Biohacking app taps into personalization demands

13 Aug 2020 --- Biohacking could become a “leading lifestyle category,” according to US-based Unfair, a new start-up that allows app users to track their supplement intake. The digital coach is named after the “unfair” advantage its customers can reap. Its first supplement line is designed with millions of data points to increase focus, physical performance and longevity. The company uses a “deep-learning neural network” that analyzes physiological responses to activity, chemicals and nutrition.

Unfair positions itself as a reimagination of the biohacking industry for a consumer audience. However, Guillaume Champeau, Founder and CMO of Unfair, tells NutritionInsight that biohacking is a polarizing term due to fringe behavior, ranging from off-label pharmaceutical drug consumption to DIY CRISPR experiments.

“For us, biohacking is simply finding ways to optimize physical and mental performance, like that morning cup of coffee that brings wakefulness and a sense of focus. Most of us are biohackers without even knowing it. Unfair aims to transform biohacking from a niche pursuit to a leading lifestyle category,” he explains.

A “velvet rope” approach
Champeau and Stephen Walker II, Founder and CEO of Unfair, both have a background in digital products and mobile coaching apps, having met as executives at mobile fitness company Freeletics. “In a way, building an app was scratching our own itch. But to build a truly great app experience, you have to solve a real problem in the lives of your customers, which is incredibly intuitive and fun. It’s a very different world from e-commerce where it’s a transactional funnel attached to an auto-responder to drive repeat business,” details Walker.

Unfair’s app launched in private beta in June, attracting thousands of users. “Unlike social media platforms where network effects matter most, we’re taking a measured approach to our rollout. As optimistic and passionate about this industry as we are, we prioritize human health and safety first. Our focus today is rolling out in the US by early 2021,” explains Walker. 

Current app usage is global, although primarily focused on North America and Europe, with Australia and South America as well. The company expects to see this trend continue with its digital products. The Unfair team – now composed of the founders, doctors, scientists and machine-learning engineers – is developing its first commercial product, while conducting double-blind studies on a proprietary, data-informed supplement line.

According to Walker, there have been two categories of learning from the beta-launch so far: building the right product and understanding what really drives consumer behavior. While the launch was pushed back a week to add a few more app features, Walker notes that in hindsight, it didn’t matter. 

“Watching the onboarding analytics, I realized that our first onboarding flow wasn’t doing its primary job of setting up a new user for success with using the Unfair app. We rebuilt the onboarding flow and relaunched it for the next wave of users. It can’t be said enough: launch early and iterate. Our velvet rope approach to onboarding waves of new people allows us to spot and fix problems with a smaller blast radius,” he explains. Unfair has some similarities and differences with personalized supplement subscription services. 

Tweaking personalization
Unfair has some similarities and differences with already existing personalized supplement subscription services, which are becoming increasingly popular. In July, a digital business spun out of Chelsea Football Club launched a personalized sports nutrition service called Blue Fuel. Pharmavite and Heights have also made recent moves in the supplement subscription space. 

“Today, we provide personalized recommendations for supplements and stacks, but we’re not creating individualized supplements or personalized vitamin packs. The app helps people find supplements and stacks supporting their goals while tracking intake and perceived effects over time. We cataloged over 140 supplements and have over 50 stacks, some of them contributed by our community.”

Last month, Glanbia and PLT Health Solutions noted that stacking – the practice of combining micronutrients, hydration, satiety and other needs into a personalized “stack” – is an upcoming trend to watch. 

To select its supplement offerings, Unfair currently uses a four-stage selection process that starts by looking at an internal analysis of published studies. Then the co-founders are used as “free lab rats” for short-term qualitative insights, the results are taken to a scientific advisory board for review, and then a double-blind study is held.

During onboarding, Unfair’s app creates a personalized profile for its users based on a number of questions, including about gender and goals. “Behind the scenes, we correlate supplements and stacks to thousands of scientific studies measuring specific outcomes. Customers self-report effects to enhance their profile further. Everyone’s physiology is unique and there are outliers for some supplements. For instance, [Champeau] and I react completely differently to acetyl-L-carnitine, an amino acid sometimes used for focus.” says Walker. 

The company’s goal is to enhance the recommendation accuracy with additional information – from smartphone sensors to lab tests. However, it is still in the early stages of designing how this might work. Unfair is in talks with partners that specialize in lab tests and Walker imagines a future where this is a “seamless service.”

By Katherine Durrell