A smart ecosystem transforming healthcare through exercise.
Foot health is foundational.
Feet First
Prioritizing superficial muscles, exercisers are overlooking the basics, with up to 30% of the general population reporting foot pain — rising to 81% in obese Americans.
Home to hundreds of thousands of sensory receptors, the feet and ankles are composed of 26 bones, 33 joints, and 100+ muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Impatient or ignorant, many skip training this group, creating downstream compensations in the kinetic chain.
Foot-Brain Connection
A red flag, toe weakness is the biggest predictor of falls among aging adults.
Sending signals about the body’s position in space, healthy nerve function in the feet is key to balance, coordination, and reduced injury risk.
But living in closed-toed shoes, Americans rarely feel their feet on the ground — putting them at higher risk of deformities and biomechanical shifts starting from childhood.
Patching chronic problems with orthotics may exacerbate the issue, never addressing a common root cause: poor proprioception.
Tools. Brands like Naboso, Gait Happens, and My Foot Function are on a mission to guide neuromuscular reeducation — offering consultations and online courses alongside foot-focused massage and exercise tools.
Part of its chronic pain prevention kit, Sidekick sells a single-leg balance board and toe spreaders to retrain foot x ankle mobility.
Tech. Tracking gait like a vital sign, Ochy and OneStep flag bad form to prevent falls and guide MSK rehab. An AI orthopedist, Neatsy AI uses smartphone cameras to diagnose common foot conditions plus provide individualized suggestions on inserts.
Teaming with retailers, ARIONHUB and Volumental power in-store analysis to help consumers choose shoes. Athlete-oriented, Plantiga’s smart insoles serve players across major league sports, measuring load and asymmetry to inform data-driven training plans.
Gear. Citing research showing minimal footwear strengthens hard-to-target muscles, barefoot shoe makers Vivobarefoot, Xero Shoes, and Flux Footwear built names on less as more.
Adapting to female anatomy, Wilson debuted the first women’s only tennis shoe, while IDA Sports and Avoli scored ~$2M for soccer cleats and volleyball sneaks, respectively. Proselytized by NIL athletes, girls basketball shoe brand Moolah Kicks’ retail sales jumped 47% from ’23–’24.
A recovery footwear pioneer, OOFOS reduces load on already fatigued muscles. Upping the ante, Hyperice and Nike designed high-tops with a built-in mobile foot massage. Aiming to break injury cycles, Avelo is readying the world’s first smart running shoe.
Punchline: For many Americans, the foot-brain connection is offline. Calling attention, companies are helping retrain and realign from the ground up — supporting a mind-body approach to movement.
🎙 On the Podcast
Fitstop CEO Pete Hull discusses the brand’s results-driven social fitness concept.
With 165 locations across four countries, Fitstop combines functional strength, metabolic conditioning, and social connection in team-based workouts.
We also cover: Fostering genuine community, finding the right franchise partners, and adapting the Aussie-born concept to the American market.
Listen to today’s episode here
🩺 Consumers want proactive health
Out-of-pocket. A Forerunner report examined consumer interest in preventative services and their willingness to pay a premium.
- 67% would pay for early cancer detection.
- 59% are open to covering full-body scans.
- 66% say they’d fund comprehensive bloodwork.
Untapped. The data also reveals a key insight: stated interest underestimates spending intent.
Despite just 14% expressing interest in hormone replacement therapy, 62% would pay out-of-pocket, a 48-point gap signaling untapped potential.
Emergent. As topics like longevity and microplastics go mainstream, consumers are taking health into their own hands, unlocking new opportunities for healthspan-optimizing services.
In Q1’25, funding for preventative diagnostic companies surged, with Neko Health ($260M), Prenuvo ($120M), Nucleus Genomics ($14M), and others cashing in.
Democratizing lab tests, Function’s $499/year membership attracted a 200K-person waitlist. Competing, incumbent Everlywell priced its similar subscription $100 lower, and upstart Mito Health recently raised funds.
Signaling what’s next, MoldCo expanded mold toxicity biomarker testing to 47 states, while Clarify Clinics is advancing “subtractive medicine” through microscopic removal treatment.
Takeaway: When health is at stake, consumers will spend proactively. Companies that understand this shift will capture surging demand for preventative solutions traditional healthcare overlooks.
