Fitt Insider

July 16, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Eli Lilly makes equity investment in Oura, deepening ties as 100,000+ members log GLP-1 use and wearables become the engagement layer between visits
• Neko Health closes $700M round ahead of US launch, betting vertically integrated scans can move healthcare upstream with 75% of members prepaying
• PwC report finds over half of consumers prioritize a longer healthy life and 80% use a wellness app, as health becomes embedded in daily routines

Today's episode is brought to you by AIIR — a modern communications and experiential agency for health, wellness, fitness, and performance brands. From earned media to events and creator-led campaigns, AIIR helps companies sharpen their story, earn attention, and build trust that compounds. Visit https://aiir.agency to learn more.

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

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Reach out → [email protected]

July 15, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• AMA survey finds 86% of physicians review consumer wearable data, but only 6% say it's integrated into clinical workflows or health records
• Eternal winds down after failing to secure funding, a reminder that comprehensive preventative care is operationally complex and capital intensive
• Nirva raises $8M for an AI wearable necklace that listens continuously, shifting consumer health from biometrics toward emotional intelligence

Today's episode is brought to you by AIIR — a modern communications and experiential agency for health, wellness, fitness, and performance brands. From earned media to events and creator-led campaigns, AIIR helps companies sharpen their story, earn attention, and build trust that compounds. Visit https://aiir.agency to learn more.

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

July 14, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• IM8 secures up to $1B in non-dilutive financing from General Catalyst after hitting $200M revenue, expecting $300M ARR by year end

• WHO projects annual cancer cases will climb from 21M to nearly 35M by 2050, driven by aging, obesity, and healthcare inequities

• Rock Health reports $10.5B raised across 273 digital health deals in H1 2026, the strongest pace since 2021 as capital concentrates

Today's episode is brought to you by AIIR — a modern communications and experiential agency for health, wellness, fitness, and performance brands. From earned media to events and creator-led campaigns, AIIR helps companies sharpen their story, earn attention, and build trust that compounds. Visit https://aiir.agency to learn more.

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

Today, I'm joined by Stephen Ellsworth, founder of poppi.

Originally launched at farmers markets as "Mother Beverage," poppi rebranded in 2020 and scaled rapidly before being acquired by PepsiCo for nearly $2B.

In this episode, we discuss cultivating consumer obsession.

We also cover:

• How 2.5 years at farmers markets became the ultimate R&D
• Why the $50M revenue milestone matters
• Landing a deal on Shark Tank

Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Website: www.drinkpoppi.com/

Stephen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenellsworth_/

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The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities.

Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/

Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/

Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:49) Background and poppi origin story

(02:40) Mother Beverage to poppi journey

(04:50) Two-year R&D at farmers market

(06:20) Shark Tank and capital inflection

(08:12) Rebranding decision and strategy

(11:00) 2020 timing and category alignment

(12:40) Intuition-driven product development

(13:40) COVID acceleration

(14:45) $50M inflection point

(16:20) Founder preferences: zero to one vs. scaling

(17:50) Product obsession and team building

(18:40) 15–20% better formula

(20:00) poppi playbook and thinking differently

(21:50) Democratizing better-for-you foods

(25:30) PepsiCo acquisition concerns

(28:45) Large incumbents vs. innovation

(31:00) Post-acquisition emotions

(35:15) Preferment vs. retirement

(37:30) What's next

(39:15) Conclusion

July 10, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Bold adds Medicare-backed GLP-1 prescriptions to virtual weight management, pairing medication with strength training as CMS's new Bridge program cuts costs to $50/month
• UK startup Reformed raises $22M Series A after scaling to $70M revenue, embedding collagen and creatine into coffee and matcha to upgrade existing habits
• Whoop hires former Nike CMO DJ van Hameren to lead global marketing ahead of a potential IPO, broadening beyond athletes past three million subscribers

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

July 9, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• The New Consumer survey finds younger demographics interested in peptides but wanting clinical guidance, as an FDA panel weighs expanded compounding this month
• MIT analyzes 28,000 US neighborhoods with AI, finding walkable, mixed-use design generates up to 4x greater health gains in underserved communities
• NYT physician argues the eight-hour sleep obsession has outpaced science, as trackers fuel "orthosomnia" and quality matters more than a universal target

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

July 8, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Gallup survey finds 11% of US adults now take GLP-1s for weight loss, nearly quadruple 2024, as compounded versions gain share on cost
• American Time Use Survey shows only 30% of adults socialize daily as gyms and studios grow 60% over 15 years, filling the social gap
• Medtronic partners with Corsano Health to bring FDA-cleared multi-parameter wearable to hospitals, moving continuous monitoring into clinical care

Today's episode is brought to you by AIIR — a modern communications and experiential agency for health, wellness, fitness, and performance brands. From earned media to events and creator-led campaigns, AIIR helps companies sharpen their story, earn attention, and build trust that compounds. Visit https://aiir.agency to learn more.

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

July 7, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Premier Lacrosse League closes $100M Series E, the largest raise in pro lacrosse history, planning independently owned franchises by 2028
• Gymshark founder Ben Francis in talks to buy back part of General Atlantic's stake, betting on founder-led control over institutional
• Nutrabolt explores IPO that could raise up to $1B as C4 Energy grows into a top-five energy drink

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

Today, I'm joined by Matteo Franceschetti, co-founder & CEO of Eight Sleep.

Scaling its AI-powered, temperature-regulating mattress across 35 countries, the sleep optimization company is tapping the world's largest sleep dataset to pursue predictive health and early disease detection.

In this episode, we discuss the shift from sleep tracking to sleep intervention.

We also cover:

• Building a data-led operating system
• Investing in women's health
• Mattress as medical device

Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Eight Sleep's Website: www.eightsleep.com

Eight Sleep on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eightsleep

Matteo on X: https://x.com/m_franceschetti?lang=en

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The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities.

Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/

Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/

Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:19) Global expansion update

(02:50) Sleep optimization evolution

(03:20) AutoPilot technology

(04:40) Product ecosystem

(06:25) Closing the loop on data

(08:15) Clinical research foundation

(10:25) Medical device trajectory

(13:00) Premium positioning

(14:50) Democratization strategy

(15:45) Women's health focus

(16:35) Sleep compression

(18:25) Dataset, hardware, AI pyramid

(19:50) Medical device category evolution

(22:10) Data retention advantage

(23:15) Health operating system

(25:30) Acceleration and prioritization

(27:00) Finding the S-curve

(31:35) CEO role reinvention

(33:00) Women's health and AI

(34:55) Where to find

(35:26) Conclusion

July 1, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi calls GLP-1 threat "a wrong bet," positioning MIORA clinics as companion to treatment as research shows pairing exercise could prevent 50,000 cardiovascular events
• Oura joins research initiative providing biometric data to study veterans undergoing psychedelic therapies, adding continuous physiological context to mental healthcare
• Anthropic launches Claude Science and internal drug discovery program focused on neglected diseases, using AI directly rather than just selling tools to life sciences companies

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]