Network-driven recruiting for health & wellness companies.
Phase one of healthcare automation is underway.
Unburdened
Administrative AI is driving healthtech investment, with provider ops solutions snatching 44% of funding and ~46% of hospitals/health systems now using AI for revenue management.
While not a replacement for human providers, AI ops allows doctors to hand off tedious-yet-fatiguing tasks, freeing time for patient-centered care.
Operation AI
In our Healthcare x AI report, we outlined how machine learning can supercharge care when deployed with responsible guardrails.
But with capital outpacing evidence—and FDA expediting approvals of under-tested tech—many physicians still view direct clinical uses (i.e., digital twins and decision-making) as too risky.
In the meantime, lower-stakes operational assistance is being embraced, and the healthcare sector is adopting AI 2.2x faster than the broader US economy.
Machine mode. Boasting dietitian platform Nourish as a case study, Candid Health eliminates manual billing at scale. Preventing wrongful delays, Taxo’s admin app for docs boosts prior authorization approval rates to 98%, and Ember reduces denials by >57%.
Coordinating with pharmacies, Tandem streamlines prescription paperwork to get patients meds sooner. Specializing, Vibrant Practice’s platform powers independent functional/longevity providers, while Arya Health has raised $25M for post-acute care.
Bundling an ambient assistant, EHR, AI-powered RCM, and robo-agents, Athelas’ private practice-focused operating system is backed by General Catalyst, Sequoia, and YC. Another full-stack General Catalyst port co, Commure raised $200M for its enterprise OS in August.
Rounding out stacks, Layer Health closed a $21M Series A for chart review software in March, while competitor Charta Health added $22M in July.
Next steps. As tech gains trust, robots will become an expected front door and assistant, with health systems like Northwell and Cedars-Sinai already using K Health’s platform for AI intake.
Securing $25M, Counsel Health’s chatbot taps patient records and clinical guidelines to triage — boasting a 96% resolution rate, two-minute response times, and $381/yr. savings per user.
Valued at $6B, ad-supported OpenEvidence carved a data moat by making itself free to medical professionals. Trained on peer-reviewed journals, it’s billed as the “ChatGPT of medicine.”
Monopolizing, Nvidia secured deals with Eli Lilly, J&J MedTech, Innovaccer, Verily, and more.
Proof Points
Early pilots are proving potential, with The Permanente Medical Group’s ambient scribe rollout saving >15K hours (1,794 working days) in one year.
Tracking 1,400+ physicians over 84 days, Mass Gen found burnout dropped from 52.6% to 30.7%, with clinicians reporting improved job satisfaction and joy.
Led by Nuance, Abridge, and Ambience, scribes alone generated $600M this year. Together, AI-powered ops automation and Socratic decision-making support can enable Medicine 3.0.
Punchline: Facing labor shortages, healthcare is tapping AI for housekeeping. Clearing desks, new tools create a path for doctors to double-click on socioemotional aspects of health.
🎙 On the Podcast
While On Earth co-founder & CEO Todd Meleney talks building an underdog brand.
An athletic footwear and apparel brand for the modern wellness consumer, While On Earth prioritizes versatile “performance wellness” over single-sport specialization.
We also cover: Defining the “performance wellness” category, building vs. buying brand awareness, and Christian McCaffrey’s role as co-founder.
Listen to today’s episode here
📈 Wellness spending hits $6.8T
Up 35% since 2019, the global wellness economy is accelerating toward $9.8T as prevention and longevity go mainstream.
Real estate & mental health. Wellness real estate is growing nearly 20% annually, and mental wellness is up 12%, per GWI’s latest estimate. From healthier homes to stress-reducing therapeutics, spaces and services that support everyday resilience are in demand.
Travel & experiences. Wellness tourism, spas, and thermal springs continue double-digit gains. Now spanning longevity retreats, women’s health programs, and fitness-first travel, vacations are becoming extensions of preventative care.
Beauty x lifestyle. Inside-out well-being is accelerating as beauty, nutrition, and physical activity expand. Complementary medicine, blending Eastern practices with modern biohacking, is set to become the second-fastest-growing category through 2030.
