Network-driven recruiting for health & wellness companies.
Americans aren’t happy with health insurance.
Reality Check
Between government crackdowns, falling consumer sentiment, and rising employer costs, health insurers are under pressure — and for good reason.
- Perception of healthcare coverage and quality is at a 24-year low.
- 73% of US adults say the system isn’t meeting their needs.
- 65% feel overwhelmed trying to coordinate care.
Stifling outcomes, Americans owe $220B in medical debt, four in 10 skip care due to costs, and 20% of claims are denied. Despite consumers spending >$30B out of pocket annually on complementary care, many plans still won’t cover it.
A rare unifier, 90% of people want more price transparency and agency, leading 60% of employers to rethink current plan vendors.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete
Ready to disrupt, new players are offering a hard reset with alternative insurance models.
ICHRA. First introduced in 2019, ICHRA adoption jumped 29% from ’23–’24, and 42% of employers are considering switching. Ditching “one-size-fits-all” group plans, ICHRA lets businesses reimburse staff with tax-free dollars to buy their own benefits.
Boosting personalization while capping business costs, ICHRA detaches insurance from employment — but often comes with narrower networks and more navigation friction.
Solving for the latter, ICHRA administrators are on the rise, with Venteur banking a $20M Series A, Thatch closing a $40M Series B, and Remodel Health raising >$100M.
Securing $6M in December, ICHRA platform StretchDollar is partnering with investor and insurance provider Oscar Health to simplify UX across the board.
Face value. AI-enabled vendors are beating incumbents on transparency.
Value-based health plan Arlo breaks down costs and performance, while point solutions like Sword Health, Spring Health, and WellTheory offer outcome-based pricing. Along with upfront costs, Sidecar Health nixes provider networks, letting members see any doctor.
Fighting denials and shady billing practices, concepts like Medbill AI and Sheer Health offer insurance against insurance.
Opt out. Cutting middlemen, Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs wants to eliminate insurance entirely — with the vocal billionaire calling out PBMs’ monopoly after they pocketed >$7B from unethical markups.
On the same page, Scripta raised $42M to help self-insured employers navigate pharmacy costs with AI. Elsewhere, CrowdHealth offers peer-to-peer bill sharing so consumers can quit the system for good.
Punchline: Healthcare has reached a consumer-driven tipping point. With AI powering personalized coverage and corporate greed eroding trust, Americans are ready to choose their own adventure.
🎙 On the Podcast
Lineage Provisions co-founder Dr. Anthony Gustin discusses animal-based nutrition.
Lineage is tackling the broken food system through clean meat products that support sustainable agriculture while providing consumers nutrient-dense snacks.
We also cover: Building a regenerative supply chain, tackling hard problems, and consequences of disconnection from nature.
Listen to today’s episode here
🎪 Consumers want IRL social wellness
An Eventbrite report details the rise of Fourth Spaces, where purpose, health, and belonging intersect in real life.
URL to IRL. For younger generations, digital third spaces like Discord and Reddit have replaced traditional hangouts, sinking in-person socialization. Filling the gap, interest-based IRL meetups like run groups and dinner clubs are now bridging digital and physical worlds.
Participation > performance. 95% of 18- to 35-year-olds want to explore online interests offline. Seeking authentic connection, 73% plan to attend an event soon, and 84% say they’ve made a close friend through these spaces.
Communal wellness. Prioritizing health, cold plunges, hikes, and alcohol-free hangouts are in. Fitness event attendance is up 146%, running by 130%, and sober events by 92%.
Takeaway: Third places offered convenience. Fourth spaces offer intention. In the new era of wellness, the best brands won’t just sell products — they’ll spark connection.
🚀 Hire Smarter, Grow Faster
Fitt Talent Partners streamlines hiring for health and wellness companies.
Integrated with Fitt Insider, our full-service recruiting firm leverages personal relationships, network effects, and industry expertise to form dream teams.
✅ Access top talent
✅ Scale fast with confidence
✅ Strengthen culture and performance
With direct access to world-class operators and built-in distribution through our media platform, we already know the best person for your open job.
Whether you’re a startup or enterprise org, we specialize in connecting companies with mission-aligned high-performers.
