Forward Health \USA

Step 2 - Validation (Months 4-6): Add at-home diagnostics (Everlywell metabolic panel pre/post treatment) and wearable integration (Apple Health, Oura). Build employer ROI dashboard showing cost savings (weight loss → reduced diabetes risk → $5K+ savings per employee). Cold outreach to 100 HR leaders at 200-1,000 employee companies (target: tech startups, professional services with high healthcare costs). Offer pilot: Free for first 50 employees, $200/employee/year after pilot. Goal: Sign 3 employer pilots (150 total employees), convert 20% to active GLP-1 users (30 patients). Validate: Will employers pay? Can we prove ROI? Refine AI protocols based on 50+ patient interactions. Add features: medication side effect monitoring, nutrition coaching, exercise plans. Tech additions: Everlywell API, Apple HealthKit, Metabase dashboards. Cost: $30K (dev) + $15K (sales outreach) + $10K (diagnostics) = $55K. Revenue: 30 patients × $400/month × 3 months = $36K.

Step 3 - Growth (Months 7-12): Scale to 10 employer customers (500 employees, 100 active GLP-1 users). Build self-service employer onboarding (Stripe billing, automated ROI reports, employee invitation flows). Expand physician network to 20+ via Wheel (ensure <24hr wait times for video visits). Launch referral program (employees get $50 credit for referrals). Add CGM integration (Dexcom API) for real-time glucose monitoring. Build AI-powered personalized meal plans and exercise routines. Hire 2 customer success reps to manage employer relationships. Invest in content marketing (SEO blog on metabolic health, YouTube testimonials, LinkedIn thought leadership). Goal: $400K ARR (100 patients × $400/month × 12 months = $480K, minus churn). Validate: Can we scale to 100 patients with 2 FTEs? Is AI quality maintained? Tech additions: CGM integration, referral system, employer self-service portal. Cost: $100K (2 FTEs) + $50K (dev) + $30K (marketing) = $180K. Revenue: $400K ARR. Gross margin: 75% ($300K gross profit).

Step 4 - Moat (Months 13-24): Expand to 50 employer customers (2,500 employees, 500 active patients). Build proprietary AI models fine-tuned on 500+ patient outcomes (weight loss trajectories, side effect patterns, adherence predictors). Launch second vertical: diabetes prevention program (metformin + lifestyle coaching, $200/month). Integrate with employer EHR systems (Redox API) to pull claims data and prove ROI with hard numbers (reduced ER visits, lower medication costs). Build predictive models: identify high-risk employees (pre-diabetic, obese, hypertension) and proactively outreach. Raise $3M seed round (a16z Bio + Health, General Catalyst) on traction: $2.4M ARR, 500 patients, 75% gross margins, <$200 CAC, $7,200 LTV (18-month avg retention × $400/month). Use capital to: (1) Hire 10-person team (eng, sales, ops), (2) Build mobile app (React Native), (3) Expand to 5 additional conditions (hypertension, PCOS, thyroid, sleep apnea, chronic pain), (4) Launch insurance billing (get in-network with Cigna, Aetna for employer plans). Goal: $5M ARR by month 24, 1,000+ active patients, 100+ employer customers. The moat: proprietary AI models trained on real patient outcomes that outperform human physicians for metabolic care, employer distribution channel that's hard to replicate, and vertical integration (AI + physicians + pharmacy + diagnostics) that creates switching costs.