Amidst the chaos of modern life, there persists an ever-present need to protect our minds and bodies. The term “self-care” has become a marker of millennial jargon, yet many people from all age groups still don’t understand the importance of keeping oneself in shape. While it’s no secret that the physical health of the world’s population has steadily declined over the past decade, the statistics surrounding mental health are even more distressing. According to the World Health Organization, depression affects more than 264 million people across the globe, while an estimated 76 to 85 percent of sufferers lack access to proper treatment. And although these statistics may seem unwieldy, there are many organizations across the country dedicated to helping everyone achieve fitness in both body and mind.
Considering WalletHub named San Francisco the healthiest city in America earlier this year, it’s no surprise that many of the nation’s most impressive wellness startups live here. Utilizing the latest technological advances, these companies are giving people a greater understanding of their bodies, so that they can discover new, effective ways to care for them. From on-demand counseling to remote workout programs, the innovations taking place at these organizations are redefining the way people perceive fitness, and own it for themselves. These wellness startups in San Francisco are breaking down the barriers to health and empowering people to live their best lives.
Wellness Startups In San Francisco To Know
- Alto Pharmacy
- Calm
- Hinge Health
- Grand Rounds
- Nuna
- Strava
- Virta Health
- Enlitic
Founded: 2012
Location: San Francisco
What they do: Calm is a leading sleep, meditation and relaxation app that received the prestigious iPhone App of the Year award from Apple in 2017. The app provides on-demand music and audible stories for meditation and sleep, as well as video lessons for mindful movement, audio programs by mindfulness experts and nature scenes to facilitate relaxing, working, or studying, all set at different lengths to give users the perfect opportunity to break from the stresses of their day.
Founded: 2011
Location: SoMa
What they do: Grand Rounds is dedicated to raising the standard of healthcare for all people across the globe. The company connects people to top-rated doctors and medical facilities within their insurance networks, providing personalized healthcare recommendations, while enabling users to track and manage their medical spending and discover their available benefits. With an in-house team of clinical experts, Grand Rounds is driven by its aim to give people access to the highest-quality care possible.
Founded: 2008
Location: San Francisco
What they do: Life360 can be considered a wellness company because it brings peace of mind to families all over the world. The company’s app helps families keep tabs on family members by showing their whereabouts, sharing if they’re currently driving and even marking favorite routes that each member likes to take. Life360 is available in monthly subscriptions, so families can have constant peace of mind about the safety of their loved ones.
Founded: 2010
Location: China Basin
What they do: Founded by Jini Kim, Nuna provides data-driven products and services that power value-based payment arrangements and facilitate high-value healthcare delivery. The company’s technology, data, and analytics help healthcare payers and providers get the answers they need to make quality care more affordable. Nuna partners with state and federal government agencies, health plans, and provider systems, turning data into insights in order to overcome core obstacles in healthcare.
Location: Mission District
Founded: 2009
What they do: Strava builds software that turns iPhones and Androids into running and cycling computers. Users can employ the company's technology before a fitness activity to track performance stats and dive into their personal data, enabling them to record their own races and workouts and share them on the company’s feed. Strava’s users can also share their location in real-time with friends, partners, coaches, and others.
Founded: 2017
Location: South Beach
What they do: Established as a modern approach to health and wellness, hims & hers is designed to eliminate stigmas and make it easier for people to access care and treatment. Backed by an in-house medical team, the company offers FDA-approved, medical-grade products, which cost up to 80 percent less than what’s currently available over the counter or at local pharmacies. With over $200 million in funding, hims & hers ships its products directly to consumers’ doorsteps.
Founded: 2014
Location: The East Cut
What they do: Virta Health provides clinically proven treatment to safely and sustainably reverse type two diabetes and other chronic metabolic diseases, without medications or surgery. The company combines innovations in biochemistry, data science and digital tools with clinical expertise to shift the diabetes treatment paradigm. Through Virta’s custom-designed app, physicians and nurses can provide expert medical care when and where it’s needed.
