We can make it to Labor Day, folks, hang in there. 🗓️ 

VERY | Virtual Eating Recovery for You

Bobby Ferreri introduced me to J. Brandon Johnson [BJ], Co-Founder and CEO of VERY, back in July 2023. VERY is a psychiatrist-led, virtual, outpatient eating disorder program.

HD: First, who’s your Co-Founder?
BJ: The brains and beauty behind VERY is Dr. Erin Knopf. Best technical co-founder a person could hope for. She’s also my wife. Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer. University of Kentucky residency. 

HD: You all started VERY in Colorado. How come?
BJ: Erin worked at Eating Recovery Center [ERC] in Denver. During COVID she did a stint at ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders & Severe Malnutrition by Denver Health. Lots of talent around ERC. World class talent for eating disorders. We got our first patient three years ago in July. And we were both broke, couldn’t afford to move back to Kentucky as startup founders!

HD: How has VERY been funded to date?
BJ: Friends, family, angels. We’re almost to break even. Then we’ll look to partners for growth. We’ve got traction now. VERY’s readmissions rates are below 4% versus published industry averages of 40%. We’re proud of that.  

HD: What’s on the horizon for the company?
BJ: Profitability. Negotiating insurance contracts. Focused growth. We want to scale utilization with our providers. And we’re going to build out infrastructure. We’re looking at our technology stack. And we’re building out some AI tools to try to supplement our professionals. There’s a wide demographic of patients out there. Swaths of people that aren’t being treated for various eating disorders.

HD: You went to law school at UofL. And you’re a WKU alum. Any related news to share?
BJ: We moved back to Bowling Green on May 30. It’s good to be back in Kentucky around family and friends. I’m excited to get back into the startup scene a bit, too.

P.S.: Some of you might remember Brandon from The Johnson Law Group, PLLC.

Longevity, bro.

7wire Ventures on the longevity sector. “In 2024, longevity-focused startups attracted $8.5B in venture capital. The market—spanning anti-aging therapeutics to wellness tech—is expected to grow from $5.3T in 2023 to $8T by 2030.”

And, speaking of healthspan. Refer back to our conversation with Brian Kennedy, PhD, Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University of Singapore. He’s internationally recognized for his research on the basic biology of aging. And Brian was born in Louisville.

Also, Business First recently did a piece on Bradley Pierce’s Human Sync.

ED encounters for patients 65 years or older.

Interesting publication out of Boston.

LifeSciKY bourbon.

"95% of the world's bourbon is made in Kentucky. The other 5% is counterfeit."
- Every KY Governor

Neat, Christin!

Two, count them, two events! Ah, ah, ah!

Both at Story.

Tuesday, July 15—our monthly HealthTech Meetup. Casual networking. Register!

Tuesday, July 22—Alexander Ding, MD, MBA, in person. Alex wears multiple hats, including Venture Partner with SpringTide Ventures and Secretary of the Board of the American Medical Association. Get a ticket!

Show up!

Spread the word.