A smart ecosystem transforming healthcare through exercise.
Technology is taking us back to nature.
Inside Out
Coined by biologist Edward O. Wilson in 1984, the biophilia hypothesis asserts humans innately crave nature.
But spending ~90% of time inside, Americans are missing the benefits of sun and sea. Worse, paint, mold, cleaning products, building materials, and cooking fuels make indoor spaces 2–5x more polluted.
Cutting contaminants to boost well-being, biophilic design is a budding sector of the $438B wellness real estate market.
Simulation Theory
A stress reducer, time in nature is shown to help regulate blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol, mood, and more. Still nascent, research suggests biophilic design has similar effects.
- A widely cited 1984 study showed patients with a window view recover faster.
- The intensity and temperature of lighting is shown to impact workplace wellness.
- Indoor plants appear to improve stress response, performance, and productivity.
While the scientific basis for these phenomena is debated, the subjective consensus is clear — biophilic spaces make people feel good.
Rethinking built environments, companies are designing interiors to mimic the natural world.
Fire. Heeding Huberman’s advice, consumers are prioritizing light exposure for sleep-wake cycles, leading SunSeek to launch a tracking app.
Selling the next best thing to sun, Sunday Light and Innerscene engineer circadian lighting to match the Earth’s rhythms and reduce risk of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in dark months.
Water. Core to life, just viewing water for two minutes brings mental health benefits.
Making waves, Bluworld constructs custom residential and commercial water walls. Harnessing natural minerals, Nordsprings’ wooden tubs recreate hot springs at home.
Air. Floating toxins, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted by everyday objects. In excess, harmful effects include irritated senses, cancer, and nervous system damage.
Clearing the air, Molekule’s purifiers destroy pollutants like bacteria, viruses, and allergens. Another approach, Adsorbi’s cellulose-based air freshener curbs odor while upping air quality.
Earth. Aesthetic and functional, Neoplants supercharges houseplants’ natural air purification qualities with “Power Drops.” Elsewhere, Biome builds living walls.
Upping the ante, OXMAN’s portfolio spans product, architectural, and molecular design — synergizing biology and technology for healthier people and planet.
TBD. The next level, AI-powered tools could continuously monitor ambient wellness settings.
Linking with biometric-tracking wearables, smart “living systems” could automatically adapt to inhabitants’ changes in markers like HRV, hormones, and brain waves to balance the body.
Connecting insights across its smart ring, home health monitor, and blood tests, Ultrahuman is trending in this direction.
Looking ahead: As vector-borne disease risk and toxin concerns intensify, smart ambient systems will transform static spaces into dynamic environmental shields.
🎙 On the Podcast
Eli Health co-founder and CEO Marina Pavlovic Rivas discusses real-time hormone testing.
Tracking hormones like heart rate, Eli Health enables consumers to measure real-time levels from home through its instant saliva-based test and mobile app.
We also cover: The future of personalized health, creating a consumer-friendly testing device, and building a partner ecosystem around real-time hormone data.
Listen to today’s episode here
💸 PepsiCo acquires poppi
The CPG giant paid nearly $2B for the prebiotic soda brand.
Poppin’ off. Riding the gut health craze, poppi topped $500M in 2024 revenue, with retail sales up 122% through February.
As wellness consumers ditch sugary sodas in favor of functional drinks, PepsiCo is doubling down on better-for-you alternatives.
- It bought a $550M stake in Celsius energy drinks in 2022.
- It acquired grain-free snack brand Siete Foods for $1.2B.
- It paid $244M to acquire hummus and dips company Sabra.
Meanwhile, Keurig Dr Pepper is diversifying its beverage portfolio, taking stakes in GHOST, Nutrabolt, Athletic Brewing, and La Colombe.
Soda wars. Despite debatable benefits, functional soda is a gold mine, with OLIPOP valued at $1.85B and brands from Health-Ade to Coca-Cola launching copycats.
Punchline: As concerns over sugar and UPFs grow, and junk food regulations loom, healthier options will attract consumers and conglomerates alike.
🔮 Shaping industry change
EGYM has a clear vision for the future of health and fitness.
With connected fitness equipment, AI-powered gym software, and comprehensive corporate wellness offerings — it’s leading the shift toward proactive, preventative health for everyone.
