LEVELS – A Whole New Level

Latest Episodes:

#11 – One billion data points (Andrew Conner & Ben Grynol) Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Andrew Conner, co-founder and Head of Engineering at Levels, spends a lot of time thinking about how the product will scale. In order to scale effectively, the infrastructure for the product will need to scale up quickly. By the time Levels launches to the public, the platform will be processing more than one billion data points per month.

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(04:01) - Prepare for a billion data points a month
(06:32) - Be nimble
(11:15) - Personalization is the core of Levels
(13:00) - Why context is important
(16:13) - There is no such thing as an average body
(18:36) - Teach people what levers they can pull
(21:27) - Create the right incentives
(26:06) - Make health data accessible
(34:37) - Create accountability in the food system
(39:01) - Lack of healthy options makes it hard to succeed

Transcripts & Show Notes

#10 – Food for thought (Casey Means & Ben Grynol) Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

Casey Means, Chief Medical Officer and one of the co-founders of Levels, changed her outlook on food at a young age. When she was 14 years old, she realized that food, and the philosophy behind it, was a deep and intimate relationship that would evolve continuously into her adult years.

Her curiosity led her down the path of studying and understanding the biochemistry of the food that she was consuming. Eventually, that curiosity led her to become one of the co-founders of Levels.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(06:07) - When Dr. Means took responsibility for her nutrition
(07:38) - Food consists of signaling molecules
(09:36) - Our genes aren’t our fate
(15:27) - Food is tied to gene expression
(19:29) - We want fluid cell membranes
(22:59) - Think in terms of micronutrients
(26:35) - Look at the food source
(34:32) - Glucose readouts can tell us a lot
(40:55) - Decisions add up over time
(47:02) - Find your perfect sleep length

Transcripts & Show Notes

#9 – Swimming upstream (Sam Corcos & Ben Grynol) Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

In 2013, Sam Corcos, CEO and one of the co-founders of Levels, had a revelation when it came to media consumption. He realized that consuming information which was pushed upon him, specifically the news, wasn't beneficial to the way he used his time or the way he learned about the world.

As a result, Sam ended up changing the way that he not only consumed information, but also the way he navigated the world because of it. And, he never looked back. Doing so changed him as a person and, moving forward, he carried this mindset into everything he was involved in building – including Levels.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(05:31) - The art of traveling light
(10:25) - Give up social media
(13:15) - News consumption and the fight-or-flight response
(16:54) - Be constantly curious
(23:06) - Work through worst-case scenarios
(32:08) - Remote work allows for deep work
(33:15) - Build a culture of trust
(36:24) - Embrace asynchronicity
(42:31) - Slack isn’t always the answer
(47:59) - COVID accelerated fully remote acceptance

Transcripts & Show Notes

#8 – The raise (Josh Clemente & Ben Grynol) May 31, 2021

Show notes

In early 2020, Sam and Josh started having conversations with Investors about doing a Seed round. As initial conversations picked up, things changed drastically in the world.

Between March and July of 2020, the team focused on execution. As they generated traction, they sparked interest from many Investors, which eventually led them to raise a $12M Seed round in the fall.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(04:56) - A pause in fundraising
(11:26) - Good growing pains
(13:48) - Radical transparency in fundraising
(16:44) - Juggling VC calls and fulfilling orders
(18:38) - Marking the end of fundraising
(21:26) - Taking on operations and content
(22:41) - A vote of confidence for biowearables
(25:33) - The turning point of the raise
(29:26) - Fundraising accelerates the iteration time
(34:29) - 2021 will be a defining year

Transcripts & Show Notes

#7 – Trust the process (Josh Clemente & Ben Grynol) May 24, 2021

Show notes

When the team started growing at Levels, Josh felt an innate sense of responsibility. But, it wasn’t bringing on new team members that was top of mind. Rather, he felt pressure to make Levels a success every time a new co-founder joined the team. People were leaving prominent roles and opportunities to come and build a company with a big vision, in highly regulated space.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(08:31) - Accelerate progress with a growing team
(09:58) - Bring people in from around the world
(11:54) - The personal stress of bringing in new people
(14:24) - Shared experiences with the product
(19:55) - Shine a light on functional medicine
(25:31) - Health tech opens the door to better care
(28:01) - Test the body when it’s stressed
(34:39) - Push back against social pressures
(37:20) - There are good foods and bad foods

