When Vision Meets Execution: Function's $298M Series B
Q&A With Jonathan Swerdlin - Co-Founder & CEO of Function Health
The Patient Will See You Now
I remember the first call with Jonathan Swerdlin, Function Health’s Co-founder and CEO. Function had maybe a few thousand members (optimistically) but Jonathan had something more valuable: unshakeable conviction. He told me, with the kind of certainty that makes you either a visionary or delusional, that he’d hit a million members soon enough.
I believed him.
The vision was pure. No supplement upselling, no. Just prevention that actually meant something: giving people ownership over their health instead of making them feel broken and reaching for their wallet. Function wasn’t trying to sell you on being sick. It was designed to keep you from getting there in the first place.
Even as a very new startup (back then), they managed to power Equinox’s $40K membership program.
One of many interviews we did for Equinox Optimize, this one was with Rebecca Batterman
I’m an early investor, and I couldn’t be more impressed with what Jonathan, Pranitha, Dr Mark Hyman and the team have built. This week, Function closed an oversubscribed $298M Series B at a $2.5B valuation (congrats to Daisy Wolf and the
team on the follow-on). The raise is impressive and so is the execution on that original vision.With the launch of the Medical Intelligence Lab, Jonathan is methodically moving healthcare out of waiting rooms and into your pocket. As a user and investor, I am watching patiently on how he disrupts the healthcare world!
He’s also the kind of friend who drives 30 minutes just to catch up and discuss his Ezra acquisition while Diplo plays in the background. Never change, Jonathan!
Here is a quick Q&A we did a while back and now felt like the right time to post!
Memories from NBPA Performance Summit in Malaga last summer with Deborah Embaie from
What made you start Function?
I had no choice. Too many sleepless nights imagining how this could play out: tackling suffering and preventable death at a scale of billions. I looked for others building what I was dreaming. Nobody appeared, so I made the decision to create it myself. It started as big words: “I’m going to dedicate my life to this.” Some wrote it off. Others invested. There’s nothing more rewarding than looking back at commitments and knowing you’re doing exactly what you said you would. I’m on my life’s mission to serve. This work doesn’t end. It will take lifetimes.
Your ride-or-die travel health hack: What’s in your carry-on that you never fly without?
My travel armor: red lens glasses from Roka, a black hooded puffy from Patagonia, and a 40oz non-insulated water bottle. When I land: immediate 50 push-ups and 50 squats to get the blood flowing. I avoid red-eyes unless absolutely unavoidable.
Guilty pleasure flex: What’s one non-wellness thing that makes you ridiculously happy?
Late night movie on the couch with popcorn.
Where have you felt most healthy and at home this year?
Austin. Dialed-in sleep, exercise routine, and kitchen.
Longevity confessional: The most “extra” thing you’ve done in the name of health.
Swapping out shitty light bulbs in Airbnbs and in the homes of people I love when they’re not looking.
What expanded your brain and POV culturally this year?
Montana. I spent time there this summer and it completely shifted my aperture on America’s beauty. Also started listening to music coming out of Nigeria while I work: it paces me well.
What’s most exciting about where Function is headed?
The breadth of positive impact Function generates for an increasing number of people. That will always be what excites me most.