Exclusive: Ilant Health seeds $3M for VBC obesity treatment

Obesity and weight management platform Ilant Health raised $3 million in its first funding round, CEO Elina Onitskansky tells Aaron exclusively.

Why it matters: Nationally, 41.9% of adults have obesity, and the nation lacks holistic approaches to mitigate obesity-caused illnesses.

Details: The seed round saw participation from several angels, including executives from Global Medical Response, CareBridge, Lyra Health, Cityblock Health, Sounder Health and Well.

• Ilant began fundraising last October, Onitskansky says.

How it works: NYC-based Ilant helps employers and health plans manage the cost and quality of obesity treatment, using a value-based care approach.

• The company identifies individuals who would benefit clinically and financially from treatment and matches those patients with the appropriate treatment.
• The company offers guidance across the full obesity treatment spectrum, like intensive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy that includes all potential medications — not just GLP-1s, and bariatric surgery.
• Ilant also provides access to obesity medicine physicians, mental health practitioners and nutritionists, along with peer navigators.

What they're saying: "We have a fundamental belief that the only way to see change is if it works within the broader ecosystem," Onitskansky says.

• "When it comes to obesity options today, there are a lot of hammers in search of nails," she adds. "We believe in a holistic and individualized approach to obesity."
• "If you are not driving outcomes, it will not work long-term," she says.

What's next: "The runway for this round depends on the speed of our customer acquisitions," Onitskansky says.

The big picture: Obesity rates are on the rise, and the condition is linked to worsened outcomes from COVID-19.

State of play: The weight management investment has been continuing to rise, with lots of attention drawn to the sector because of GLP-1s, mainly Ozempic.

• Alfie Health raised $2.1 million in pre-seed funding.
• Knownwell raised $4.5 million in seed funding.
• Enara Health raised $6 million in seed funding.

🌳 1 fun thing: Ilant comes from the Hebrew word for trees.

• "Trees are a symbol of health and growth and trees also grow from their roots, which tell their journey," she says.
• "I want Ilant to provide everything I felt had been missing in my own journey with obesity," she adds — evidence-based care, respectful and compassionate clinicians, and treatment without stigma.