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Derek Flanzraich

Entrepreneur and Investor based in Austin, Texas

Derek Flanzraich: Mission-Driven Entrepreneur Democratizing Health & Wellness

Derek Flanzraich is a mission-driven entrepreneur passionate about making health and wellness more accessible and affordable for everyone. He is the founder and CEO of Ness, a wellness-based fintech company that aims to reduce the cost of wellcare through innovative solutions like a credit card that rewards healthy purchases.12

Background

  • Founded Greatist, a leading health and wellness media company for millennials, which he grew to 10-20M unique visitors per month before selling to Healthline/Red Ventures in 20194
  • Worked as an advisor, consultant and investor in the health and healthcare space for about a year and a half before starting Ness3
  • Serves as a Venture Partner at Lakehouse Ventures and LP at Everywhere Ventures4
  • Advisory Board member of NOCD, a leading provider of evidence-based treatment for OCD4

Ness: Aligning Incentives in Healthcare

At Ness, Derek is building a credit card and rewards platform that incentivizes healthy behaviors by offering kickbacks for fitness memberships, wellness experiences, healthy food, and more.12 The goal is to create a "wedge into healthcare" and align incentives between care providers and consumers to make wellcare more accessible.12

Derek believes that the high cost of living a healthy lifestyle is a major barrier for most people, and Ness aims to address this by making it more affordable.3 The company hopes its credit card will redefine people's relationships with their health and wellbeing.2

Mission to Democratize Health

Derek's mission to democratize health and wellness stems from his own personal struggles with weight growing up and a desire to build brands and products that meet people where they are at and empower them to improve their health.3 He is passionate about making health more approachable and accessible for all, not just those who already have the means.3

With Ness, Derek is taking another big swing at his mission, building a company from scratch with the potential to meaningfully impact the healthcare industry by changing the incentive structure.5 His track record of success with Greatist and mission-driven approach make him a leader to watch in the rapidly evolving consumer health and wellness space.

Highlights

Jun 11 · twitter

Finally, @meetgranola for the rest of us (stubborn PC users). Thank you @cjpedregal👏

Jan 22 · twitter

1/ 🚨 Healthcare marketing is harder (and pricier) than ever. CAC keeps climbing, platforms like Google and Meta are tightening restrictions, and relying on paid ads is riskier than ever.

So, what’s the best solution? Content marketing. Here’s why: 🧵

Related Questions

What inspired Derek Flanzraich to start Ness?
How did founding Greatist influence the creation of Ness?
What are the main benefits of the Ness credit card?
How does Ness plan to align incentives between healthcare providers and consumers?
What consumer trends in health and wellness spending has Derek observed?
Derek Flanzraich
Derek Flanzraich, photo 1
Derek Flanzraich, photo 2
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Experience

Advising, Consulting, & Investing at Healthyish Ventures, Limited Partner at The Fund, Board Director at 305 Fitness, Venture Partner at Lakehouse Ventures

Education

AB from Harvard University, Attended Ransom Everglades High School

Location

Austin, Texas, United States