Function Health, a membership-based platform that gives consumers access to more than 100 different lab tests, on Tuesday announced the close of a sizable funding round — one that includes about a dozen celebrity investors.
The startup closed a Series A financing round that brought its total funding to date to $53 million. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and included a slew of other investors — including actors Matt Damon, Kevin Hart, Zac Efron and Pedro Pascal, as well as athletes like Blake Griffin, Colin Kaepernick and Joel Embiid.
Function, which has headquarters in Austin, has been in beta mode since April of last year. Since then, it has garnered nearly 50,000 paying members and a waitlist of over 200,000 people.
“Function is about a body that functions, mental health that functions and a medical system that functions. It’s about bringing people from dysfunction to function,” said CEO Jonathan Swerdlin. “Function represents what healthcare should truly be. It is made in your daily life, not just the doctor’s office. Joining Function is about knowing what’s actually happening inside your body, taking action, and tracking that over time to ensure lifelong health.”
For decades, the U.S. healthcare system has “prioritized outdated processes and profits,” with people primarily seeking care only for routine check-ups or during instances of severe discomfort, Swerdlin added. This approach to health, combined with the nation’s corrupted food systems, has led to worsening health disparities and a spike in chronic disease, he declared.
Function helps address this problem by removing barriers around extensive lab testing, Swerlin said.
“This shift from reactive to proactive is transformative and reflects a surging demand for health over healthcare,” he remarked.
A yearly membership to Function’s platform costs $499. This gives members access to more than 100 lab tests, including autoimmunity, heart, hormones, thyroid and metabolic.
Once testing is complete, members can use their personalized Function dashboard to access the results, which are individually reviewed by a licensed clinician, Swerlin explained. This allows users to track their test results and health progression over time, he added.
Swerlin described his startup’s target customer as “anyone over 18 who wants to take control of or optimize their health.”
While consumer-focused diagnostics are becoming increasingly common (think startups like Viome, LetsGetChecked, Ash Wellness), Function is a first-of-its-kind platform, argued Swerlin.
“It includes access to 100+ lab tests that measure numerous, important biomarkers across the human body. No other company gives you the ability to unlock this breadth of testing, let alone at an accessible cost. Function prioritizes transparent pricing with a single cost. Elsewhere, it could add to up to $15,000,” he declared.
Photo: Function Health