New culture. With GLP-1s reshaping obesity care and chronic disease rising, wellness is becoming a frontline alternative to sickcare. From metabolic health to food-as-medicine, consumers are investing in proactive, longevity-driven routines.
Looking ahead: A $10T wellness economy will redefine how people live, eat, move, age, and connect. Brands that blend science, community, and everyday utility will shape the next decade.
🤝 We Already Know Your Next Hire
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 identify exceptional candidates, fast.
✅ Access top talent
✅ Scale 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.
🧬 Gyms become longevity hubs
Equinox is evolving beyond fitness, with CEO Harvey Spevak telling Vogue, “people will pay anything for longevity.”
New standard. A pillar of performance, new clubs integrate contrast therapy, IV drips, and hyperbaric chambers with strength and cardio. Pushing personalization, its $40K-per-year Optimize membership, diagnostics-led women’s program ARC, and GLP-1 strength protocols signal the future of data-led training.
Futureproof. As fitness and pharma converge, new models are emerging. Monarch Athletic Clubs is scaling medically driven gyms, while telehealth platform Eden opened its own health club. Layering longevity, Life Time’s MIORA clinic and Next Health’s hub in Royal Personal Training blends training, recovery, and rejuvenation.
Battle lines. With 100+ clubs open and 40 in development, Equinox is uniting hotels, sleep, spa, and fitness. Meanwhile, hospitality brands, longevity resorts, and medspas are targeting the category from all angles.
Takeaway: Beyond locations or amenities, more operators will adopt the gym-as-clinic playbook in a race to own the member’s healthspan journey.
📰 News & Notes
- Soho House reorients around wellness.
- Joi + Blokes introduces 1:1 lab consults.
- The Athletic Clubs scales social fitness in NYC.
- WISEcode opens $200K challenge to define UPFs.
- Outro Health, Erewhon explore Rx-free mental health.
- Withings, Fay partner on personalized nutrition consults.
- Compression tech brand Suji enlists golf pro Justin Rose.
- Oura targets Samsung, Reebok, and others in smart ring suit.
- WellTheory, Instacart tap food as medicine for autoimmunes.
- Ex-Peloton trainer Kendall Toole launches holistic fitness app.
- Sword Health, Greece debut AI triage for the nation’s first point of care.
- Announcing the Fitt Insider 2026 Scouting Report — the definitive index of early-stage, industry-shaping startups. Submit or nominate a company here.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Preventative health platform Function raised a $298M Series B led by Redpoint Ventures, reaching a $2.5B valuation.
Perelel, maker of women’s life stage-targeted supplements, raised $27M in a round led by Prelude Growth Partners.
SynchNeuro, maker of an EEG wearable for blood sugar monitoring, raised $3M in a seed round led by Boomerang Ventures.
Chef-driven healthy ready meals maker CookUnity added $250M from General Catalyst.
Better-for-you beverage maker Suja Life confidentially filed to IPO.
Manta Cares, a cancer care navigation platform, launched with $5.4M in seed funding.
Functional nonalcoholic spirits maker Aplós secured $5M in funding.
Canada’s Huha, manufacturer of antimicrobial women’s underwear, raised $20M in a round led by District Ventures.
Competitive dance series International Dance League raised $7M in a seed round led by Elysian Park Ventures.
Europe 🇪🇺
Norwegian performance analytics company SportAI added $3M in funding.
London-based independent bike maker Quirk Cycles landed funding led by Rapha founder Simon Mottram.
Scottish beverage company AG Barr acquired nonalcoholic spirits maker Styrkk.
Belgian digital health platform Vision Healthcare acquired European supplements brands New Care and Svenskt Kosttillskott in separate deals.
Asia 🌏
Indian health optimization company Ultrahuman secured Rs 100 crore ($11.3M) in funding to enter new countries.
Japan’s Mori Trust acquired Equinox properties at NYC’s Hudson Yards—including hotel, gym, and corporate HQ—from Related Cos. and Oxford Properties Group.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.
