How a health tech startup used biomarkers to create precision-based personalized nutrition
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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.
Here’s what imaware did: By providing biomarker information on each individual customer, Elo Health was able to tailor their health products and nutrition support to serve the unique needs of every member. The core of Elo Health’s business model is based on being completely customizable, and imaware was able to make this happen by providing the missing data on each of their members.
Why choose imaware? Partnering with imaware has allowed Elo Health to scale their business, attract a loyal and lifelong membership base, focus on their strengths, and stand out in a crowded health and wellness landscape.
FAQs
Can partnering with imaware help grow my business, and if so, how?
Biomarker testing is the most clinically proven way to determine the effectiveness of your products or services. By establishing a biomarker baseline and testing at points in the future you can show your customers the value of your offering. This tracking platform supports customer acquisition costs, LTV, and other key growth KPIs.
What’s included in the purchase of the platform and how is it priced?
The platform comes with its core features and the fee structure includes a one time set up and implementation fee, monthly fixed platform and variable end user fees, biomarker test kits fees, and clinician support.
What could increase costs?
The cost could increase based on increasing the amount and types of integrations, the amount and types of biomarker test kits, and any further customizations to the platform that is not part of the core feature set.
Can I brand the test kits and the platform?
Yes, you can add your company’s logo and colors to the test kit packaging and user interfaces of the platform, but you cannot change the fonts.
How does your pricing compare to the competition?
imaware’s at home testing platform pricing is competitive to our competitors. What differentiates imaware is our best in class user experience and engagement platform, end user and partner KPIs, and performance tracking and personalized recommendations. A dedicated Customer Success Manager is also assigned to create, manage, and achieve program goals.
Do you offer integrations? How do integrations work?
Yes, integrations are a popular add-on that help improve operational efficiency by connecting services, systems, and processes that can automate and streamline workflows, reduce manual data entry, minimize errors, and save time and resources. Integrations can be added to the platform as an added service provided by imaware’s engineering team, or you can use our flexible API and perform the integration on your own. Typical types of integrations may be with labs, pharmacies, telemedicine providers, electronic medical record software, wearables, content providers, ecommerce (Shopify) providers, and 3PL & logistics providers.
Does imaware integrate with other fitness apps, devices or data sources?
Yes, our dashboards, which track the entire health journey, seamlessly connect with wearables and other third-party data sources to provide a holistic assessment of user progress.
How flexible is imaware’s API?
Our API covers all aspects of the lab journey, from ordering testing kits to lab results and all of the statuses in between. The API is designed so that you can own the entire end-to-end patient facing experience. Only looking to manage a portion of the experience? That works, too, as our API works in concert with our hosted solution—so you can own the elements that are important to your business and outsource the rest to our trusted and compliant solution.
What can partners expect in the first 30-60-90 days?
Your newly appointed Customer Success Manager will guide your onboarding process, which typically includes:
- Kick-off call: Review and align on the plan, scope, key metrics, milestones and timelines.
- Regular check-ins: Weekly/biweekly meetings to discuss progress updates, tackle outstanding items and loop in necessary experts (lab, clinical, engineering or marketing).
- Testing and feedback: Extensive quality assurance testing to pave the way for a smooth launch.
- Platform training: Get you comfortable understanding and using the platform.
- Launch: The final launch-ready review and deployment of your solution.
- Monthly analysis & recommendations: Review performance, identify key insights and optimize the solution.
How long will it take to launch?
The go-live date will be based on your goals, panel choices, customizations, integrations, desired capabilities, and workflows. We provide biomarker menus and white-label guides to expedite those decisions and establish project milestones early. A typical implementation generally takes approximately 8 weeks and could be longer based on the scope of the implementation.
Are imaware’s tests accurate?
Yes, all of imaware’s tests are processed at CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited labs to meet stringent medical standards and ensure clinical and analytical validity. Their sensitivity and specificity—highly correlated to venipuncture sampling—allow us to deliver accurate and actionable reports that add value to patients and their providers.You can read more about our science here.
Do imaware’s tests include clinical diagnoses?
We do not claim diagnostic power. As we reinforce with patients, only healthcare providers can make that determination. That said, our advanced platform arms patients with critical health information and prepares physicians for conversations that lead to official diagnoses. Platform-hosted data can also inform patient prioritization, stratification, and education and health optimization recommendations efforts.
What KPIs and metrics are used to measure success?
The most important KPI our partners offer their customers is proof in the efficacy of the products and services they sell. imaware tracks the patient's journey and uses empirical blood test data over time points to demonstrate efficacy. Engaging end users through measurable results and personalized recommendations allows our partners to improve key performance KPIs including CAC, LTC, subscription conversions, average cart size ($). During each new customer onboarding, we collaborate with our partners to define success and measure performance.
How do users track their wellness journey with imaware?
After users establish their baseline data with biomarker tests, imaware’s platform delivers personalized recommendations to educate and inspire action. The platform then encourages repeat testing with its tracking capabilities, quantifying results as users overcome challenges and optimize metrics throughout their health journeys to achieve their goals.
Do you provide ordering physicians?
Yes, we leverage a network of independent, licensed clinicians to review patient test requests and results. Our partner clinicians are independent service providers who are collaborating with us to offer review of test orders, authorization, if appropriate, and consultation services for our testing. Patients are able to speak with the clinicians before, during, and after the test process as needed.
Do health insurance companies cover at-home tests?
imaware does not accept insurance at this time. However, there are two ways where using insurance may be possible. First, if a patient orders their tests through imaware, but goes into a lab to complete the tests, that lab may accept insurance. The second way is depending on the patient’s insurance plan, they may be able to receive reimbursement for all or part of their testing costs by self-submitting a claim to their health insurance provider.
Can patients use their HSA or FSA account to pay for a test?
Yes, we are able to process payments using HSA or FSA benefits cards. However, HSA and FSA plans have different requirements, and we are unable to guarantee that the total charge will be considered eligible expenses under your HSA or FSA plan. We encourage you to consider checking with your HSA or FSA benefits coordinator to verify eligibility before purchasing tests.
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