Why now
Four forces converged between 2024 and 2026 — each proven by hard numbers, not a media cycle.
The world is ageing faster than health systems can adapt
Demand is structural and already locked in by demographics; the avoidable burden of chronic disease grows with it, and treat-later systems don't scale. Prevention shifts from preference to fiscal necessity.
The population aged 60+ will double to 2.1 billion by 2050 (1bn in 2020 → 1.4bn in 2030 → 2.1bn in 2050).
WHO, Ageing and healthOct 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
By the late 2070s there will be more people aged 65+ than children under 18 (1 in 6 will be 65+ by 2050, up from 1 in 11 in 2019).
UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024Jul 2024Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
Noncommunicable diseases already kill 43 million people a year — 75% of all deaths worldwide (18 million before age 70).
WHO, Noncommunicable diseasesSep 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
The payer and the health system have started turning toward prevention
In twelve months the regulator, the public system and the economic case for health began treating prevention and continuous monitoring as part of care — before reimbursement is at scale. Entering now is entering ahead of the payer.
The FDA finalized (Jan 2026) the policy letting non-invasive wearables estimate health metrics without medical-device registration.
U.S. FDA, General Wellness: Policy for Low Risk DevicesJan 2026Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
The NHS made the shift 'from sickness to prevention' one of the three pillars of its 10-year plan.
GOV.UK, 10-Year Health Plan for EnglandJul 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated US$ 1 trillion a year (over 1bn people live with mental health conditions).
WHO news releaseSep 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
Consumers already pay out of pocket for their own health data and prevention
This is not a hypothesis about future demand: people already buy subscriptions to their own biomarkers and devices, and capital follows at billion-dollar valuations. The consumer market exists today.
Oura raised over US$ 900M at ~US$ 11B, with revenue on track to reach US$ 1B in 2025.
TechCrunchOct 2025Confidence: B — single reliable source, or a projection
Function Health raised a US$ 298M Series B at US$ 2.5B, selling consumers a subscription to their own lab tests (50M+ tests since 2023).
TechCrunchNov 2025Confidence: B — single reliable source, or a projection
Global consumer spending on public health, prevention and personalized medicine totals US$ 675.9B a year, growing 8.6% annually since 2019.
Global Wellness Institute, Monitor 2025Nov 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
Capital and strategic buyers are moving in — and Brazil stays undercapitalized
Money is back in digital health and longevity, but heavily concentrated in the US and in mega-rounds. Brazil is Latin America's largest wellness market with almost no dedicated capital: the geographic arbitrage is the thesis.
US digital health VC grew 35% in 2025 to US$ 14.2B — but 42% went to mega-rounds of US$ 100M or more.
Rock Health, 2025 year-end funding overviewJan 2026Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
Longevity investment more than doubled in 2024 to US$ 8.5B, with 84% concentrated in the US.
Longevity.Technology, Annual Longevity Investment Report 2024May 2025Confidence: B — single reliable source, or a projection
Brazil is the 11th-largest wellness market in the world and the largest in Latin America: US$ 125B a year.
Global Wellness Institute, Country RankingsJan 2026Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old