The CQ | Introducing Roon: if Perplexity and a Clinically-Sound WebMD Had a Baby
Plus the Forerunner Team's Top Reads of the Week
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Last month, we introduced our newest portfolio company Roon, which is “essentially what you’d get if you combined WedMD with Perplexity, but trained only on doctor-led clinical information and answers.”
There have been many efforts to displace Dr. Google, and for good reason: 7% of Google’s searches are health-related, as it can easily take 2-3+ months to see a doctor, and even then, the journey for answers just begins. Here’s why Roon stands out: doctors love it. They are flocking to it. They see it as the ideal platform for catering to consumers who are hungry for trusted clinical guidance, while they get to build their brand (in a non-performative way, in contrast to social media) and combat the misinformation they see trickling into their clinics and making their jobs harder.
Check out Roon, which currently covers ALS, Glioblastoma, Dementia, and Fertility & Family Building, and in the next few months, will expand to Endometriosis, PCOS, menopause, breast cancer, cervical cancer, pediatrics, metabolic health and more.
What We’re Talking About on Slack:
Researchers found that the life expectancy gap in the U.S. widened to 20 years due to “truly alarming” health disparities. In 2000, life expectancy ranged from an average of 70.5 years for Americans at the lowest end to 83.1 years for those in the highest group—a 12.6-year difference. In 2010, the gap increased to 13.9 years, widened to 18.9 years in 2020, and then 20.4 years in 2021. During the pandemic, historically marginalized populations were hit the hardest. "These disparities reflect the unequal and unjust distribution of resources and opportunities that have profound consequences on well-being and longevity, especially in marginalized populations."
Sales of bibles are booming, fueled by first-time buyers and new versions. The WSJ looks at how print book bible sales in the U.S. have surged by 22% through October 2023, a sharp contrast to the overall increase in print book sales, which was under 1%. This is despite the fact that the country has become seemingly secularized—about 28% of Americans consider themselves religiously unaffiliated, according to Pew Research Center. Many say they are turning to the Bible for guidance and reassurance during turbulent times. “I felt something was missing. It’s a combination of where we are in the world, general anxiety and the sense that meaning and comfort can be found in the Bible.”
U.S. shoppers spent $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, up 7.3% over 2023. Analysts say this strong performance was due to shoppers waiting for the best discounts and using buy-now-pay-later loans for larger purchases. Total spending over the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday was $41.1 billion, an 8.2% increase over 2023. Popular categories included personal care, sporting goods, toys, jewelry, apparel, appliances, and electronics. Overall, online sales for November and December are expected to reach $240 billion, an 8.4% increase from last year.
I haul, therefore I am: The new storefront, Amazon Haul, is selling $20-or-less goods is cashing in on “haul culture,” the growing social media trend of buying large quantities of cheap items popularized by influencers and fast fashion brands Shein and Temu. Experts argue that this hyper-consumption fuels a compulsive, dopamine-chasing addiction to buy more, creating a cycle of instant gratification that leads to disposability and environmental concerns. “By focusing on the stuff—on the pleasure of piles, the allure of excess—each thing becomes less important, which means it is even more disposable. When the excitement of getting all that stuff wears off, the stuff itself doesn’t really matter. It just takes up space. And that means it’s easy to throw away.”
Americans say you need $5.3 million to be considered a success. According to a new survey, financial success is defined by an annual salary of $270,000 and a net worth of $5.3 million. These figures are a far cry from the average American income of around $67,000 a year, and the mean 401(k) balance of $127,100. Fewer than 40% of respondents consider themselves financially successful, with men (42%) more likely to do so than women (33%). Many cite the economy, lack of savings, and irregular income as obstacles to achieving financial success.
Human interaction is now a luxury good. Sociologist Allison Pugh, author of the new book “The Last Human Job,” explores how technology is altering "connective labor" — work that requires emotional understanding with others, for example, nurses, teachers, and hospital chaplains. After interviewing 100+ workers in various fields, Pugh has found that the increasing reliance on technology to monitor and streamline emotional labor is “making many jobs miserable for both workers and consumers.” In a world where AI is filling in gaps in services, it’s becoming more common that only the wealthy can afford “obsequious, leisurely human care.” What’s more, this loss of connective labor may be playing a part in the breakdown of institutional trust: “Having to interact with an extremely stressed person who is being rated on how many customers she sees a day or, alternatively, talking to a malfunctioning robot that keeps asking us if we’re human is making many of us feel our institutions don’t care about us at all.”
Pretty much all Gen Z knowledge workers are using AI. A survey from Google Workspace finds that 93% of Gen Z and 79% of millennials say they use two or more AI tools a week. What they are using them for ranges from revising emails and documents, and meeting note-taking to generating ideas; and 88% of Gen Z workers use AI as a way to tackle an overwhelming task.
Googling is for old people. That’s a problem for Google. In 2025, research projects Google’s share of the U.S. search-advertising market will decline below 50% for the first time since the company began tracking it. The tech giant faces several threats including declining search traffic as users shift to Amazon for shopping and TikTok for information, the rise of AI platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT that provide instant answers, as well as the degradation of the overall ecosystem of websites that Google depends on. “The company’s response—eliminating the need to click on links at all by offering AI-generated summaries—could accelerate the decline of the web.” Though Google reported strong revenue growth last quarter, the rate at which people clicked on ads that appear in search results was down 8% compared with a year ago.
Inside your body, aging unfolds at remarkably different rates. New research from Stanford University shows that each organ ages differently, which can determine what diseases one is at risk of getting, as well as their life span. And each person is unique in how their organs age—for instance, one person may have young lungs but an older heart and develop heart disease, while another may have a young heart and an older brain and develop dementia —scientists call this an “ageotype.” About 33% of participants had at least one organ that was “extremely” aged, compared with their actual ages; 26% had two or more extremely aged organs. The good news is that organ age “appears to be malleable,” so in the future, determining one’s ageotype may be a real possibility that can then influence health decisions.
‘We tire very quickly of being told that everything is on fire’: The New York Times takes a historical look from the 1930s through the present at what happens when officials, policymakers, and journalists use—or overuse—the term ‘crisis’ to bring attention to a public health issue. “Crisis framing tends to activate a mindset known as fatalism (a sense that the world itself is beyond repair), which in turn makes people apathetic and resistant to change…A far better strategy for instilling urgency or inspiring action is to show people that real solutions lie at the ready — that change is not only desirable, but eminently possible.”
Portfolio Highlights:
This year’s Inc.'s Best in Business honorees include Zola, Chime, Wonder, Hims & Hers, Oura, and Glossier, with a feature on Glossier’s growth.
Time recognizes Chime as one of the World’s Best Brands 2024.
Pie founder Andy Dunn writes about the two key factors that could make the difference between success and failure for your startup for Fortune.
Wonder CEO Marc Lore speaks to TechCrunch about ‘founder mode,’ the problems with avoiding risk and more.
Wired covers Oura’s new perimenopause report that reveals a gap in women’s health research.
ModernRetail reports on Wonder’s acquisition of Grubhub and its plans for expansion.
The Verge, Forbes and ZDNET cover the release of Oura’s latest feature that can determine signs that you’re getting sick.
Bustle reviews Duckbill, saying “app is too cool.”
Job of the Week:
Director of Influencer and Partnerships at The Farmer’s Dog. There are ~608 jobs currently available at portfolio companies, check ‘em out.