🏋️ Reimagining the gym
EGYM is bringing intelligence to every fitness floor.
Cutting-edge. EGYM’s Genius AI integrates data across smart machines, apps, and services from 200+ partners to create hyper-personalized training plans for every exerciser.
Adaptable. Adjusting to individual goals, fitness levels, and available equipment, its unique ecosystem meets gym-goers and operators where they are.
Effective. Ushering in a new era of workouts, EGYM’s tech makes trainers more efficient, analog machines smarter, fitness more fun, and members more motivated to come back.
It’s AI for the entire gym. It’s the future of fitness. And it’s available now.
Learn more at EGYM.com.
💪 Myodetox rebrands, plots expansion
The Toronto-born integrated physical therapy clinic—now known as Myo—will enter NYC this summer.
Evolving its brand to support growth, the company is scaling prehab locations across North America and beyond, adding to 20+ locations across five markets.
FutureProof. Merging myofascial release with corrective exercise, Myo’s preventative, holistic approach to PT helps “FutureProof” clients to prevent injury.
Removing the hassles of patchwork care teams, it unites physiotherapists, chiropractors, and massage therapists under one roof, preaching regular tune-ups for maintenance.
Big Apple. Coming to NYC’s Flatiron District, the clinic will add pelvic health therapy, running assessments, and clinical Pilates.
A new hub, Myo is planning five NYC clinics in two years while entering new markets in CA and the Northeast by 2027.
Looking ahead: Aiming to become the “first global brand in physical therapy,” discussions for Hong Kong, the Middle East, and more are underway.
📰 News & Notes
- Personal Health OS takes shape.
- Technogym announces first Pilates reformer.
- FlowHaus debuts multi-sensory wellness club.
- Third Space plans 30K-sq-ft London mega-gym.
- Vuori signs Texas QB Arch Manning to NIL deal.
- 247 by Represent launches women’s performancewear.
- WorldSprings expands with Utah mineral springs resort.
- Tracking the top health and wellness investments of Q1.
- MYndspan opens crowdfunding for brain scanning clinics.
- Jetlag app Flykitt adds AI coach for travel-optimized fitness.
- Mira spotlights women’s hormonal health innovators with inaugural awards.
- ICYMI: Read our report on tackling the $420B MSK crisis through preventative movement health.
- Hiring? We can help. Fitt Talent Partners offers full-service recruiting for health and wellness companies.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Interactive Strength, operator of FORME and CLMBR smart equipment brands, acquired stationary bike maker Wattbike.
Hershey acquired better-for-you snack maker LesserEvil for $750M.
Organic baby formula maker ByHeart raised $72M in funding.
On the Pod: Ron Belldegrun, Co-founder & CEO of ByHeart
Women’s sports media and lifestyle company TOGETHXR secured an undisclosed investment led by co-founder Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures.
Consumer IVF fertility financing platform Future Family secured $400M in financing from Clear Haven Capital Management.
US Soccer landed $25M from investor Michele Kang via Kang’s female athlete training platform Kynisca Innovation Hub (KIH).
Brand proponent and runner Margo Cramer acquired a majority stake in women’s running brand Oiselle.
Life Time acquired two Chicago-area complexes from Five Seasons Sports Club.
Elo Health, a personalized nutrition startup, raised $3.5M in an equity round.
Solace, a platform connecting patients with health advocates, closed a $60M Series B round.
heyLibby, a white-label AI-powered assistant for fitness and recreation operators, raised $4.5M in a seed round.
Functional electrolyte beverage wet hydration closed a $4.5M funding round.
Microbiome company BIOHM closed a $4.52M Series B round.
PlayOn, a fan engagement platform for high school sports, acquired high school sports media company MaxPreps.
Europe 🇪🇺
London-born Little Houses Group, operator of wellness-focused members clubs for families, landed investment from Blackstone.
Asia 🌏
InnerGize, an Indian mental health platform, raised Rs 4.5 crore ($526K) in a round led by Antler.
Indian MSK care platform Stance Health raised $1M in a pre-seed round led by General Catalyst.
Perkant Tech, maker of a connected vitals monitoring device, raised Rs 6.6 crore ($775K) in a seed round.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