Transcripts & Show Notes

#6 – Laying the rails (Josh Clemente & Ben Grynol) May 17, 2021

Show notes

In the fall of 2019, the Levels team continued building the infrastructure needed to move the company into Beta. One of the requirements of being able to distribute CGMs to people was having a network of physicians and a distribution network of cloud-based pharmacies. With enough grit, the team was finally able to get a meeting with Truepill, and this ended up being a catalyst for getting the first orders shipped.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(04:07) - Building a foundation of content
(05:40) - Bringing Casey on full-time
(08:22) - An impromptu pitch in San Francisco
(09:38) - Landing Truepill
(12:35) - Fulfilling the first orders
(13:56) - A very manual onboarding process
(15:19) - Tackling the problem of CGM sensors
(19:41) - Giving the Levels CGM a futuristic look
(21:49) - Magic moments with the first devices
(23:18) - Starting to build the product

Transcripts & Show Notes

#5 – No turning back (Josh Clemente & Ben Grynol) May 10, 2021

Show notes

In the summer of 2019, things started moving forward for Josh & Sam, as the two of them got traction with Levels. The company was no longer called Frontier Biometric, and both investors and friends alike were keeping an eye on what they were working on. It didn't take long before things started moving with velocity.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(05:04) - The Levels team finds another founder
(10:02) - The surreal feeling of gaining momentum
(13:50) - Organizing the greatest minds they knew
(16:14) - Digging into the data
(17:31) - A weekend full of potential
(19:42) - Putting the cart before the horse
(22:26) - The pieces fall into place
(25:43) - Selling an idea
(26:29) - Now we had deliverables
(29:51) - A medical professional to challenge the status quo
(30:26) - The fifth founder: Dr. Casey Means

Transcripts & Show Notes

#4 – The juice cart (Josh Clemente & Ben Grynol) May 03, 2021

Show notes

In April of 2019, Josh turned 30 and was about to move on from Frontier Biometric. At that point, he had been working on the project for more than a year and had exhausted all channels to get traction. Shortly after his birthday, he got a call from Sam Corcos and they started catching up – the conversation ended up being a catalyst in moving the company forward.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(06:07) - Honing the Levels pitch
(10:00) - The importance of asking all the right questions
(12:47) - Diving into the research
(19:42) - The juice cart story
(20:38) - Josh’s unexpected blood sugar spike
(21:44) - A real-life example of CGM in action
(23:00) - Investing in Sam Corcos
(25:43) - Forward work
(26:21) - Creating a partnership
(31:57) - The benefit of complementary areas of expertise
(35:23) - How Levels got its name

Transcripts & Show Notes

#3 – The road trip that changed it all (Josh Clemente & Ben Grynol) Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

By mid-2018, Josh was all in on Maple Biometrics. But, he started to feel disenfranchised by the rejection he faced in bringing Continuous Glucose Monitoring to the mass market. It wasn't until there was a serendipitous encounter on a road trip from Los Angeles to Philadelphia that ended up changing the course of the company.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(03:04) - How do you sell to someone who doesn’t know they have a problem?
(03:52) - The need for a clear value-add and maximized distribution
(05:58) - The decision to focus on non-invasive hardware
(09:50) - The road trip that crossed paths with Sam Corcos
(13:06) - Trying to partner with a physician organization
(14:38) - An eventful 30th birthday

Transcripts & Show Notes

#2 – From selling cars, to building rockets (Josh Clemente & Ben Grynol) Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

After graduating from college, Josh Clemente, Founder of Levels, found himself selling used cars while he held out for his dream job – an opportunity to work at Tesla. Although Tesla didn't work out, someone suggested that Josh apply to SpaceX and this changed the course of his career.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

(06:12) - How Josh’s father provided a career role model
(09:05) - Catching attention with a killer capstone project
(21:16) - The journey to SpaceX
(25:13) - What happens when you take work to the limit
(27:04) - Leaving SpaceX to explore new ideas
(34:14) - The scientific paper that inspired Josh’s obsession with metabolism
(40:34) - Feeling frustration when denied access to a CGM
(44:15) - How a CGM provided a lightbulb moment
(47:53) - Building out the original business plan

Transcripts & Show Notes

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