Ari Tulla is paving a new path in nutrition

SHACK15’s Journal spoke with member Ari Tulla about the inspiration behind Elo, which aims to transform food from the cause of disease into medicine. Elo provides supplement recommendations based on individuals’ biomarkers and health data, and is paving a new path in nutrition.

SHACK15: Can you tell us about your background and how you became interested in starting Elo?

Tulla: I’m a father, husband, and a Finnish entrepreneur focusing on building product that helps people live better lives. I’ve spent the last 15 years in the Bay Area.

The idea for Elo was born out of personal tragedy and triumph. My passion for helping others optimize and understand their health began when my wife, Anu, had a benign tumor removed from her neck, along with part of her thyroid. Her doctors attributed the tumor to hormonal imbalances and, though the surgery was a step in the right direction, it wasn’t a complete resolution.

Months after the procedure, Anu’s hormonal imbalances persisted, and we found ourselves shifting our focus from the symptoms to the causes. We started tweaking our already healthy lifestyle by making changes to our diet. We removed gluten, significantly limited added sugar, and shifted to an entirely plant-based, whole foods diet. We also paid more attention to our sleep patterns and made time to exercise daily. We found that these changes drastically improved how we felt, both physically and mentally.

After a decade of experience as the CEO of two healthcare data companies, BetterDoctor and Quest Analytics, I have a unique vantage point of our current healthcare system. I’ve spoken with hundreds of doctors, healthcare leaders, and policymakers and concluded that the only way to correct the current health trajectory is to transform food from the root cause of disease to our best medicine.

This passion led Tapio Tolvanen and me to found Elo. We need to pay better attention to how our lifestyle - specifically the foods we eat and the way we live – sets the course for our health. Those everyday choices can lead you down a path of sickness or health, and we want to help people change their course.

SHACK15: What is Elo? What inspired the name?

Tulla: A Finnish translation for either “life” or “happiness”, we think Elo is a perfect name for a company that helps you turn nutrition into your best medicine. Elo does this by leveraging your personal biometric data to give you precisely calibrated supplement recommendations underpinned by science and expert guidance.

How Elo smart nutrition works? It starts with a quick, at-home blood test to build a precise micronutrient plan unique to your needs. Then we ship a personalized daily supplement regimen to you every month. We repeat your bloodwork quarterly to ensure continued optimization. Health is dynamic, and your supplement regime should be too.

SHACK15: How does Elo stand out in the rapidly expanding health and wellness industry?

Tulla: American life-span is declining for the first time since the second world war. The processed-food industry churns out addictive products that have led to the current chronic condition crisis. 75% of American adults are overweight. Soon 50% are obese. More than 60% have one or more diet-related chronic conditions.

Yes, things are pretty bad.

To fix the American food system, we need many new smart nutrition companies like Elo that turn food from the cause of disease to medicine. We don’t need more fad diets but better systems to help people change their behavior. Elo makes nutrition transparent and offers the Elo members the latest scientifically backed advice to make the right nutrition decisions.

SHACK15: Where do you see Elo and the industry in three to five years? Will at-home care become the new norm, or has it already?

Tulla: In five years, nutrition will be considered a medically approved intervention for most chronic health problems, and employers/health insurance companies will start to subsidize food for their employees and members.

For more about Elo, visit their website at https://www.elo.health

SHACK15 members and community get a free month of biomarker testing, personalized supplements and nutrition evaluation by using code SHACK15. Create an account here.