Wellknowlogy: 9/6/22

Wellknowlogy is a curious, honest, and caring source of weekly news & thoughts on innovations in the wellness industry; an efficient way for providers, technologists, investors, and enthusiasts to stay in sync and informed about endeavors to increase wellbeing. For filtered information concerning your particular venture, reach out to [email protected]

This week featured some interesting fundings for Peloton alternatives, good forward momentum for the term psychobiotics, more internal shifts at Calm, among other things.

I have rarely heard the term psychobiotics used to describe probiotics that are linked to mental health and hope it's used more. It's great branding that calls attention towards the tie between nutrition, gut health, and mental wellbeing. Any time branding like this is used to tie the discrete intervention to its broader role in the wellness ecosystem, it's a move in the right direction.

With that out of the way, here's what happened last week:

Fundings

• Hydrow raises new funds for smarter rowing

• With schools increasingly focused on mental health, PsycApps raises $1.7M for US expansion

• Muoverti raises Series A for its at-home tilt bike

• U4U Teen raises ore-seed to support teen girls mental health

• Øzers Nutrition raises $850K for vegan sports nutrition

• Sexual wellness startup MyMuse raises $1.2 million in funding led by Saama Capital

• Dutch digital fitness content platform Funxtion bulks up with €5.8 million

Neat Articles

• Whole government, whole country approach needed to end diet-related diseases

• TikTok mental health videos "inaccurate and irresponsible"

• What does it mean to be mentally 'well'?

• This founder wants to take on the biggest coaching startups with a group-focused approach

• Robots could help detect mental children wellbeing issues

• What digitical therapeutics can learn from the mental health industry they're disrupting

• Circadian rhythm disruption found to be common among mental health disorders

• How dating apps have mutated into melting pots for mental health issues

• Why health tech is key to holistic well-being

• Study on the value of a "habit coach"Psychobiotics: the gut-brain axis

Market News

• Calm's head of science departs amid a shakeup at meditation app maker

• Singapore scientists on track to commercialize fungi-based protein that upcycles food waste

• NYU magic mushrooms research funded by investor Carey Turnbull

• New health and fitness features in iOS 16 and watchOS 9

• Sequoia signs Gympass to its exclusive wellbeing bundles

• Purple Innovation acquires sleep and wellness firm Advanced Comfort Technologies in all-stock deal

• Pangenomic Health inc signs a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Mindleap Health inc.

• Caltech to study how the brain responds to virtual environments

Tidbits for You and Yours

• 8 affordable therapy options that don't require insurance

• Exploring the benefits of magnesium

• 5 Chrome extensions promoting mental health and productivity

Closing Kernel of Wisdom

Check out the Japanese philosophy of ikigai: a reason for being.

You got to the end! Nice. Feel free to forward this to anyone that may appreciate it. I'll give them a button below to put them on the list:

Wishing you a great week to come.

Warmly,

Dayton