When an entrepreneur opens a conversation with, “At SpaceX, when I was sort of a preventive doctor for spaceships ...” you want to know how that sentence ends. “That got me thinking … ‘Can I also predict and fix what happens to my body?’ "
When Boris Lipchin founded Brio Systems in 2017, he came to the venture with a rather unusual backstory. A former SpaceX engineer and founder of a startup that built automated ground stations for drones, Lipchin had had experience solving complex diagnostic problems with machines like drones and spaceships. But one machine he couldn’t quite understand the engineering of was the human body.
“With spaceships, you can diagnose and triage the problem, but a heart attack comes as a surprise,” Lipchin said.
Lipchin realized that we lack easy access to tools that can help predict changes in the body. Primary care, according to Lipchin, doesn't cut it because it is focused on acute care and illness treatment and doesn't offer much to healthy individuals. But why do healthy individuals need consistent primary care-like treatment? To hint at what could go wrong -- and portend chronic and lifestyle diseases.
The questions on why and how to build a preventive health care system pestered Lipchin enough that he resolved his next venture would remove barriers of access to preventive tools -- one that can provide the right guidance and make people accountable for their own health. And to accompany him in this endeavor, he roped in Taylor Lobe, a therapeutic nutritionist who used to run Farmacy, an organic cafe at the Design Center.
Together, they set out to build a primary health care system tailored to healthy individuals. And where can one find health-conscious people? At gyms.
Thus, Brio Systems was born -- a startup that brings preventive and predictive health care by offering painless blood tests for crucial biomarkers like levels of cholesterol (LDL and HDL) Hemoglobin A1c, C-reactive protein, testosterone and estrogen. This is then followed up with personalized nutrition and exercise advice.
The company certifies personal trainers to run these non-invasive blood tests for users. Based on the results, trainers recommend a customized fitness plan. Customers can avail of this service for a small premium along with their gym membership.
But why personal trainers?
"Primary care is a massive bottleneck since it is understaffed," Lipchin said. "If you want to move the needle on chronic disease, you need to bring a new workforce that works on preventive care."
Starting February, the service is available at two gyms in Back Bay -- Invictus Boston and Clientel3.
Based in GSV Labs, the company graduated TechStars Boston in 2018 and its next step is to grow its clientele to 30 gyms by the end of 2019. Lipchin's plans for his company go beyond just offering blood tests at gyms. He wants to map trends in chronic and lifestyle diseases over time.
"No one has longitudinal data on bloodwork and lifestyle that we will have," Lipchin said. When reminded of how mammoth the task sounds, he continued, "When you work at SpaceX, you learn not to shy away from big goals."