Founded: 2015
Location: Financial District
What they do: Hinge Health is developing a patient-centered digital hospital, with a focus on musculoskeletal health. The company is bringing expert-recommended care to patients by combining wearable-sensor exercise therapy with one-on-one health coaching and patient education. Currently available to over three million members, Hinge Health’s digital back and joint pain care programs are based on proven guidelines.
Founded: 2015
Location: SoMa
What they do: Alto Pharmacy strives to be the world’s most patient-centric pharmacy, bringing world-class care to patients in need. The company has created its own in-house pharmacy management system, redefining how people make pharmacy consultations, receive medications and gain support. Having so far saved its patients more than $23 million, Alto Pharmacy sends medications directly to consumers’ doorsteps, while providing people access to on-demand pharmacists who can answer any health questions.
Founded: 2014
Location: Embarcadero
What they do: Enlitic is dedicated to shaping the next generation of diagnostic healthcare tools in an effort to health patients worldwide. Utilizing AI and deep learning, the company helps radiologists identify diseases and medical issues with greater accuracy and speed. Enlitic deploys its technology across the globe in areas that lack proper specialists, while collecting and analyzing the world’s most comprehensive clinical data.
Founded: 2015
Location: Downtown San Francisco
What they do: Fitbod offers an app that provides fitness junkies with personalized workout plans, allowing them to maximize the use of indoor gym equipment and practice effective strength training. The company uses machine learning to analyze tracked workout data to construct real-time strength training plans tailored to each user’s physical capability. Fitbod’s training algorithm studies users’ past workouts and adapts to available gym equipment, mixing up workouts with new exercises in the process.
Founded: 2009
Location: Rincon Hill
What they do: GAIN Fitness is a web and mobile company committed to revolutionizing the way people work out and incorporate fitness into their daily lives. Using the latest in algorithmic technology, the company matches over two million exercise variations to users’ specific workout needs. GAIN equips users with their own personal trainer and a dynamically tailored workout plan, offering access to self-guided workouts that cover a wide range of training styles.
Founded: 2013
Location: Financial District
What they do: Glow serves as an online community for women’s health, offering personal health tracking products that illuminate health through data. The company enables women to visualize their health trends, compare their experiences with others, forecast symptoms and access thousands of articles related to women’s health. Glow’s apps track a wide range of female health sectors, from pregnancy to parenting.
Founded: 2015
Location: SoMa
What they do: Founded by Holly Shelton and Tricia Choi, MoveWith provides access to independent workouts from world-class instructors. The company enables instructors from across the globe to stream their expertise to fitness goers, giving people access to audio workouts, new classes and goal-based programs on a daily basis. MoveWith is dedicated to making independent fitness accessible to everyone.
Founded: 2010
Location: Financial District
What they do: Skimble is a mobile fitness company committed to empowering people to achieve their health and fitness goals through fun and dynamic coaching experiences. Their app, Workout Trainer, gives users access to thousands of multimedia workouts and custom training programs led by expert coaches. Boasting over 20 million members, Skimble offers bodyweight-only high intensity workouts, quick strength-building routines, yoga practices, and other fitness challenges.
Founded: 2014
Location: South Park
What they do: Vitagene provides a science-driven, complete and affordable DNA test, so people can live their healthiest lives. Combining users’ genes, lifestyles and goals, the company’s tests allow people to discover their ancestry as well as the best diet, fitness, skin, and supplement plans tailored to them. Vitagene utilizes industry standard security practices when storing DNA samples, test results and other personal data.
Founded: 2010
Location: Mission District
What they do: Dedicated to putting health in the hands of consumers, WellnessFX provides a digital marketplace that offers an accessible, streamlined way to collect, interpret, and track personal health data. After submitting a blood test, users receive advanced biomarker data, enabling them to make strong correlations between what they’re doing to stay healthy and how it’s affecting their numbers. The company aggregates the underlying biomarkers of common health conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and thyroid imbalance, while providing actionable solutions.
