Found: It's not just about what you lose, it's about what you find

By Jules Maltz, Joanne Shang, and Eric Liaw

IVP is excited to announce our investment in Found, a digital-first weight care management company. At IVP, we are grateful to partner with leading digital consumer health companies, including Hims & Hers, Lyra Health, Curology, Whoop, and Hello Heart. We're thrilled to join Sarah Jones Simmer, Swathy Prithivi, Alex Linares, and the entire team at Found on their mission to make evidence-based weight care accessible to everyone.

We believe in Found and invested because:

Obesity is a Disease, Not a Decision

Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable death in this country. By 2030, nearly half of the population will be clinically obese. Obesity is serious because it is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. Weight is also deeply stigmatized. We've been told to eat less, exercise more, and then be shamed for our lack of willpower when we don't find success. However, research reveals that a range of biological, psychological, and environmental factors all play a significant role in weight loss. Obesity is a disease, not a decision and needs to be treated like one. Found is delivering customized weight care programs that help members change their relationships with their bodies. These types of integrated care models have historically only been available to a select few who could access and afford this treatment in clinical settings. Under the guidance of world-class clinical leadership, Found is now democratizing integrated weight care.

Experienced, Mission-Driven Team

Found's management team has a passion and deep commitment to helping their members live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Sarah Jones Simmer (CEO) joined Found from Bumble, where she served as the Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer, leading the company through its IPO. Similar to how Bumble destigmatized online dating and redefined societal standards, Found is breaking down the stigmas of shame and willpower surrounding weight loss. Sarah's inspiring story of overcoming breast cancer while working on Bumble's IPO is a testament to her passion and understanding of the importance of health. We're also excited to back Swathy Prithivi (Co-founder & COO), who was an early contributor to Uber and Opendoor's growth and knows how to build a valuable global business, as well as Alex Linares (CPO), previously VP of Product at Headspace. In addition, Found recently welcomed two new medical experts to the leadership team. Dr. Rekha Kumar, Found's first Chief Medical Officer, is a globally recognized leader in Obesity Medicine and a practicing endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist. Dr. Acacia Parks is Found's Chief Behavioral Health Officer, bringing a background in digital therapeutic solutions and expertise in positive psychology from her training with Dr. Martin Seligman.

Hypergrowth

Driven by its incredibly engaged community, Found already serves tens of thousands of people who have lost nearly 300K pounds, with the average member losing 10% of their body weight by month six and keeping it off. Since the beginning of this year, Found has seen its annual run rate grow by 6x. More importantly, Found members have shared stories and photos about how they finished marathons, kept up with their grandchildren, fit into their wedding rings, and finally found healthier and more fulfilled versions of themselves. Found emphasizes these non-scale victories to reinforce that body positivity is key to lasting health outcomes.

IVP vehemently supports Found's mission to make evidence-based, sustainable weight care accessible for all and believes that Found's management team has the vision and experience to cement Found as the market leader in long-term weight care.

Found is hiring across all teams, so if you're passionate about transforming how people approach weight care and learning from incredible leaders like Sarah, Swathy, and Alex, find your next role at Found here and join the team that will define the category.

Jules Maltz, Joanne Shang, and Eric Liaw are investors at IVP, a later-stage venture capital firm.

LINK:	https://www.ivp.com/news/blog/found-its-not-just-about-what-you-lose-i...
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