How Truemed Is Incentivizing Americans to Invest in Prevention

a16z general partner Erik Torenberg speaks with Justin Mares, founder and CEO of Truemed. They discuss why American health outcomes are so poor compared to the rest of the developed world, how crop subsidies created a food system that "systematically outputs unhealthy people," and what it would take to treat the chronic disease crisis as a national security issue. Mares explains how Truemed allows people to spend tax-free HSA and FSA dollars on lifestyle interventions like gym memberships, sleep aids, and healthier food—and why he believes this could redirect hundreds of billions of dollars toward prevention. They also explore the case for psychedelics as mental health therapy and why peptides could disrupt the pharmaceutical industry. Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction 0:44 — The Environment That Makes Us Sick 04:19 — What Went Wrong in the 1970s 6:10 — The Subsidy Problem 8:49 — Universal Ozempic Won't Save Us 12:21 — Building Truemed 15:59 — The Zoo Animal Theory of Human Health 18:33 — The Chronic Disease Crisis as National Security 27:52 — Psychedelics as Mental Health Therapy 35:49 — Why Peptides Will Disrupt Pharma Resources: Follow Justin Mares on X: https://x.com/jwmares Follow Truemed on X: https://x.com/truemed Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

Justin MaresguestErik Torenberghost

Feb 4, 202640mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: February 4, 2026
Duration: 40m
Channel: a16z
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

a16z general partner Erik Torenberg speaks with Justin Mares, founder and CEO of Truemed. They discuss why American health outcomes are so poor compared to the rest of the developed world, how crop subsidies created a food system that "systematically outputs unhealthy people," and what it would take to treat the chronic disease crisis as a national security issue. Mares explains how Truemed allows people to spend tax-free HSA and FSA dollars on lifestyle interventions like gym memberships, sleep aids, and healthier food—and why he believes this could redirect hundreds of billions of dollars toward prevention. They also explore the case for psychedelics as mental health therapy and why peptides could disrupt the pharmaceutical industry. Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction 0:44 — The Environment That Makes Us Sick 04:19 — What Went Wrong in the 1970s 6:10 — The Subsidy Problem 8:49 — Universal Ozempic Won't Save Us 12:21 — Building Truemed 15:59 — The Zoo Animal Theory of Human Health 18:33 — The Chronic Disease Crisis as National Security 27:52 — Psychedelics as Mental Health Therapy 35:49 — Why Peptides Will Disrupt Pharma Resources: Follow Justin Mares on X: https://x.com/jwmares Follow Truemed on X: https://x.com/truemed Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

SPEAKERS

Justin Mares
guest
Founder of Truemed; previously grew Kettle & Fire and focuses on prevention, nutrition, and enabling HSA/FSA spend on lifestyle interventions.
Erik Torenberg
host
Host at a16z who interviews founders and operators about technology, business, and emerging trends.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Justin Mares and Erik Torenberg, How Truemed Is Incentivizing Americans to Invest in Prevention explores truemed aims to financially reward prevention amid America’s chronic disease crisis Mares frames America’s chronic disease surge as an environmental mismatch problem driven by ultra-processed food, sedentary lifestyles, and constant phone use rather than individual moral failure.

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