Personalized workouts powered by AI.
The modern village is membership-based.
Family Matters
Across political parties and sexes, most Americans now say an enjoyable job and close friends are more vital to fulfillment than marriage and kids.
Interestingly, 73% still consider family time one of life’s most important priorities, but parenthood is often portrayed as martyrdom—a role that requires giving up hopes, dreams, and hobbies—making it hard to reconcile with modern self-care culture.
Pooling resources, family social clubs want to prove people can have it all, for a price.
Join the Club
Seeing convenience as the invisible hand, a new kind of third space is emerging — one that mixes work, play, and wellness in healthy habit-shaping family hubs.
Home improvement. Packing features like a jungle gym, co-working space, cinema room, fitness studio, and cafe, Blackstone-backed Little Houses Group is expanding across London.
Founded by fathers, Brooklyn-based The Beginning combines refined aesthetics with a kids-encouraged ethos, promising intergenerational socialization in a modern country club.
By parents for parents, Cocoon’s NYC space emphasizes joy and learning with a creative playground, full-stack nurseries, and in-house classes spanning sports, music, art, and robotics.
Childcare rooted in community, Birdhouse exposes kids to holistic health concepts, cultivates play as a superpower, and serves organic lunches.
Central perks. Another route, concepts are designing family into familiar concepts.
An answer to McDonald’s PlayPlaces, cafes like NYC’s House of Wonder and the Bay Area’s Fox & Kit serve Insta-worthy lattes to parents while kids frolic.
Forging gym-based friendships to reduce attrition, Life Time, Bay Club, and UK-based David Lloyd Clubs go beyond babysitting by offering kids classes and events.
Easing travel stress, the Four Seasons Punta Mita’s “Babies For All Seasons” program is newborn-friendly, with farm-fresh baby purées plus infant yoga and reflexology.
Punchline: Family-focused concepts are a budding niche. A new riff on old-school social clubs, membership is less about status signaling and more about finding familial support — through intentional design, curated convenience, and modern community.
🎙 On the Podcast
Caldera + Lab founder & CEO Jared Pobre discusses scaling premium men’s skincare.
Launched in 2019, Caldera + Lab is revamping men’s medicine cabinets with proprietary personal care formulas engineered for male biology.
We also cover: Reaching longevity-minded male consumers, pushing R&D over repurposed formulas, distribution strategies, and hospitality partnerships.
Listen to today’s episode here
🧠 Brain health is longevity’s next frontier
Cognitive decline is accelerating — Alzheimer’s cases will double in the US and triple worldwide by 2050, with deaths already up 140% since 2000.
Lifestyle meds. With 45% of dementia cases tied to lifestyle, prevention is key. The Mediterranean diet, deep sleep, and just 25 mins of vigorous exercise per week have been shown to cut risk.
Early warning. Quest’s new Alzheimer’s blood test improves access to early detection, while MYndspan, Cumulus Neuroscience, and Prenuvo are pioneering noninvasive brain scans. Next up, always-on wearables will deliver real-time brain health scores.
Biotech bets. From Retro Biosciences’ disease reversal pill to Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide trial and low-dose lithium research, pharma is chasing cognitive longevity.
Punchline: As lifestyle, diagnostics, and therapeutics converge, brain health is becoming the new marker of longevity.
🔮 Making Exercise the First Line of Defense
The fitness industry has a data problem. EGYM has the solution.
With BioAge making raw metrics more actionable, and Genius creating adaptive, AI-powered training plans, EGYM unites assessment, programming, and progress in one intelligent workflow.
For trainers. AI handles the heavy lifting so they can provide personalized guidance and build meaningful relationships.
For members. Clear performance insights and adaptive plans boost motivation, progress, and results.
For operators. A scalable ecosystem improves retention, reduces overhead, and puts your club at the forefront of preventative health.
From smart equipment to corporate wellness, EGYM is forging the future of fitness. Learn more at EGYM.com.
🏋️♀️ Women’s health hits the gym
Equinox just launched EQX ARC, integrating hormone diagnostics, strength training, and wearable data to support women through every life stage.
Gym-as-clinic. Adding advisors and specialized credentials, Equinox is expanding its health ecosystem with GLP-1 support and a Function Health-powered longevity tier — turning the gym into a proactive care hub.
Strength shift. As more women lift, track, and train with longevity in mind, participation is surging — free-weight use is up 150% in the past decade, while strength uploads on Strava rose 25% last year.
Leaning in. From Pvolve’s menopause program to Tonal’s mindful resistance training, fitness brands are reorienting around female physiology — closing the gender gap in performance science.
Looking ahead: Strength is becoming the frontline of proactive care, and gyms embracing the integrated model will set a new standard in women’s performance and longevity.
📰 News & Notes
- Hims enters GLP-1 microdosing.
- Nike, LEGO unveil reimagined playground.
- SoulCycle debuts strength x cycling class.
- Midi adds testosterone treatment for women.
- Aviron launches enhanced gamified treadmill.
- Shiftwave upgrades recovery x resilience tech.
- EGYM opens Denver HQ to power US expansion.
- US obesity rate declines alongside GLP-1 adoption.
- Cigna, Oura offer smart ring-based employee wellness.
- Fitt Insider, Eudēmonia sell out inaugural Health Innovation Lab.
- Joi + Blokes, Spartan conduct diagnostics-led performance study.
- Join the team! We’re hiring a hybrid creator-strategist to turn Fitt Insider’s content into a growth engine.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
AI health coach Bevel raised $10M in a seed round led by General Catalyst.
Functional beverage maker Recess added $30M in a Series B led by CAVU Consumer Partners.
Prenetics, maker of IM8 longevity supplements, secured $48M in a public offering.
HVLP operator EōS Fitness acquired 23 Gold’s Gym locations in Southern California.
Curve Bioscience, a tissue-level diagnostics platform for chronic disease monitoring, raised $40M in a round led by Luma Group.
Fruitist, a berry company promoting healthy snacking, closed a $150M round led by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Coherence Neuro, maker of a brain-control interface (BCI) device for cancer treatment, raised $10M in a seed round.
Indomo, a telehealth platform treating inflammatory acne, raised $25M from Atomic, Foresite Capital, and Polaris Partners.
Biotech hair care brand Goddess Maintenance Co. secured a “multi-million-dollar” investment from IRIS Ventures.
Cob, a gut-friendly, sorghum-based popcorn alternative, secured $5M in seed funding led by Novak Djokovic.
Employee wellness platform Wellable acquired Bright Breaks, a workplace well-being platform promoting physical activity breaks.
The EVERY Company, maker of precision fermented functional proteins, closed a $55M Series D round.
Premium health club operator Bay Club acquired Arena Sports, a Seattle-area sports facility operator.
Canadian probiotic soda maker Cove Soda closed a $15M Series A.
Europe 🇪🇺
UK-based digital health platform Stride acquired oral health diagnostics platform floe.
CityLegends, a Dutch gamified social platform for street sports, added €1.7M ($1.98M) in funding.
German five-per-side soccer league The Icon League raised a €15M Series A led by HV Capital.
Polish digital obesity clinic Holi landed €3M ($3.45M) in a seed round.
Asia 🌏
Indian fertility clinic operator Pluro Fertility and IVF raised Rs 125 crore ($14M) in a Series A.
Australia 🇦🇺 / New Zealand 🇳🇿
Australia’s Human Health, a copilot for managing chronic conditions, raised A$8.5M ($5.6M) in a seed round.
Tala Thrive, Aussie provider of culturally competent mental health services, secured A$500K ($327K) in a pre-seed round.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
