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Culina Health is a Hoboken, New Jersey-based digital health platform that connects patients with registered dietitians for virtual, insurance-covered clinical nutrition coaching and chronic disease management. The company operates across all fifty states, employing a clinical team of more than 90 dietitians who have conducted over 80,000 telehealth sessions for a patient base exceeding 10,000 individuals. Its personalized care services are reimbursed by major commercial insurers and Medicare, while the platform receives patient referrals from a network of over 1,000 physicians. Following a reported 117 percent year-over-year growth rate, the enterprise secured a $7.9 million Series A round in January 2025 led by Healthworx, the investment arm of CareFirst, bringing its total raised capital to $20 million. The former NFLPA Pitch Day winner was founded in 2020 by Vanessa Rissetto and Tamar Samuels.
Culina Health has raised $13.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Culina Health has raised $13.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Culina Health has raised $13.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $8.0M Series A in December 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2024 | $8M Series A | Healthworx | Rethink Impact, Sameer Bhalla, Tien Tzuo | Announced |
| May 1, 2022 | $5M Seed | Healthworx | Andreessen Horowitz, Arkitekt Ventures, Ballistic Ventures, Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, Founders Fund, Greenoaks Capital, IVP, Lightspeed Venture Partners, MizMaa Ventures, Rethink Impact, Ribbit Capital, SciFi VC, South Park Commons, TCV, Tiger Global Management, Vamos Ventures, Y Combinator, Adam Gries, Andrew Nutter, Elad GIL, Justin Mateen, Larry Summers, Sameer Bhalla, Shane Neman, Tien Tzuo, C2 Investment, Cake Ventures, First Round Capital, FPV Fund, Jeremy Zimmer, Leonardo Dicaprio, Louis Beryl, Marc Benioff, Ryan Tedder, Sound Ventures, Susa Ventures, Voyager Ventures | Announced |
Culina Health is a digital health platform that connects patients with registered dietitians for personalized virtual nutrition care, covered by most major insurance plans. Founded in 2020 by registered dietitians Vanessa Rissetto and Tamar Samuels (with Steven Kuyan as a co-founder), it serves individuals nationwide across all 50 U.S. states, addressing conditions like weight loss, diabetes, gastrointestinal health, heart health, hormone health, eating disorders, and more through evidence-based, culturally competent coaching.[1][2][3][4][5] The proprietary Culina Health Method emphasizes empathetic, collaborative care informed by the latest research, delivering outcomes like sustained weight loss and chronic disease management that exceed industry standards, without restrictive diets or calorie counting.[2][5] With $20M raised—including a $7.9M Series A in December 2024 led by Healthworx—it powers growth via team expansion, payer partnerships, AI integration, and marketing to scale access to clinical nutrition.[3]
Culina Health emerged in 2020 from the vision of co-founders Vanessa Rissetto and Tamar Samuels, both registered dietitians frustrated by the inaccessibility of quality nutritional care amid rising reliance on unverified AI tools and social media influencers.[1][4] Alongside Steven Kuyan, they built a telehealth platform to deliver clinician-led, insurance-covered support, starting in Hoboken, New Jersey, and quickly expanding nationwide.[3][4][5] Early traction included winning the NFLPA Pitch Day in February 2023 before a record audience, securing prizes like $25K in player marketing from the NFLPA and PitchBook data access, validating its scalable model for personalized, culturally competent care.[4] This momentum fueled partnerships and a proven track record in outcomes, setting the stage for venture funding.[2][3]
Culina Health rides the digital health and tele-nutrition boom, amplified by post-pandemic virtual care adoption, GLP-1 drug integration (e.g., for weight loss), and payer demands for cost-effective chronic disease management amid rising U.S. healthcare costs.[3] Its timing aligns with market forces like insurance expansion for preventive nutrition and skepticism toward non-clinical advice from influencers or AI, positioning it to fill gaps in whole-person care.[1][3] By scaling evidence-based interventions, it influences the ecosystem through payer partnerships (e.g., CareFirst via Healthworx), physician collaborations, and outcomes that reduce long-term costs—potentially impacting millions as investors note its deployable model.[3] This counters fragmented wellness trends, promoting clinician-led nutrition as a cornerstone of value-based care.
Culina Health is primed to dominate accessible nutrition care, leveraging its $7.9M Series A for AI enhancements, team growth, and partnerships to reach more patients amid surging demand for personalized, insurance-backed telehealth.[3] Trends like AI-driven personalization, GLP-1 synergies, and payer shifts toward preventive health will accelerate its trajectory, potentially evolving it into a full-spectrum chronic care platform with broader ecosystem influence via data-driven outcomes. As virtual nutrition matures, Culina's clinician-first edge will sustain its lead, transforming how millions prioritize sustainable health over fleeting fads—echoing its founding mission to make expert care truly universal.[1][3][5]
Culina Health has raised $13.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Culina Health's investors include Healthworx, Rethink Impact, Sameer Bhalla, Tien Tzuo, Andreessen Horowitz, Arkitekt Ventures, Ballistic Ventures, Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, Founders Fund, Greenoaks Capital, IVP.