For corporations. Partnering with companies worldwide, EGYM Wellpass improves employee health by expanding access to premier fitness and health facilities.
For gyms. Upgrading fitness floors, EGYM equips operators with smart equipment and AI tools to create hyper-personalized training plans for every exerciser.
All together, its ecosystem is transforming healthcare through exercise.
Learn more about its intelligent solutions at EGYM.com.
💪 CrossFit seeks new ownership
The fitness company is on the market again, amid declining gym affiliations and rising competition.
Crossroads. At its peak, CrossFit counted 14K affiliated gyms worldwide, but recent controversies have created instability.
- Its affiliate network declined to ~10K gyms, with 1.4K+ canceling after a competitor’s drowning death at the 2024 CrossFit Games.
- Registration for the CrossFit Open is down 30% this year to 234K participants.
- Berkshire Partners, which acquired CrossFit in 2020, raised annual affiliation fees from $3,000 to $4,500 in 2024.
Contenders. As CrossFit struggles, HYROX is scaling fitness races as it adds purpose-built training centers. Elsewhere, run groups, social clubs, and sauna studios are ushering in the next generation of fitness consumers with a “soft wellness” ethos.
Looking ahead: CrossFit’s next owner will need to balance the brand’s intense identity with evolving consumer preferences.
📰 News & Notes
- Lifting for longevity redefines strength training.
- F45 Training debuts “holistic wellness” parent co.
- Remedy Place preps Boston social wellness club.
- WHOOP, [solidcore] quantify reformer-based workouts.
- Muse elevates cognitive fitness with new wearable Athena.
- Ergatta brings gamified cardio, virtual racing to iFIT machines.
- GymNation hires former Gymbox director Rory McEntee as CMO.
- David Beckham’s IM8 adds acclaimed clinicians to its advisory board.
- Exec Q&A: Fitstop’s Andrew Papadopoulos on social strength training.
- Centr adds HYROX, strength, and mobility programs, plus app upgrades.
- Fitt Talent is recruiting for several CEO and leadership roles at top health and wellness companies.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
PepsiCo acquired prebiotic soda maker poppi for $1.95B.
Longevity diagnostics company Mito Health added $2.2M to its seed round.
Sett, maker of a productivity-focused nicotine pouch alternative, raised $3.8M in a pre-seed round led by JAZZ Venture Partners.
Vibrant, a practice management platform for functional medicine, landed $1.7M in a pre-seed round.
Women’s 3v3 basketball league Unrivaled added an undisclosed investment from NBA player Stephen Curry.
Investment firm Monarch Collective raised $250M for its women’s sports fund.
Grove Collaborative Holdings, purveyor of health-focused products, acquired greens supplement maker 8Greens.
Health and nutrition company Herbalife acquired wellness app Pro2col, keto supplement maker Pruvit, and a majority stake in metabolic health company Link BioSciences.
Canadian men’s health clinic Phoenix raised CA$50M ($34.7M) in a Series A round.
Dirtbag Bar, maker of organic whole-food energy bars, secured $250K in funding.
April Health, a platform integrating virtual behavioral health with primary care, merged with mental health chatbot maker Wysa.
Europe 🇪🇺
Vantis, a German preventative health platform, secured €10M ($10.9M) in Series A led by Angelini Ventures.
German gym operator LifeFit Group acquired FIT/One, operator of 33 fitness clubs in Germany and 12 in Austria.
Spain’s flowww, a business management platform for beauty and wellness operators, raised €4M ($4.3M).
Lithuanian walking app walk15 added undisclosed funding at a €30M valuation.
Personalized supplement maker bioniq landed €1M ($1.04M) from Portuguese footballer Diogo Dalot.
French smart ring maker Circular raised over $1M in crowdfunding.
Zenniz, a Finnish developer of tennis court technology, closed €2M ($2.18M) to expand in the US and EU.
Asia 🌏
brain.space, a neurotech company creating a brain-data-as-a-service platform, added $11M in a Series A led by Toyota Ventures.
Sexual health platform Allo Health secured Rs 16 Cr ($1.8M) in a pre-Series A round led by Rainmatter.
UAE-based longevity clinic operator Longevity Wellness Hub landed $4M in funding.
Australia 🇦🇺 / New Zealand 🇳🇿
Australia’s Entyce Food Ingredients acquired Naked Rivals, maker of frozen fruit and vegetable juice products.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
