Cash for calories: Bearn marketplace integration brings AI-driven health app to 9 million new users

17 Aug 2021 --- Health and wellness technology company Bearn has signed an agreement to expand its marketplace reach to over nine million new potential users. The Bearn app utilizes AI to measure users’ nutrition, fitness, sleep, weight and other metrics while incentivizing them to improve through discount rewards at stores around the US. 

“The more focus individuals place on improving their health, the more they earn,” says the company. The new marketplace integration has built Bearn’s reach to consumers and expanded the reward base to 4,500 new retailers. 

Bearn is currently closing a series A investment round of US$20M before a full launch in November. 

As of July 21, Bearn marketplace users have redeemed US$12.5 million in travel and hotel redemptions, US$5 million in products and services, and have access to 21,000 reward offers across 4,500 retail brand partners nationwide. 

Advanced Human Imaging 
Bearn is in partnership with Australian AI company Advanced Human Imaging (AHI), which has developed scanning technology capable of measuring human health indicators through smartphone cameras. 

Currently, AHI has built three scanning technologies under its CompleteScan portfolio: 

• BodyScan, which measures body circumference, composition and health indicators like waist-hip ratio.
• FaceScan, which uses Transdermal Optical Imaging to measure vital signs, cardiac workload and related health risks.
• DermaScan, which can recognize 588 skin conditions with 97 percent accuracy. 

A fourth technology, HemaScan, which conducts blood biomarker chronic disease assessment, is currently under development. 

With these technologies integrated into the Bearn app, CEO Aaron Drew says the company has developed a revolutionary approach to health management and disease prevention. 

Businesses can use the app to encourage and reward proactive health among employees.

The Bearn Marketplace
Once users have established baseline metrics through the app, they can earn monetary rewards by making progress in any given area of their health. 

Rewards include cash prizes, discounts on health products, concert tickets and resorts. Monthly marketplace averages amount to US$4.3 million in merchandise, US12.1 million in hotel bookings and 21,000 local deal redemptions.

“The assistance we have received from AHI both in early financial support and the technology integration has played a big role in advancing the technology and attractive both partners and the immense number of users we have pre-registered,” asserts Drew.

“I believe Bearn will become the leader in wellness, reward and health outcomes. No other platform offers the rewards we do or the ability to capture real-time data for goals and engagement.” 

Getting personal with health
In addition to consumers being able to earn “cash for active calories burned,” Bearn is creating what it says is the first-ever health credit score for consumers. 

This is a proprietary Health Credit Score, similar to a financial credit score, which will aggregate multiple sources of verified health information in one place, enabling users to assess their “individual” health status and identify areas to focus on for their own improvements.

Bearn joins a booming market becoming known as the internet of medical things and wearables (IoMT) that uses smart devices and other technologies to measure and track personal nutrition and health data. 

Innova Market Insights recognized this, naming “Tailored to Fit” a top trend for 2021. 

Edited 

By Louis Gore-Langton