developed wearable recovery tech. Selling his secrets, David Beckham’s IM8 bottles anti-aging supps.
One-upping Strava, Bryan Johnson’s Rejuvenation Olympics and upstart HYBRD gamify optimization.
Takeaway: Reverse engineering pro routines, integrated performance centers ensure members are fit for life — for trainees who will do almost anything to stay in the game.
🎙 On the Podcast
Tonal CEO Darren MacDonald discusses the evolution of connected fitness.
Packing a complete AI-driven home gym into one machine, Tonal is expanding access to safe resistance training — positioning strength as essential to preventative health and longevity.
We also cover: Data-driven resistance training, expanding beyond DTC, and the future of personalized fitness.
Listen to today’s episode here.
🔮 Fitt x Able Forecast Wellness’s Future
As the gap between health spending and outcomes grows, founders and investors can have an outsized impact on the future of wellness.
In collaboration with Able Partners, we’ve identified seven transformative trends shaping the industry in 2025.
Age well. Next-gen longevity solutions develop a personalized GPS for healthy aging.
Take care. Precision cancer platforms revolutionize continuous screening and support.
Gut check. The microbiome emerges as a central control system for overall well-being.
Think fast. Neuroscience quantifies “Daily Brain Scores” as a mainstream health metric.
Muscle up. Muscle mass is embraced and monitored as a key indicator of healthspan.
Mix in. Scientific research and storytelling separate fad from functional nutrition.
Seeing green. Biophilic tech becomes a pillar of preventative health.
Punchline: With consumer interest at an all-time high, the wellness industry is at an inflection point. Explore the full Fitt x Able forecast to see how the landscape is shifting.
💰 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.
💊 Hims & Hers hit regulatory hurdles
Shares of the telehealth company plunged nearly 30% after the FDA removed shortage status on GLP-1 drugs, barring the sale of cheaper, compounded versions.
Weigh in. Hims beat Q4 earnings projections with $481M in revenue (up 95% YoY), but after Q1, it will stop selling compounded semaglutide — which generated $225M in 2024.
Retooling. The company expects new treatments and acquisitions to bolster its bottom line.
- It’s adding generic liraglutide and expanding its oral weight loss medication portfolio.
- Hims acquired Trybe Labs, entering at-home blood testing and personalized treatment plans.
- It purchased a California-based peptide facility to enhance its supply chain and offer new meds.
Long game. Cutting its losses, Hims is expanding into AI-enabled preventative wellness—challenging specialized care providers—by providing testosterone, menopause, and longevity treatments.
Looking ahead: Positioning itself as the “anti-healthcare” system, Hims is investing in vertical integration and owned infrastructure to capitalize on America’s institutional frustrations.
📰 News & Notes
- Consumers embrace “soft wellness.”
- lululemon opens pop-up fitness studio in NYC.
- Padel operators bet on rising US participation.
- Peloton adds kettlebell training to its Strength+ app.
- Ezra lands FDA clearance for faster whole-body MRIs.
- Truemed’s new podcast explores America’s health crisis.
- One Playground plans Sydney “superboutique” expansion.
- Oura partners with healthtech Lumeris on AI-based primary care.
- GymNation’s Riyadh gym notches 5K opening-day member signups.
- Jack Taylor PR agency taps former Equinox exec Judy Turchin as CEO.
- Eden Health Club bridges fitness and medicine with full-stack health center.
- Vi’s State of AI Reports explore trends in life sciences, healthcare, and wellness.
- Move-to-earn platform Receipts partners with Salomon on first monthly challenge.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Energy drink maker CELSIUS acquired Alani Nutrition, maker of wellness and energy drinks.
Tech-enabled maternity clinic Millie secured $12M in a Series A co-led by TMV and Foreground Capital.
Healthy fast-casual restaurant chain Just Salad raised $200M at a $1B valuation.
Riley, a support app for early parenthood, raised $3M in a seed round.
Therapeutic VR platform XRHealth acquired digital therapeutic platform RealizedCare.
Telehealth platform Hims & Hers acquired at-home blood testing company Trybe Labs and an unnamed US-based peptide facility.
Eating disorder treatment platform Equip added undisclosed funding from actress Kerry Washington.
Health and wellness SaaS platform Rhodium acquired precision supplement brand Rootine.
Swell, a mental health and therapy app, raised $1.6M in a funding round.
Sonar Mental Health, a preventative youth mental health platform, raised $2.4M in a pre-seed round led by Nina Capital.
Europe 🇪🇺
France’s Ochy, an AI-powered running gait analysis platform, secured $1.7M in a pre-seed round led by Redstone’s Social Impact Fund.
Germany’s Noah Labs, developer of AI vocal diagnostics for heart failure, secured €11M ($11.5M) in funding.
Lithuania’s Pulsetto, creator of a vagus nerve stim device for mental resilience, raised €2M ($2.09M) from ScaleWolf.
Asia 🌏
Indian clean-label food brand The Whole Truth raised $15M in a Series C round led by Sofina.
Lillia, an AI-powered chronic disease management platform, secured a $1.7M grant.
Latin America 🌏
DUX Company, operator of nutrition brands DUX Human Health and Eat Clean, raised R$250M ($43.6M).
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
