In this Q&A, we chatted with Rootine CEO Rachel Sanders, founder of a new collaborative NFT (non-fungible token) project called Apex Optimizers. Rachel discusses a bridging of the metaverse and physical health ahead of the group’s December 7 public sale, as well as explains how its tokens democratize access to health education and innovation.
Can you tell us about the Apex Optimizers project?
Rachel Sanders: In a world where vices are celebrated, Apex Optimizers is the first collaborative NFT project focused on health and human performance optimization across sleep, nutrition, fitness, mental clarity, and more.
Unlike other NFT projects, owning an Apex Optimizer unlocks real-world benefits like product drops and discounts to top health brands, access to pro athletes and health experts, giveaways, virtual and in-person wellness experiences, and a community of health enthusiasts.
The public sale goes live on December 7. For the most up-to-date information, join the Discord.
How did you come up with the idea?
RS: As the world of web3 and NFTs ballooned in the second half of 2021, we saw an emerging community celebrating vices and fueled by alcohol. There was also this odd dichotomy occurring where health influencers were changing their profile pictures to NFTs depicting unhealthy lifestyles.
We believed that health should be a central part of the conversation in web3, so we dove in.
How did you go from idea to launch?
RS: We saw Rootine members and other people within the health and wellness space entering web3 and NFTs in a big way. IJ, a member of Rootine’s team, came up with the idea for us to explore NFTs given the overlap with our members.
After that first conversation, the project expanded to become a collaboration between top health experts, athletes, and brands, with Rootine’s team spearheading the effort. Everyone involved has helped shape the design, launch, community, and the 30+ perks (and growing) that holders will gain access to.
It has been a challenge working in uncharted territory, but we were driven by a mission to build an inclusive community of data-driven health enthusiasts and to deliver tangible, real-life utilities that help people improve their health.
We’ve collaborated with some of the best in health and human performance to build a community that is already inspiring its members to improve their sleep, stress, nutrition, fitness, mental health, and more.
Can you describe the community and how it will grow?
RS: Community members represent brands like Eight Sleep, Rootine, Hydrant, Span Health, Bioloop, ALOHA, Gwella, OneSkin, and Bristle. Also joining are early team members from Levels, health experts like Louisa Nicola and Dr. Sohaib Imtiaz, professional athletes like Justin Gatlin, as well as a number of high performers and crypto and NFT heavy hitters like Anthony Pompliano and Steve Aoki.
The whitelist pre-sale added hundreds of people to the community, and we continue to see brands, athletes, and health experts reach out to offer perks and help the community scale.
We’re all working together to build an incredible project with the best utility available, so we are excited to see what comes next.
What is the mission and long-term strategy?
RS: Apex Optimizers’ mission is to support health optimization at scale through community [the Precision Health Club], democratizing access to health education and innovation, and by elevating the message around the importance of data-driven health.
This also is why we are donating 8% of profits from the sale to health-focused charities decided on by the community after December 7.
Apex Optimizers is the first project to blend real-world access (RWA) in health with web3. Utility will open 14 days after the public sale, and we’re excited to already have enough benefits to drop new utility every two to three weeks for all of 2022.
The team is working hard to add additional perks almost daily to that drop list and plan to work alongside the community to offer access to the health-focused tools, data, and experiences that they care most about.
What do you think about the future of health in a more digital world?
RS: Interestingly, if you look at the people building the metaverse, a vast majority are the same people who love to compete in athletic feats, biohack their bodies to optimize their productivity, or focus on specific diets.
But regardless of where people spend their time (digital or physical world), they will still want to feel and perform their best on a daily basis. It’s when people start to neglect their health that their productivity decreases, their ability to be their best self at home with their families and partners decreases, and their stress levels, fatigue, and risk for chronic conditions increases.
Personalized data will empower people to reach the health goals they care most about. Consumer health brands who can bridge the digital and physical world through products and services informed by personal data are more poised to win. Eight Sleep and Rootine are leading this effort, and leveraging projects like Apex Optimizers that unlock access to real-world health benefits are just one example of how this can be done.
The communities that emerge from health-focused projects will also play a role in which products and solutions are funded and built — an exciting trend to watch.
