Prompt Cast
How SpaceX's Risk-Taking Mentality Shaped Levels Founder Josh Clemente's Approach to Health Tech
TLDR Levels founder Josh Clemente, who previously worked at SpaceX and Tesla, drew inspiration from SpaceX's "we have nothing to lose" mentality to create a behavior change tool that uses continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to provide feedback on lifestyle choices and optimize health. Levels aims to disrupt the traditional healthcare system by offering personalized health data directly to consumers and is focused on building a large dataset to provide more personalized recommendations and improve outcomes.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Levels founder Josh Clemente worked at SpaceX and Tesla before starting his company, which focuses on tracking blood glucose levels using wearable sensors.
06:01
Josh Clemente worked at SpaceX as a manufacturing engineer, where he was responsible for designing processes, training technicians, and building aerospace components, and later worked on the development of the life support system for the human-rated program at SpaceX.
12:14
SpaceX had a "we have nothing to lose" mentality and was always one launch away from losing the company, which allowed them to take risks and make unconventional decisions.
18:11
The speaker had been experiencing symptoms of fatigue and low mood, and after running tests with his doctor, he discovered that a ketogenic diet could potentially improve his symptoms and increase his energy levels.
24:00
The speaker wanted to gather insight into his energy issues and started measuring his glucose levels by pricking his finger, but found it inconvenient and ineffective, so he sought out a continuous glucose monitoring device.
30:03
The speaker was initially unable to access a CGM through his physician, but eventually obtained one and discovered that his blood sugar levels were consistently high, leading him to make significant changes to his diet and lifestyle.
35:54
Wearing a CGM during a stressful week in Texas revealed to the speaker the impact of stress on his blood sugar levels, leading him to recognize the potential of CGMs in providing feedback on lifestyle choices and preventing metabolic breakdown.
42:17
Levels founder Josh Clemente recognized the need to turn continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) into a behavior change tool by adding an insights layer that provides feedback on lifestyle choices and creates behavior change, similar to the model of companies like hymns and Roman that combine telehealth capability with low-risk medical products into a direct-to-consumer experience.
47:58
Levels founder Josh Clemente explains that while the software they are building is not currently approved as a medical device for diabetes management, they are working towards getting it approved and emphasize the importance of people with acute conditions having a close relationship with their primary care provider for proper interpretation of CGM data.
53:40
Levels is working to disrupt the traditional healthcare system by providing high-quality, actionable health data directly to consumers outside of the insurance reimbursement model, allowing for a more personalized and consumer-focused healthcare experience.
59:22
Levels provides a one-month program that includes a consultation with a physician, wearing a CGM device, and exploring metabolic challenges to develop metabolic awareness and optimize health, with thousands of people already participating and a large waitlist, while also focusing on education and research to inform the world about the importance of metabolic fitness.
01:05:14
Levels is starting with a direct-to-consumer approach to unlock traditional market forces and create a premium product and exceptional experience, with the goal of eventually getting payers to cover the cost of their product and expanding access to lower socioeconomic groups.
01:11:06
Levels is focused on improving the insightfulness and actionability of data from wearable devices to drive behavior change, and they are also exploring the future of sensors that measure multiple analytes and integrate with other metrics like pulse and body temperature.
01:17:02
Levels is focused on building the largest dataset of non-diabetic glucose data paired with lifestyle information, and as they continue to grow and improve their dataset, they will be able to provide more personalized recommendations and insights to improve outcomes for individuals.
01:22:56
Levels is focused on solving the metabolic health crisis and welcomes companies like Apple to contribute to refining insights and improving outcomes for specific use cases.
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