knownwell – an in-person and virtual, weight-inclusive primary care and metabolic health company – recently announced that it has raised a $20 million Series A funding round led by A16Z with participation from existing investors, including Flare Capital Partners. This brought knownwell’s total funding to $24.5 million and highlights a growing demand for weight-inclusive care companies focusing on whole-person treatment approaches to obesity beyond just short-term approaches like GLP-1 utilization organizations.
knownwell was founded by Brooke Boyarsky Pratt (who has had lifelong obesity) and Dr. Angela Fitch (the President of the Obesity Medicine Association). And the pair combined lived experiences to create a weight-inclusive care company that takes a clinically and patient-driven approach to effectively partner with patients for long-term results.
With the new funding round, knownwell will further its enterprise solution to partner with health systems, payors, and employers to deliver weight-inclusive care via telehealth and the company’s brick-and-mortar clinics. The funding also enables knownwell’s expansion of its clinics and telehealth offering and enables the company to double down on product development, including incorporating AI-powered patient stratification, asynchronous communication, and provider workflow enablement tools into its care model. Additionally, knownwell is partnering with major pharmaceutical companies to conduct and participate in clinical trials.
Along with announcing its Series A, the company is introducing knownwell teens, a new clinical offering designed to support the 14 million children and teens living with obesity in the United States. Created by knownwell’s renowned obesity medicine specialists, this new model aims to help patients’ metabolic health through the company’s comprehensive, shame, and blame-free care model.
The current U.S. healthcare system has an explicit problem with weight bias, especially when considering children. knownwell is solving this bias by providing patients with custom-made care through an integrated plan that helps them reach their health and wellness goals. knownwell’s model features a holistic, clinical approach to uncovering and treating the root cause of early obesity, including nutritional counseling and behavioral health services – not the stigmatizing, diet promoting path typically used for those aged 12 – 18.
GLP-1s (like Wegovy) are already FDA-approved for treating obesity in teens aged 12 and older. A 2022 clinical trial found a 16.1% reduction in body mass index (BMI) in teens with obesity treated with Wegovy injection compared to placebo. And with access to this medicine, adolescents now have a treatment option to support the behavioral and lifestyle changes knownwell will help implement.
With early intervention and a focus on metabolic health, knownwell is tackling the childhood obesity crisis in a way that will lead to a healthier America with reduced risk for chronic diseases like type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
KEY QUOTES:
“Obesity is perhaps our country’s greatest healthcare challenge, from both a clinical and cost perspective. We are thrilled to back Brooke, Angela, and the team at knownwell as they leverage both technology and human care teams to allow every patient and provider nationally to access evidence-based, comprehensive, and ultimately high-value obesity medicine.”
- Vineeta Agarwala, General Partner at A16Z
“We are thrilled to welcome such an incredible partner in a16z to lead our Series A, with immense gratitude to Flare Capital Partners for doubling down on their investment in knownwell. In a market that is currently swarmed by companies trying to offer short term GLP-1 solutions, we are proud to be the only comprehensive, clinically based, patient-centered home for those with overweight or obesity. Patients with overweight and obesity know how hard it is to find comprehensive, insurance-based, non-stigmatizing and clinically-based healthcare. knownwell exists to be a healthcare home to patients who have been stigmatized for too long by the healthcare system because of their size.”
- Brooke Boyarsky-Pratt, CEO and Co-Founder of knownwell
“Obesity has long been regarded as one of the most chronic diseases for children, yet little has been done to combat this growing epidemic. That’s why we’ve developed a first-of-its-kind metabolic health program specifically designed for adolescents. Our goal is to encourage and set behavioral and lifestyle changes that will lead to healthier habits and better long-term outcomes.”
- Angela Fitch, Chief Medical Officer at knownwell and President of the Obesity Medicine Association
