Withings, the leader in at-home connected health, today announces the acquisition of 8fit, a worldwide health, fitness, and wellness app with more than 40 million downloads. Available in 6 languages, 8fit offers effcient workouts, customized meal plans, and self-care guidance to users. Its capabilities further strengthen Withings’ ongoing strategy to develop personalized programs that combine sophisticated data with actionable insights that empower users to modify behavior. The company intends to invest more than $30 million in the next three years to accelerate the development of this personalized support.
This news follows last month’s announcement of the acquisition of Impeto Medical, a specialist in R&D, manufacturing, and distribution of innovative medical devices for physicians. Both are part of the company’s ongoing investment to improve health through data from innovative connected health devices coupled with insighful expert advice based on behavioral science.
In the context of rising health concerns worldwide, users’ expectations and behavior have shifted towards a need for even more personalized support, through digital solutions such as health & wellbeing apps: acquiring 8fit is the first step in Withings’ ambition to provide value-added support to users.
Withings integrates 8fit into its health offering to strengthen personalized wellness capabilities
Launched in 2014, 8fit promotes healthy lifestyles by providing personalized nutrition, physical activity, and mindfulness programs that address all aspects of its users’ health to help them achieve their goals. The app offers thousands of supervised and customizable workouts such as HIIT, boxing, Pilates, yoga or meditation, and hundreds of balanced, healthy, and easy-to-prepare recipes. Like Withings, 8fit puts the user’s health at the center of its personalized plans. Far from being a sports performance app, 8fit shares with Withings a vision focused on long-term health.
Device and Advice
Since introducing the worlds’ first connected scale in 2009, Withings has continually innovated and built the largest connected health ecosystem in the market, comprised of smart scales, blood pressure monitors, smartwatches, sleep monitors, and thermometers. Its devices capture 20 vital health parameters such as blood pressure, ECG, weight, heart rate, activity levels, and sleep patterns to help people achieve health goals and detect changes in their health status.
Withings’ easy-to-use and non-invasive devices offer best in class health metrics that support a longitudinal understanding of holistic health. On average, Withings’ scales users weigh themselves every 3 days, suggesting strong engagement already with the device. When combined with behavior change nudges, users will be supported and motivated to make behavioral and lifestyle changes that improve outcomes.
The move to pair personalized health insights with Withings health data was first announced at CES 2022, with the unveiling of Body Scan, a sophisticated health station with the ability to monitor segmental body composition, assess nerve activity and assess heart rhythm using a 6-lead ECG. Going beyond weight management, when launched in H2, 2022 Body Scan will also come with in-app access to personalized, holistic plans encompassing sleep, physical exercise, nutrition, and stress reduction, as well as clinical specialists for those who require more support.
About Withings
Established in 2008, Withings, is a world leader in connected health technology. Its team of engineers, data scientists, and healthcare professionals have enthused every day, elegant lifestyle objects with medical and wellness capabilities to efficiently track health vitals. Its range of in-home devices can monitor more than 20 health parameters and are used daily by millions of people worldwide. Its portfolio of devices includes connected scales, hybrid watches, smart thermometers, blood pressure monitors, and sleep trackers to empower individuals to take control of their health and track medical and wellness data.
About 8fit
Launched in 2014, 8fit simplifies healthy living by providing tailored guidance in one easy to use app. Designed to meet people at their level, 8fit provides thousands of guided, customizable workouts that can be done anywhere, and hundreds of delicious, healthy, easy to make recipes curated into a customizable plan. Based in Berlin with over 20 employees, 8fit is a global leader in the health & fitness space with over 40 million app downloads.
About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor with two fund strategies: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The firm operates out of offices in Utrecht (The Netherlands), Frankfurt (Germany) and Cambridge (United States). Gilde Healthcare Venture&Growth invests in fast growing, innovative companies active in (bio)pharmaceuticals, healthtech and medtech that are based in Europe and North America. For more information, please visit: www.gildehealthcare.com.