How a health tech startup used biomarkers to create precision-based personalized nutrition

Elo Health was launched in San Francisco as a subscription-based nutritional supplement provider with a mission to transform food from the cause of disease to medicine. Their business model is simple: to create highly precise supplements through at-home biomarker testing, AI analysis, and one-on-one nutrition coaching so that all members, from the average American to pro athletes, have their individual needs met. Elo Health has set themselves apart by furthering their metrics beyond questionnaire-based supplements, which lack precision and the insights for truly optimized nutrition. And by removing the inconvenience of traveling to and from lab testing, Elo Health caters to busy Americans who want results—fast.

In fact, nine out of 10 Elo Health customers typically see biomarkers out of range, most commonly high-density lipoproteins (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, which lowers an individual’s risk for heart and stroke. Only a biomarker test can reveal HDL levels, which are otherwise symptomless, resulting in superior custom nutrition plans for longer, healthier lives enjoyed by Elo Health’s members.

imaware has supported Elo Health since the company’s soft launch in 2020. While biomarker testing and analysis is a core component of Elo Health’s business model, it wasn’t ideal to build and manage their own lab capabilities. In this relationship, imaware provides convenient at-home testing and actionable reports that are easy for Elo Health’s customers to understand.

From there, Elo Health enhances biomarker testing results with insights drawn by thousands of scientific studies to create precise nutrition plans. Their customer base then easily understands their unique health goals, and what they need to work towards, with the help of Elo Health’s nutrition team. Every 90 days, members repeat imaware biomarker tests to monitor results: In Elo Health’s beta program, 95 percent of their members saw positive biomarker improvement within six months.

“Nutrition shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution, and yet this is the approach led by our current healthcare system. With the help of imaware, we’re able to remove the guesswork and calibrate a precise nutrition plan for every one of our members through convenient, at-home tests.”

When Elo Health launched, they needed to offer precise biomarker data for their proprietary AI system to analyze. Surveys weren’t a credible enough solution, while creating their own labs was cost-prohibitive. Asking members to find their own labs defeated the convenience of their product offering. Without a viable at-home testing solution, Elo Health couldn’t scale their business.