Longevity Startup Function Raises $53M for Personalized Health Testing
Andreessen Horowitz and a slew of celebrities, athletes and wellness experts are backing Function, which puts consumers in the driver’s seat of their health, offering 100-plus lab tests for $499 a year
Function Health is having a stellar year. Not only has the health tech startup partnered with luxury lifestyle and fitness brand Equinox to deliver biomarker lab testing, but the longevity-centered health platform has secured $53 million in a Series A funding round that attracted a slew of celebrities and wellness experts.
The funding will be used to scale Function’s technology and increase testing access, the company said.
Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z) Bio + Health led the round, with support from the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund. Backers also include Matt Damon, Kevin Hart, Zac Efron, Pedro Pascal, podcaster Jay Shetty, athletes Joel Embiid (Embiid Ventures), Blake Griffin, Jimmy Rollins and Colin Kaepernick, Levels co-founder and author Dr. Casey Means, former Oura CEO Harpreet Singh Rai and Equinox chairman Harvey Spevak.
Going Beyond the Doctor’s Office
“Function is the first with a mission of empowering you to live 100 healthy years,” Function co-founder and CEO Jonathan Swerdlin said. “We’re introducing a revolutionary approach to lifelong health, starting with the most comprehensive lab testing to help you understand what’s actually happening inside your body and what to do to stay ahead of disease and feel your best.”
The health platform, co-founded by Dr. Mark Hyman, offers 100-plus lab tests across all areas including heart, thyroid, hormones, brain, cancers and fertility (five times more than the average physical, according to Function) and provides detailed and actionable insights from doctors for $499 per year, or $42 per month.
Results are stored so members can spot health trends over time and easily share the results with doctors. Members can re-test anytime at a low cost and can purchase non-routine tests (Lyme, STDs, allergies) at any point. They also have access to the latest developments in testing, such as multi-cancer early detection.
“The possibilities are boundless,” Swerdlin added. “This is about health, not healthcare, happening outside traditional systems, yet supported by the world’s top doctors and experts.”
While Function doesn’t accept insurance plans, it is FSA/HSA eligible.
Biomarker Testing Becomes Mainstream
Biomarker testing may have once been reserved for pro athletes and biohackers, but amid the growing longevity movement, it’s poised to have mass appeal to the many consumers who have become health-conscious and prefer a more personalized approach to preventative healthcare.
This month, nutrition app Lifesum acquired Lykon, a biomarker-based personalized nutrition company, which will allow Lifesum’s 65 million users to soon use at-home biomarker testing to gain insights into their nutrition needs and metabolic health.
Even gyms and fitness facilities are integrating biomarker testing with training — and it’s not just Equinox.
Fitness SF, a chain of Bay Area health clubs, has teamed with InsideTracker to offer personalized biomarker tracking and health recommendations for internal employees and club members.
Austin Simply Fit, a chain of personal training studios in Austin, Texas, has partnered with wellness and health management platform Keyspan to similarly provide biomarker data to its members, informing functional coaching into fitness regimens.
“This is the new normal, making every aspect of health measurable and understandable,” Austin Simply Fit CEO Krista Bergeron said.
