Boston metabolic health startup knownwell, co-founded by Dallas native, opens clinic in Plano » Dallas Innovates

Knownwell Headquarters and Clinic in Boston. [Photo: knownwell]

Knownwell, a “weight-inclusive” primary care and metabolic health company founded in Boston in 2022, is expanding with the opening of a clinic in Plano, Texas. The expansion into North Texas is a natural progression for the startup’s co-founder and CEO, who is a Dallas native. Brooke Boyarsky Pratt.

Brooke Boyarsky Pratt

As new GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic shake up the weight loss industry, KnownWell points out that comprehensive metabolic care isn’t always delivered at the same time, so the startup aims to “lead the shift for health systems, payers, and employers from thinking about having a GLP-1 strategy to having a comprehensive obesity treatment strategy.”

Knownwell’s goal is to be a healthcare home for overweight and obese patients, “eliminating the stigma and focusing on the root causes of patients’ symptoms.”

“In a market currently crowded with companies looking to offer short-term GLP-1 solutions, we are proud to be the only comprehensive, clinically-based, patient-centered home for overweight and obese patients,” Boyarsky-Pratt said in a statement. “Overweight and obese patients know how difficult it can be to find comprehensive, insurance-based, non-stigmatizing, clinically-based health care. knownwell exists as a health care home for patients who have long been stigmatized by the health care system because of their body size.”

The Plano clinic, located at 5425 W Spring Creek Pkwy Suite 200, is expected to open in late summer or early fall and will provide Dallas patients with “high-quality evidence-based obesity and weight management medical care through primary care, nutrition counseling, behavioral health services and more.”

Raised $20 million in Series A in December

In December, knownwell announced it had raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreesen Horowitz (a16z) Bio + Health, with participation from existing investors including Flare Capital Partners, which led the series seed round, bringing the startup’s total funding to $24.5 million.

Knownwell was co-founded by Boyarsky-Pratt, who has suffered from obesity her whole life, and Dr. Angela Fitch, president and chief medical officer of the Obesity Medicine Society. According to the company, the co-founders “combined their experiences to create a weight management care company that effectively collaborates with patients in a clinical, patient-driven approach to deliver long-term results.” Boyarsky-Pratt has an MBA from Harvard, so it’s not too surprising that the company was founded in the Greater Boston area.

Inside Knownwell’s Boston Clinic [Photo: knownwell]

Knownwell said it aims to use the new funding to expand its clinics and telehealth services while partnering with health systems, payers and employers to deliver care.

With this funding, The company will be “focused on product development, including incorporating AI-enabled patient stratification, asynchronous communication and provider workflow enablement tools into the care model,” Knownwell said. We partner with and participate in clinical trials with major pharmaceutical companies.

“Overweight and obese patients know how difficult it is to find comprehensive, insurance-based, non-stigma, clinically-based care,” Boyarsky-Pratt said in December. “KnowWell exists to be a medical home for patients who have long been stigmatized by the health care system because of their size.”

Acquisition of Alfie Health, hiring of senior management

Last week, Knownwell announced the acquisition of New York City-based Alfie Health, a virtual obesity management clinic that uses AI to provide advice to help patients lose weight. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Knownwell said it will leverage the acquisition to integrate Alfie’s AI-powered “ObesityRx” platform into its current care model. Alfie’s technology analyzes patients’ medical histories to determine the most effective treatment strategies for sustainable metabolic health improvements, leveraging a data-driven approach to balance costs and improve outcomes, Knownwell said.

The acquisition marks Knownwell’s first executive hires since its founding in 2022. Chief Operating Officer James Chaukos and Chief Growth Officer John Frager will join Boyarsky Pratt & Fitch’s existing executive leadership team.

Launch of Knownwell Teens

Concurrent with the Series A round announcement, the company also unveiled knownwell teens, a new clinical service designed to support the 14 million children and teens living with obesity in the U.S. Created by the startup’s experts in obesity medicine, the new model aims to help patients improve their metabolic health through the company’s inclusive, shame-free and blame-free model of care.