Tagged: nutrition
14 results
Matt Barnard
Matt Barnard is the cofounder and CEO of one.bio, a Sacramento biotechnology company turning plant fiber into odorless, tasteless nutrients that can be dosed into everyday food to reshape the gut microbiome. A seventh-generation Wisconsin farmer turned technology operator, he first became known as the cofounder and CEO of Plenty, the SoftBank-backed indoor vertical farming unicorn. He now applies the same obsession - control what people eat, control their health - to fiber science spun out of UC Davis.
WellTheory
WellTheory is a virtual autoimmune care platform founded in 2020 by Ellen Rudolph, Claire Rudolph, and Wallace Torres — all personally affected by autoimmune disease. The company pairs licensed registered dietitians and board-certified health coaches with advanced diagnostic testing to help the 50+ million Americans living with autoimmune conditions reduce symptoms and reclaim their lives. Members follow a 12-month personalized program covering nutrition, sleep, stress, and movement. Clinical outcomes show 92% of members reduce symptoms within four weeks, 85% cut ER visits within 16 months, and average annual healthcare savings of $5,181 per patient. Backed by $33.4M in total funding led by General Catalyst, WellTheory serves both individual members ($175/month) and self-insured employers and health plans like Sentara Health Plans.
Sara Cullen
Sara Cullen is the founder and CEO of GEM, a Los Angeles wellness company that reinvented the daily multivitamin as a bite-sized chew made from real, whole-food ingredients. After a personal health slump in her late twenties left her disillusioned with the synthetic-filler vitamin aisle, the Oregon farm kid and Cornell graduate built the product she could not find. She validated it inside a private Facebook group of women before raising venture capital, selling more than 20 million bites, and turning 'food is medicine' into a real business.
Cheers
Cheers (formerly Thrive+) is a Houston-based alcohol-related health and wellness company built around dihydromyricetin (DHM), a botanical extract studied for supporting the liver and reducing the after-effects of drinking. Founded by Brooks Powell after he encountered DHM research as a Princeton undergraduate, Cheers sells a line of science-backed supplements - Restore, Relief, Hydrate, Protect and Multi - direct-to-consumer, on Amazon, and in tens of thousands of retail locations. The company holds a U.S. patent on its formulation, has served more than a million customers, and frames its mission as helping people enjoy alcohol responsibly while protecting long-term health.
mindbodygreen
mindbodygreen is an independent lifestyle media and wellness company that pairs science-backed editorial content - articles, newsletters, podcasts and certification courses - with a direct-to-consumer line of supplements and personal care products. Founded in 2009 after a back injury pushed Jason Wachob toward yoga, the company has grown into one of the largest independent health-and-wellness platforms, reaching millions of monthly readers with a 360-degree approach that weaves together the mental, physical, spiritual, emotional and environmental sides of well-being.
Parsley Health
Parsley Health is a functional-medicine telehealth provider founded in 2016 by physician Dr. Robin Berzin. It pairs in-depth diagnostics and biomarker testing with longitudinal, team-based care - doctors plus health coaches - to find and treat the root causes of chronic conditions like gut, autoimmune, hormonal, metabolic and mental-health issues, rather than just managing symptoms. Originally a cash-pay membership model with clinics in New York and Los Angeles, Parsley has shifted to a virtual-first national service and in 2026 became the first functional-medicine provider to accept insurance in-network nationwide, putting its care within reach of roughly 150 million insured Americans.
one.bio
one.bio is a Sacramento biotechnology company that releases short-chain plant fibers and makes them flavorless, odorless, colorless and water-soluble so they can be added to food and drinks at high doses without changing taste or texture. Spun out of UC Davis, it pairs a fiber-mapping knowledgebase called the Glycopedia with a proprietary depolymerization process to turn long-chain plant carbohydrates - including agricultural byproducts - into bioactive fibers that feed the microbiome and support metabolic and immune health. The company raised a $27M Series A in December 2024 and in early 2026 launched its discovery platform, its first clinically validated ingredient (one.bio 01) and a consumer brand, GoodVice.
Sami Inkinen
Sami Inkinen is a Finnish-born, Stanford-trained entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Virta Health, a company on a mission to reverse metabolic disease in one billion people through nutrition, technology, and AI. He earlier co-founded the real estate marketplace Trulia, taking it public in 2012 before its merger with Zillow. A self-described 'incurable data geek' and world-class endurance athlete, he is a triathlon age-group world champion and, in 2014, rowed 2,750 miles unsupported across the Pacific from California to Hawaii with his wife in a record-setting 45 days to raise awareness about sugar and metabolic disease.
Kendra Brassfield
Kendra Brassfield is the Chief Executive Officer of NeoLife International, the Santa Clara-based global nutrition and wellness company founded by her father Jerry Brassfield in 1958. She joined in 2011 as a Market Research Strategist, rose through marketing leadership, drove the rebrand from GNLD to NeoLife, and took the top job in August 2016. A Saint Mary's College of California graduate and Milken Institute Associate, she is also a Certified Personal Trainer, distance runner, and early-morning surfer who insists on a NeoLifeBar before paddling out.
Foodsmart
Foodsmart (formerly Zipongo) is a San Francisco-based telenutrition company that pairs registered dietitians with a food benefits marketplace to treat diet-related chronic disease and food insecurity. It serves more than 2.2 million members across employer plans, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and commercial insurers, and in 2024 raised $200M led by TPG's The Rise Fund to expand its 'Foodscripts' food-as-medicine programs with major U.S. health systems.
Kurt Knight
Kurt Knight is the CEO of Foodsmart, the largest digital food-as-medicine platform in the United States, appointed in March 2025 after 13 years at Amwell where he rose to COO and helped scale virtual care nationally. With an MBA from Harvard, an MPH from Columbia, and field experience everywhere from UNICEF to the Gates Foundation to the Boston Consulting Group, Knight brings an unusually wide lens to the intersection of food, nutrition, and healthcare delivery.
Signos
Signos is a San Francisco Bay Area digital health company pairing a continuous glucose monitor with an AI-driven app to help non-diabetic adults lose weight and improve metabolic health through real-time, personalized feedback on food, sleep, stress and exercise.
Vivoo
Vivoo is a San Francisco-based health tech company that makes at-home urine test strips analyzed via smartphone camera. Founded in 2017, the company offers a wellness platform that measures 8+ biomarkers — including hydration, vitamins, minerals, pH, ketones, and oxidative stress — and delivers personalized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations through a free mobile app. Backed by $19.4M in funding led by Tim Draper, Vivoo is sold at Target, Walmart, and Sam's Club, and has expanded to 100+ countries with a focus on making lab-grade health insights accessible to everyday consumers.
Dr. Kholod Shafi
Dr. Kholod Shafi is a Karachi-based MBBS doctor, practicing Family Physician, and elite fitness trainer who built AeroFitness - a health platform that fuses medical expertise with physical training. Holding three certifications from the International Sports Sciences Association, she manages clients across the full health spectrum, from managing chronic conditions like diabetes and autoimmune diseases to supporting pregnant women and aspiring athletes recovering from injury. Her mission: bridge the gap between the clinic and the gym.