Consumer-led care is shocking the system.

Exposed

As perception of US healthcare quality drops and ACA premiums double, satisfaction has hit record lows and insurance enrollment is declining. Losing trust, 69% of citizens believe hospitals care more about making money than serving patients.

Opting out of insurance, more people are patchworking care via DTC platforms, gray-market prescriptions, medical tourism, and concierge longevity clinics.

Wartime

Opportunistic or altruistic, consumer-facing providers are going rogue, sparking an all-out war for ownership of the next-gen customer funnel.

Hims vs. FDA. Undercutting Novo Nordisk's $150 oral Wegovy, Hims announced a $49/mo. compounded—and unproven—GLP-1 pill last week. A line crossed, the FDA stepped in and Novo filed suit. Hims retracted the product but called the response an assault on consumer access.

FDA vs. Novo. Catching its own regulatory flak, the drugmaker received an FDA warning for ads falsely insinuating its pill's benefits extend to emotional and psychological relief.

Function vs. Superpower. Challenging its primary competitor, Function Health filed a false advertising suit against Superpower, alleging its lab testing capabilities are embellished.

TrumpRx vs. PBMs. Blaming Big Pharma for drug price-gouging, the government's new cost comparison site aggregates negotiated purchase options for cash-pay customers.

OpenAI vs. Anthropic. With AI reshaping the industry, both tech companies recently debuted healthcare products. Battling for brand trust, Anthropic's Super Bowl spot trolled OpenAI for integrating ads, eliciting a response from Sam Altman.

Workarounds. Removing insurance friction, Lotus Health AI just raised $35M to offer free primary care by employing a sponsorship-based revenue model. Meanwhile, Solace Health scored $130M for advocacy-as-a-service, highlighting the rising value of coordination.

Looking ahead: DIY care must prove it's as credible as convenient. AI, telehealth, and consumer platforms are accelerating access, personalization, and price transparency — but without shared accountability, the new system risks repeating old patterns.

Noom CEO Geoff Cook discusses the company's evolution from behavior change app to clinical health platform.

Combining personalized coaching with medications like GLP-1s, Noom helps users forge better habits and achieve long-term health outcomes.

We also cover: the rise of GLP-1 microdosing, using medication to catalyze behavior change, and building the "Duolingo of Health."

Gummies, drinks, and topicals are reshaping daily health routines, per Spate.

Ingestibles. Performance-driven supplement formats are surging, with clear protein projected to grow ~55% and creatine gummies ~42%. The pursuit of longevity is accelerating interest in NAD+ and magnesium gummies, each tracking toward ~35% growth.

Feastables. Food and beverage are becoming delivery systems for health. While protein, collagen, and caffeine remain staples, THC drinks are growing nearly 60% and immunity shots jumped ~35%, highlighting demand for fast-acting, functional formats.

Topicals. Beauty is co-opting the wellness playbook. Skin, body, and hair products now incorporate magnesium, curcumin, turmeric, and NAD+, meeting expectations for hydration, brightening, and scalp health alongside traditional cosmetic benefits.

Takeaway: Some trends will fade, but multi-functional, low-effort formats will win as consumers optimize rituals without adding complexity.

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Book a demo to see how Flex turns health dollars into durable, predictable revenue.

A new Harvard study shows exercise variety predicts lifespan better than any single modality.

Sweet spot. Analyzing 30 years of data from 100K+ Americans, researchers found health benefits across nearly all activities plateau after roughly five to 10 hours per week. Favoring consistency over excess, volume alone didn't reduce risk.

In the mix. Individuals who participated in multiple modalities saw 19% lower all-cause mortality, plus 13–41% fewer deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease and cancer, outperforming less- diverse training styles.

All-around. From strength and Pilates to fitness racing and run clubs, new fitness motivations are spawning hybrid athletes as more people seek routines that push boundaries and respect limits.

Not to be overlooked, everyday movement—like walking and gardening—reinforces structured training by adding low-impact volume and supporting long-term adherence.

Punchline: Staying fit requires repetition. But being well requires flexibility, avoiding single-track lock-ins, moving in new ways, and training the body for an unpredictable life ahead.

• Oura pursues AR smart glasses.
• Apple rethinks AI health strategy.
• Migraine tech targets brain health.
• Carbon Health files for bankruptcy.
• Muse adds EEG-guided deep sleep feature.
• WHOOP wins preliminary injunction over Lexqi.
• Good Salt debuts mode-based hydration products.
• Technogym equips Milano Cortina Olympic Games.
• Weight Watchers adds Pvolve training to care plans.
• HotelGyms.com launches gym review browser extension.
• Ulta taps pro athletes for beauty x women's sports initiative.
• PUMA creates dedicated Training unit in performance push.
• ASENSEI powers Kinaxa movement health software for PT clinics.
• Calling all builders: We're partnering with and acquiring creators, operators, and emerging brands shaping health and wellness. Learn more here.

US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦

CAVU Consumer Partners closed a $325M fund to support better-for-you consumer brands.

Solace Health, a healthcare navigation platform matching patients with dedicated advocates, raised a $130M Series C led by IVP.

Once Upon A Farm, an organic children's food company founded by actress Jennifer Garner, raised $198M in an IPO.

SculptHouse, a boutique concept combining Megaformer and treadmill, secured investment from growth equity firm Founders Row.

Functional energy brand Proper Wild raised $10M in funding.

Cottage cheese maker Good Culture added $55M from SEMCAP Food & Nutrition.

Asset management firm Apollo acquired a minority stake in The GoodLife Group, operator of 400 Canadian health clubs, for CA$2B ($1.5B).

Canadian supplement maker Fit Foods secured undisclosed investment from Westcap.

Somethings, a peer-to-peer youth mental health platform, raised $19.2M in a Series A.

Europe 🇪🇺

Cambiotics, a Danish biotech firm removing PFAS from the body, closed a ~€4M seed round led by Collaborative Fund.

Spain-born thermal wellness destination AIRE Ancient Baths secured a minority equity investment from Khemia.

Austrian sports equipment manufacturer HEAD acquired UK-based cycling brand Le Col.

Belgian AI running analysis platform Runeasi raised €1M ($1.2M) in a round led by Smarter Ventures.

Asia 🌏

Turkish global food company ETi Gıda acquired protein bar maker TRUBAR for $173M.

HK-based smart reformer maker Pavo Fitness secured $650K in crowdfunding.

Indian protein bar maker The Whole Truth secured $51M in a Series D round.

Today's newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, Jasmina Breen, Emily Burns, and Sam Sette.