Is Function Health A Superpower?

Direct-to-consumer lab testing services, a crystal ball for your health?

I'm a Product Guy who wants to live a long healthy life, so I’ve been fascinated by the idea of using data to optimize for longevity. I’ve tracked just about everything that’s trackable, from steps, sleep stages, HRV, glucose, but I've always felt like there was a deeper level of insight I was missing. Also, for years my annual doctor’s check up was a big nothing burger. The physical is more geared to finding/treating diseases instead of preventing them. That's why I was so excited to try out two of the leading direct-to-consumer lab testing services: Function Health and Superpower. Both promise to give a comprehensive look at what's going on inside your body, but which one is actually worth your time and money?

THE PREDECESSOR

Before we get into it, a slight detour to explain why I’m more than just a health tech consumer. Before these two products were launched, I was the founding Chief Product Officer for Groq Health. We were going after the same market, but unfortunately a year too early; we ran out of funding just before the “ChatGPT 3 moment” unlocked AI accuracy and speed. So while I fully appreciate the challenges and shortcomings of these services I’m also bought in on their promise.  

THE GOOD

Both Function Health and Superpower offer a solid set of over 100+ biomarker tests, and compared to a typical annual physical, clearly a much more comprehensive view of your health. They both partner with national lab networks and offer an at-home option, making your blood drawn friction free and painless. That is, up when the needle goes into your arm. Overall, for the blood draw visits, they both do a solid job of navigating the complexity of scheduling, coordinating reminders and check-in to the centers.

While 100+ biomarkers offer a much better window into your health, what do you do with all this data? To help interpret the results, they both offer AI assisted clinical analysis. Function Health has a clear edge here. Their platform feels more mature and their clinician's notes are incredibly detailed and insightful. I felt like I was getting a personalized health consultation, not just a data dump.

I do love that Superpower offers a Marketplace, which is their shopping service for prescriptions and supplements. While the marketplace could be better organized, it does allow for the convenience of having a “buy” button in line with your health Action Plan. One click “add to cart” from my action plan saves me time and they also offer discounts, bonus! 

Superpower Marketplace

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Both services could do a better job of integrating with wearable data. While you can manually input information about your sleep and activity levels during onboarding, this is static and I’d like to see it used more in my analysis. Superpower uses a third party, Vital, to integrate wearables, but it boggles the mind how this doesn’t include Apple Health Kit. Oh and  when I tried to link Strava I received a message that Superpower exceeded their connection limit - oof awkward.

I did link Oura and have yet to see how the sleep data is used. I would love to see a future where these biofeedback signals are automatically pulled into the platform and used to provide even more personalized recommendations.

Superpower is a newer player in the game and it shows. While their platform is sleek and modern, it’s a 10 out of 10 gorgeous design. It lacks the depth of Function Health and while they have some cool ideas there’s a lack of execution. Their "AI-driven analysis" feels a bit like a black box, and I was left with more questions than answers. They do offer a "concierge" service to help you interpret your results, but it's not the same as having detailed notes from a clinician right in your dashboard.  A “concierge” is a slick idea but this feels like a band-aid fix for missing analysis.

Superpower's biggest weakness is its lack of transparency. Their website is full of marketing buzzwords like "AI health guidance" and "longevity protocol," but it's not clear what's actually going on behind the scenes. This lack of focus and clarity makes it difficult to trust their recommendations and parts of their website are overwhelming. Superpower is a bit of a hot, gorgeous mess.

It’s also hard to believe, but Superpower does not have a mobile app. I understand they have a small team and need to stretch their runway, but come on! You’re seriously making me open a mobile browser, type the URL, and log in every time, especially when they offer a shopping marketplace which hopefully users are logging into more than once every 6 months. The result is less responsive and a laggy UI interaction with some navigation dead ends. At one point I arrived to the “Marketplace” and it was eight back button taps to return to the main screen.

FUTURE

The future of personalized health is bright and both Function Health and Superpower are at the forefront of this movement. I can see a future where these services are integrated with our electronic health records, allowing doctors to have a more complete picture of our health. I also expect to see more advanced testing options, such as genetic and microbiome analysis, become standard. Function Health acquired Ezra, integrating AI-powered full-body MRI scanning tech for more comprehensive health screening and I’m looking forward to linking my Prenuvo account for deeper insights. 

“The future is an AI agent that knows you better than your doctor and uses your personalized health data to curate analysis backed by the knowledge, research, and experience of millions of doctors.”

Function Health Biomarkers

The obvious next steps for these services is AI chat, for real time health questions. Dr. Google, Dr. Claude, etc. are great for researching health topics, but the results are generic and not personalized. And how many times has your AI health query led to a 3 AM wake up obsessing that everything is cancer?! The future is an AI agent that knows you better than your doctor and uses your personalized health data to curate analysis backed by the knowledge, research, and experience of millions of doctors.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Both Function Health and Superpower are built on the idea that traditional physicals are a relic of the past. Why wait for something to go wrong when you can get an early warning system for your health? They both offer a wide range of biomarker tests, far more than you’d get in a typical check-up. We’re talking about a deep dive into your hormones, your metabolism, your heart health, and more. The goal is to empower you with data so you can make smarter decisions about your health and lifestyle.

For now, Superpower is slick and their design is beautiful, but the substance is not quite there yet, and Function Health is the clear winner. Their platform is more mature, their analysis is more transparent, and their clinician's notes are insightful. If you're serious about taking control of your health and you're willing to invest the time and money, Function Health is the way to go. 

Don’t wait, give Function Health a try, here’s a referral link, but also check for new member discounts.