Quantified Self Goes Mainstream
scott belsky
@scottbelsky
+0.1%
since Aug 4
The idea
I believe personal health tracking is about to go fully mainstream, with frequent blood testing, wearable sensors, and personalized protocols becoming normal habits within a couple of years, not niche biohacker stuff. Since the purest plays are private, I built a basket owning the public stack that spend flows through: body sensors and diagnostics as steadier ballast, telehealth and protocol sellers for the punchy momentum side, plus GLP-1 exposure for the wave of newly biomarker-curious people.
What it owns
- Wearables and continuous glucose monitors form the always-on data layer of the quantified self. · DexcomIts over-the-counter CGM is crossing continuous glucose monitoring from medical devices into the hands of healthy optimizers., Abbott LaboratoriesIts Libre franchise is the volume leader in glucose sensing and the diversified way to own the CGM-goes-mainstream trend., AppleIts Watch is becoming the default dashboard where mainstream consumers see their biomarkers as health sensing capabilities expand., GarminIt monetizes the committed quantified-self user through high-margin hardware as fitness-segment revenue grows.23%
- Every consumer blood panel runs through a handful of lab networks that get paid per test. · Labcorp HoldingsIt operates the blood-testing rails that consumer platforms run on, with every mainstream panel needing lab processing., Quest DiagnosticsIt sells blood panels directly to consumers and is a required counterparty for most DTC testing startups., NateraIts genetic and molecular panels are moving from specialist medicine toward proactive personal health screening., Guardant HealthIts blood-based cancer screening represents the endgame of quantified self, a routine draw that screens healthy people.19%
- Telehealth platforms serve as the primary retail channel where consumers access personalized protocols, peptides, and prescriptions at scale. · Hims & Hers HealthIt operates the most accessible direct-to-consumer platform for personalized health protocols including GLP-1s, hormones, and subscription care, capturing a growing consumer trend toward quantified self-management., LifeMDIt is a smaller telehealth platform riding the same GLP-1 and personalized-protocol wave as larger incumbents., Teladoc HealthIts installed base of members is the distribution channel for chronic-condition and metabolic programs if health optimization goes mainstream.15%
- If testing volume expands significantly, makers of machines and reagents win regardless of which consumer brand dominates. · Thermo Fisher ScientificIt supplies instruments and consumables behind nearly every blood panel, so rising testing volumes flow through it regardless of which consumer brand wins., Agilent TechnologiesIt makes the analytical instruments labs use to run and validate tests, providing diversified exposure to expanding testing throughput., DanaherIts diagnostics and bioprocessing businesses are upstream of both the testing wave and the GLP-1 manufacturing boom., IlluminaIts sequencers power the genetic layer of personalized health, making it the sequencing toll road for consumer genomics panels.14%
- Weight-loss drugs pull millions of ordinary people into tracking their biomarkers for the first time. · Eli LillyIts tirzepatide franchise is the single biggest force pulling millions into caring about their biomarkers and normalizing metabolic optimization., Novo NordiskIt pioneered the GLP-1 category and, alongside competitors, is normalizing metabolic health as a consumer topic.13%
- Tailored supplements and protein-forward nutrition are where optimization habits show up in the grocery cart. · BellRing BrandsIts Premier Protein brand converts biomarker awareness into shake volume growth as health optimizers prioritize protein intake., Simply Good FoodsIts high-protein, low-sugar brands monetize glucose-aware eating as the behavioral downstream of CGMs and blood panels.7%
- Other · OURA3%
- Cash7%