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Healthy parents raise healthy kids.
Parent Trap
Parenting is a source of joy and purpose — but it’s not without challenges.
- In the first year of parenthood,61%experience exhaustion and 32% deal with anxiety.
- 48%of parents report overwhelming stress most days, with 41% struggling to function.
- Feeling lonely,two-thirds say the demands of parenting can be isolating.
Acknowledging the paradox, the surgeon general recently deemedparental stress a public health issue, calling for more societal support.
Sacrificing
It’s widely accepted that raising a family comes with high costs.
Unwilling to abandon savings, hobbies, careers, and social lives,almost halfof US adults are forgoing kids, fueling record-low birth rates. But, experts are pushing back against the notion that parents should be martyrs.
Pointing tostudieslinking poor caregiver mental health to higher risk of general health problems in kids, they argue self-preservation is key to raising well-adjusted offspring.
Safeguarding.A 2022 Harvardstudyrevealed parental anxiety ripples throughout the family, with ~40% of teens expressing concern over their guardians’ state of mind.
Worse, overly worried parents unintentionally rob kids of the chance to play, fail, problem-solve, and become self-sufficient adults. Even activities like walking and biking have been deemed dangerous — with the number of kids who travel alone to school falling68%since 1969.
Urging balance, psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy raised $10.5M for her Good Inside app, teaching parents a “sturdy”—but not too gentle—method.
Spitting Image
Taking a multi-generational approach to wellness, family-focused companies and organizations believe helping parents will translate to better health outcomes for all.
Daycare.Only55%of Americans live within an hour of extended family, and a record-high70%of women with kids under five are working moms, creating a child care conundrum.
Outpacing inflation, child care prices are up210%since the ’90s, eatinga quarterof household income on average. While paid leave is a start, ongoing corporate support is crucial and profitable — saving businesses up to$13Bin lost productivity.
An early advocate, Patagonia estimates it recoups up to125%of onsite child care costs.
Sleepcare.Desperate,79%of parents have given their child a substance to induce sleep.
A drug-free solution,Hatchbuilt a cult-favorite brand on sleep-as-a-service, expanding from soothing infant sound machines to sunrise clocks for adults.
Calming midnight worries, Owlet’s wearable baby monitor and app track vitals, while Harbor offers remote night nannies and sleep coaches.
Healthcare.In the US,40%of children have a chronic condition.
For parents, having on-demand access to care—for day-to-day and emergencies—is a game-changer. Filling a gap, pediatric healthtech startup Summer Health raised $12M in April.
Specializing, Coral Care connects kids with developmental disabilities to in-network services, Clarity Pediatrics focuses on ADHD, andLittle Otteroffers whole-family therapy.
Tackling lifestyle medicine, CPG startups are addressinginfantandperinatal nutrition.
Soulcare.For kids and families, the pursuit of health shouldn’t come at the expense of fun.
Research shows positive childhood experiences and community traditions arefoundationalto long-term well-being, promoting resilience in the face of trauma.
Getting familiesmoving together, SwingSesh’s backyard playset is part playground, part gym.
Scaling content, Youth Inc. helps parents navigate theups and downsof organized sports.
Gamifying emotional intelligence, Mightier’s sensor-equipped games teach kids to self-regulate.
Punchline:Generational wellness starts with making parents a cross-sector priority. In an increasinglylonelyworld, where healthmisinformation, social mediaaddiction, andburnoutrun rampant, they need all the help they can get.
🎙 On the Podcast
Thorne CEO Colin Watts discusses the brand’s science-backed approach to supplementation.
Combining rigorously crafted nutritional products and biometric testing, Thorne is evolving beyond vitamins to deliver personalized health solutions for all.
We also cover:Thorne’s approach to innovation, expanding into diagnostics, and Colin’s insights from a 30-year career in consumer healthcare.
Listen to today’s episodehere.
💸 Maven Clinic adds $125M for fertility care
Now valued at$1.7B, the investment will bolster Maven’s B2B fertility benefits platform, expanding end-to-end virtual care and scaling AI to complement its human-centered model.
Continuum.With 2K+ clients across 175 countries—including corporations like Amazon and Microsoft—the company guides women’s reproductive health journey from preconception to postmenopause.
Mind the gap.Pregnant or not, employed women in the US still face$15Bhigher out-of-pocket healthcare costs per year than male peers. And treatment for infertility, affectingone in sixpeople globally, can cost upwards of $50K.
Attracting investors, women-focused startups want to balance the scales.
- At-home hormone testing company Hertility received an investment from actress Emma Watson, surpassing $14M in total funding.
- Flora Fertility just closed a $1.5M pre-seed round for its direct-to-consumer fertility benefits platform.
