Wellory, a startup that calls itself the “anti-diet approach” to nutrition and wellness, announces that it has raised $ 4.2 million in funding.
The round was led by Story ventures, involving Harlem Capital, Tinder co-founders Sean Rad and Justin Mateen, Ground Up Ventures, NBA player Wayne Ellington, Hannah Bronfman, and others.
Wellory Founder and CEO Emily Hochman (who was previously responsible for Customer Success at WayUp) told me that in college she struggled with dieting to the point where she risked chronic disease and infertility. As a result, she was determined to gain a better understanding of nutrition and her own health, eventually study and become a certified health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Hochman said that through Wellory, she wants to provide others with the same understanding of what has created a “managed marketplace” that connects users with a licensed nutritionist, registered nutritionist or certified health coach. These trainers create a personalized plan for losing weight or other health goals, and then continue to provide feedback as users share photos of each meal and additional health data.
For example, she said that a client who had just given birth and was interested in weight loss after giving birth would be matched with a trainer who specializes in the area.
“The most important thing is that we make personalized plans,” she added. “We don’t have anything that says, ‘At Wellory, we do these 10 things and that’s a standard diet.’ We will help you make smart and healthy decisions. “
Emily Hochman, Wellory CEO
Wellory officially launched in September, but Hochman said some beta testers have been using the service for nine, 10, or 11 months. Early customers include people interested in weight loss, those in need of nutritional advice due to chronic illness, and “optimizers” who just want to make sure they are eating as healthily as possible.
She also noted that customers usually sign up with a specific goal: “Once they get there because of the power of a strong relationship, they say, ‘I don’t want to go back to where I was, let’s stay and build , let’s make sure I can hold out. ‘”
The app is available for iOS and Android and currently costs $ 59.99 per month. Hochman plans to introduce additional price levels. and she said the funding will allow Wellory to expand its technology and marketing teams and explore new partnerships.
“As a data technology investor, we are approached by different types of wearable or diagnostic companies almost every week,” said Jake Yormak of Story Ventures in a statement. “We love the category, but what we saw in Wellory was a way to put a human trainer at the center of understanding this health data. With the Diet as a Wedge, Wellory has built a trusted relationship with people who want to better understand and improve their wellbeing. “