014 - What I'm Reading Week of October 8th
👋 Hello everyone.
🔗 Every link in this newsletter routes back to my blog where I provide a summary, my opinion, and access to the original content.
⭐️ = What excites me most this week.
💭 This week’s newsletter features a digital health app using big data, crowdsourcing & more for better patient outcomes, questions around the future of brand aggregators, a skin & hair tele-dermatology cosmeceutical startup, a startup preventing the spread of microplastics, a promising psoriasis treatment, and reports on health funding, gaming, beauty, and more…
🗞 NEWS & PRODUCTS
⭐️ Alike, a digital health app, allowing consumers to find medically similar cohorts to discover new treatment options and a supportive community.
Amazon aggregators have been popping up and receiving funding at a rapid pace, driving up valuations of Amazon business, the cost of Amazon ads and more. There are a number of articles published this week suggesting a potential implosion on the horizon for these aggregators, and that E-Comm accelerators not roll-ups could be a more successful route forward. Pattern is one of these accelerators.
Bisu Body, the Japanese diagnostics wellness company, has raised its seed and launched its Beta in the US & Europe. The lab on a stick company gives actionable insights for daily reads on hydration, vitamins, and much more. The test strips are disposable and biodegradable.
🧴 Skin:
⭐️ Delhi based Clinikally, offers skin & hair teledermatology through a cosmeceutical lens.
MitraBio is developing a platform, linking skin aging and epigenetics to develop the next generation of skincare.
Terrakai is a new skincare brand based on Australian botanicals and the first brand from Zephana Pty Ltd. The line includes a number of different cleanser, once it launches it will be interesting to see how they plan on explaining the ingredients and different cleanser.
Juvia’s Skin is a new skincare line for melanin rich skin, from the founder of Juvia’s Place. The line includes a number of treatments including three different levels of Vitamin 15%, 20%, and 25%. From first glance it is a bit confusing how and which products are meant to be used together.
💊 Supplements:
Vitapod is a new startup offering at home drink system blending freshly filtered water with vitamins, minerals, antioxidant, and electrolytes. The pods themselves do not seem highly differentiated from other brands like Hydrant or Liquid IV. The brand claims the at-home blending device filters water removing micro-plastics, and cooling tap water to an ideal temperature…but there is a bigger question about whether the device is truly necessary.
True Grace, a newly launched supplement brand focused on regenerative farming for nutrient dense ingredients. It is not super clear whether their own ingredients are sourced from regenerative farms.
Innate Co, a UK based wellness startup’s first product is a daily synbiotic promoting gut health along with mental health benefits. The product’s positioning of wellness + science is quite similar to Seed.
♻️ Sustainable Design:
Climatiq, a Berlin based startup, building the Wikipedia of carbon footprinting, offering an open source tool to track and measure the carbon footprint of most companies.
⭐️ Calyxia is developing microcapsules for homecare and beyond to solve the microplastics problem.
👩🔬 Femtech:
⭐️ Jennis Cyclemapping, an app connecting hormonal health to optimize fitness performance.
&Me, the Bangalore based female wellness startup has been acquired by GlobalBees, the India based digital brand aggregator. It is GlobalBees’ second acquisition.
Hormona, a hormone diagnostics startup helping to track and gain insights for hormonal health.
Tuune (formerly Pexxi) is paving the way for the future of personalized hormonal health.
🛍 Retail (e-Comm, Social Commerce, B2B Marketplaces):
China’s beauty retail has grown significantly over the last few years, this article peaks into three new store models.
🔬RESEARCH
⭐️ Glycerin (oral and topical) is shown to be an effective treatment for psoriasis in mice.
Nature is reporting findings from a real world study demonstrating efficacy of HEPA filters to clean the air of COVID. The study has yet to be peer-reviewed but is a promising confirmation that there are solutions to ensuring safer air quality.
🧐 REPORTS
Sifted X Lego Ventures: Game On: Leveling Up to New Social, Education, & Immersive Worlds. A look at how gaming is contributing to larger social good.
Perfect Corp: Global Beauty Trends Report 2021 - a look at color trends and trends emerging post pandemic.
Rock Health: Q3 Digital Health Funding - highlighting growing funding to female founders and female health, along with funding going toward the equity health gap, and insights on the funding space as well as a future of consolidated companies.
Piper Sandler - Semi Annual Teen Shopping Survey - a look at the consumer shopping habits of America’s teens. Insights into beauty, fashion, retail and more.
🦷 CareQuest Institute of Oral Health: State of Health Equity -Pandemic-related events appear poised to create a spike in oral disease among adults
💡Enjoy,
-Anne