Highlights

  • Function’s star-studded list of backers includes Hollywood actors Matt Damon, Kevin Hart, and Zac Effron, along with sports stars Blake Griffin and Colin Kaepernick.
  • For $499 a year, Function provides access to more than 100 lab tests measuring things like heart health, hormone levels, immunity, and aging factors.
  • In an effort to help people live 100 healthy years, the company says its approach is around five times more comprehensive than the average primary care provider’s lab tests.

Hollywood and sports stars like Matt Damon, Kevin Hart, Blake Griffin, and Colin Kaepernick have poured $53 million into the longevity platform Function, which aims to empower individuals to live past 100 in a healthy state. For $499 a year, the platform includes over 100 lab tests measuring things like heart function, hormone levels, nutrients, cancer signals, immunity, and aging factors.

Led by venture capitalist Andreesen Horowitz, the Function platform aims to give consumers much deeper assessments than physical exams provided by primary care physicians. In fact, Horowitz’s company that developed Function, a16z, estimates that its approach to health and well-being is about five times more comprehensive than lab tests from the average primary care physician.

Function, based in Austin, Texas, claims that it is the fastest-growing health service in the US. As such, since its initial launch in April 2023, the platform has amassed nearly 50,000 paying clients and has a waitlist of more than 200,000.

“Function is reinventing healthcare with speed and scale,” said Dr Vijay Pande, founding partner of a16z, to Longevity.Technology. “Their clear and novel approach to preventing suffering and avoidable deaths is setting a new standard for global health.”

Function to Address “Reactionary” Shortcomings to the Current Healthcare System

The founders of Function, including a renowned physician from the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Mark Hyman, developed the platform to address some of the shortcomings of the current healthcare system. Drawbacks to the healthcare system include “reactive” approaches to healthcare where people visit doctors for annual check-ups after symptoms have appeared.

“I wish I could see millions of patients,” said Dr. Hyman. “We are building Function to democratize so much of what I do and give you the keys to your own health. It is the most powerful approach to health I’ve seen in my career as a doctor.”

According to Function’s founders, the traditional reactionary approach of the current healthcare system, coupled with issues surrounding poor dietary choices, has triggered a rise in chronic, age-related problems like cardiovascular disease. There is also the issue of misdiagnoses due to an overburdened healthcare system.

Function aims to disrupt and upend these problems with the current healthcare system by removing barriers to extensive lab testing. With their platform, the founders of Function plan to provide evidence-backed insights and recommend disease-mitigating actions. They also plan to allow users to track health trends and transformations after they have initiated dietary and exercise-related changes.

“We’re introducing a revolutionary approach to lifelong health, starting with the most comprehensive lab testing to help you understand what’s actually happening inside your body and what to do to stay ahead of disease and feel your best,” said Function’s CEO Jonathan Swerdlin to Longevity.Technology. “We’re at a historical juncture where technology and culture are converging to redefine our relationship with our own biology.”

Combining Function with Physical Training from Equinox

Function has also revealed that it has formed a partnership with the fitness company Equinox. Through the integration of Function’s lab tests and actionable insights with exercise recommendations from Equinox’s network of trainers, the partnership aims to propel users to achieve their longevity-oriented goals.

“Making personal health data widely accessible, affordable, and easy to understand is a game-changer for everyone to take a proactive approach to improving their health and preventing disease,” said Blake Griffin, former NBA player and Function investor, to Longevity.Technology.