- In June, B2B fertility benefits platform Progynyacquired German provider Apryl.
But, after whispers of unethical practices, hybrid clinic Kindbody is reportedly raising funds at a discount.
Takeaway:Along withfertility-tracking tech, clinics are reimagining care. Making progress, fertility benefits are becoming more common among employers, butreproductive healthgoes beyond family planning.
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🍹 Nonalcoholic brands capitalize on wellness culture
As booze-free beverages surge, major alcohol brands arebuildingzero-proof portfolios.
- Last week, Moët Hennessy invested in NA sparkling wine label French Bloom.
- Absolut owner Pernod Ricard backed Lewis Hamilton’s NA tequila Almave in August.
- In September, Smirnoff owner Diageo purchased Ritual Zero Proof, maker of alcohol-free spirits — adding to its 2019 acquisition of category leader Seedlip.
An early mover, NA beer brand Athletic Brewing added$50Min July and counts Keurig Dr Pepper as an investor.
Over the influence.With recent studieslinkingdrinking to cancer and premature death, the WHO deemed any amount of alcoholunsafe, and the CDC revised guidelines accordingly.
Seeing new science,45%of 21+ Gen Zers are staying sober, while habituated generations are cutting back with the help of NA alternatives, leading the sector to29%volume growth in ‘23.
Keeping tabs.As premium non-alc options emerge, specialty stockistsThe Zero Proof,The New Bar, and Sèchey are playing tastemaker, with the latter tapped to curate Target’s NA selection.
Despite outpacing conventional, the young category accounts for just ~1% of global alcohol sales. Overly ambitious, alcohol-free chain Boisson went bankrupt earlier this year.
Looking ahead:Buy-in from major corporations signals a steady future for zero-proof. The more NA options available, the more normalized not drinking will be.
📰 News & Notes
- OuraunveilsGen 4 smart ring.
- StravalaunchesAI performance analysis in beta.
- Onopensfirst Aussie store amid retail expansion.
- NikeaddsGrind dumbbell to strength equipment lineup.
- Pure Barre entersMexico, its second international market.
- Running app None to Runintegratesmovr for prehab, recovery.
- Startup Q&A: FORM founderDan Eisenhardton AR swim training.
- Movement breaksboostmental health, resilience in office workers.
- CDCreportssmall decline in US obesity rate, its first drop in a decade.
- Life expectancystagnatesin wealthy nations despite longevity advances.
- Featured jobs:A fast-growing human performance company is hiring aHead of GrowthandSr Mngr of Podcast Partnerships.
💰 Money Moves
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
26North Partners, a firm founded by sports investor Josh Harris,acquiredOnelifeFitness, operator of 50+ health clubs.
Perelel, makers of women’s health supplements,acquiredsexual and reproductive health companyLOOM.
FitnessmithacquiredGym Source USA, expanding its equipment sales business.
SnackFutures Ventures, the investment arm ofMondelēzInternational,acquireda minority stake inUrbanLegend, a UK-based better-for-you doughnut maker.
Empathy Health Technologies, maker of addiction recovery app Sober Sidekick, secured$2.8Min seed funding.
Outpatient addiction treatment providerEleanorHealthraised$30Min funding.
Employee-facing skin health platformJOYAemerged from stealth with$5Min funding.
Dementia care platformRipplraised$23Min a Series A round.
Indoor pickleball facility franchiseThePicklradded anundisclosed sumfromChaifetzGroup.
Booksy, a booking platform for small beauty and wellness businesses, landedundisclosed fundingfromCIBC Innovation Banking.
AI-enabled mental healthcare providerResilienceLabacquiredtelepsychiatry platformOptionsMD.
Europe 🇪🇺
Moët Hennessy, a subsidiary of French luxury goods companyLVMH,acquireda minority stake in NA sparkling wine makerFrenchBloom.
Italian women’s nutraceuticals makerSestreraised€400K($439K) in follow-on funding.
OvarianVax, a project from University of Oxford, landed£600K($786K) in grant funding to develop the world’s first ovarian cancer vaccine.
UK-based reproductive health companyHertilityannouncedundisclosed fundingfrom actressEmmaWatson.
BreezeLabs, a Swiss startup monitoring athlete’s breathing rate via headphones, closed apre-seed round.
Asia 🌏
Indian aromatherapy wellness brand SecretAlchemistraised$500Kin a round led byInflection Point VenturesandVinayBansal.
Korean GPS-enabled sports analytics companyFitogethersecuredKRW 9.7B ($7.2M).
str8bat, Indian maker of smart cricket bats, raisedRs 29.3crore ($3.5M) in a Series A round.
Japanese pharma companyDaiichiSankyoacquiredsports nutrition brandDNS.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.