Ready to find your next hire? Get started today.
💪 Strength training surges among women
Once dominated by men, Crunch Fitness CEO Jim Rowley told Bloomberg women now account for 50%+ of lifting platform usage.
Meanwhile, Planet Fitness is removing >40% of cardio machines across 1.7K locations to meet growing demand for weights and functional training.
New flex. Between 2011 and 2021, women’s use of free weights increased by 150%, while resistance machine use jumped 558%, per Harrison Co. On Strava, strength training uploads climbed 25% in 2024, making it the fastest-growing sport among women.
Longevity lift. More than aesthetics, resistance training is essential for aging well, boosting bone density, preserving muscle, and improving metabolic health. A call to arms, experts like Dr. Stacy Sims and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon are pushing strength as a cornerstone of women’s healthspan.
Stronger together. Still, 73% of US women—and 83% of women 65+—don’t meet CDC strength guidelines, creating a major opportunity for services, coaching, and products tailored to female lifters.
Looking ahead: Strength is the new cardio, and women are leading the charge — transforming gyms, supplements, and the future of healthy aging.
📰 News & Notes
- Red Bull unveils €200M venture fund.
- SoulCycle plots apparel-only retail stores.
- Big pharma readies daily weight loss pills.
- Nike debuts first-ever Strength Studio in ATX.
- Equinox adds rucking-inspired treadmill class.
- Sweetgreen x Cadence launch NYC run series.
- InsideTracker rolls out personalized AI health coach.
- Green Bay Packers open luxe fitness and wellness club.
- Alo Moves taps Flex for HSA/FSA-eligible fitness subscriptions.
- Longevity cos Fountain Life, Humanaut Health expand in Florida.
- Exec Q&A: Crunch Fitness COO Molly Long on next-gen club design.
- Nike vet Bert Hoyt joins dBio to scale performance health monitoring.
- Eudēmonia announces Huberman, Hyman among summit headliners.
- Join the team: We’re hiring health- & wellness-obsessed creatives to scale Fitt Insider’s social content.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Digital dietitian platform Nourish raised $70M in a Series B round led by J.P. Morgan Growth Equity Partners.
GORGIE, a better-for-you energy drink, raised $24.5M in a Series A round led by Notable Capital.
Meat snack brand Chomps secured a $100M credit facility from Wells Fargo.
Khloud Protein Popcorn, a snack brand co-founded by Khloé Kardashian, secured $12M from K5 Global, Serena Ventures, and others.
IVF automation startup Overture Life added $20.6M in funding.
ColdVentures, makers of a cooling vest for heat stress, closed a seed round.
Flings, maker of keto-friendly toaster pastries, raised $2.3M in a seed round.
Organic supplement maker Truvani secured funding in a round led by RX3 Growth Partners.
Quite Nice, maker of prebiotic- and protein-fortified oatmeal, raised $1M in a round led by Sweet Spot Capital.
TadHealth, a mental health platform for schools, secured $5.5M in a Series A round.
Virtual primary care platform LifeMD acquired digital women’s healthcare provider Optimal Human Health MD.
Europe 🇪🇺
UK-based sports nutrition brand Puresport landed £3.6M ($4.8M) in a round led by Redrice Ventures and Five Seasons Ventures.
Spanish club operator VivaGym acquired Attitude Fitness, a Madrid-area gym facility.
Germany’s Mrs.Sporty, a women’s fitness franchise with 140+ locations, merged with Denmark’s Motosumo, a group fitness technology platform.
French beauty retailer Oh My Cream acquired Atelier Nubio, maker of nutritional supplements and collagen broth.
Fertility tech company Ovo Labs raised £4M ($5.3M) in a seed round led by LocalGlobe and Creator Fund.
Asia 🌏
Japan-born Craif, an early detection diagnostic for cancer, landed ¥3.2B ($22M) in a Series C.
Australia 🇦🇺 / New Zealand 🇳🇿
Australian AI workplace well-being platform MOOD.ai raised an undisclosed pre-seed round.
Telehealth provider Hola Health landed A$10M ($6.4M) in Series A round led by Healthylife, a subsidiary of Aussie retailer Woolworths Group.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
