Portuguese health tech startup Nutrium has raised €10 million in a new funding round to consolidate its operations in the United States, where the company expects to see its strongest growth, ECO reports.
The Minho-based startup, founded in 2015, develops software for nutritionists and runs Nutrium Care, a corporate program that provides nutrition services to employees. The new capital will support the expansion of Nutrium Care in the U.S., following earlier success in Brazil.
The round was led by Vesalius Biocapital, with Indico Capital Partners, Lince Capital, and Beta Capital also participating. With this injection, Nutrium’s total funding reaches €16.8 million.
Co-founder and CEO André Santos said the fresh capital will allow Nutrium to scale its global impact.
“Nutrition has become a strategic priority for companies facing the challenges of obesity and the rapid adoption of GLP-1 treatments,” he said, referring to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that were developed for diabetes but are now widely used for weight loss.
“This investment will allow us to expand our reach, strengthen the network of experts and generate even more impact with our clients and their teams, globally.”
The company already operates a branch in Brazil and plans to open one in the U.S., but does not intend to set up a physical office outside Portugal in the short term.
According to Pedro Ferreira, Nutrium’s CRM & Lifecycle Manager, Brazil remains Nutrium’s main market, both in terms of software for nutritionists and the corporate benefit program, but the strongest growth is expected in the U.S.
Nutrium Care already works with companies such as Wellhub, Adidas, Vodafone, Randstad, and Ageas, reaching more than three million patients through a global network of over 350,000 nutritionists in more than 40 countries. Together with its software, their services are present in more than 90 countries.
The company, which employs 40 people, plans to continue growing its team, with hiring in Portugal focused on engineering roles. “The main focus of recruitment in Portugal is on engineering, where we are looking for both recent graduates and experienced professionals,” Ferreira said.
He added that the goal is to strengthen the team to support Nutrium’s vision of AI, where nutritionists and AI work side by side to improve the experience of both patients and professionals.
For investors, the funding reflects rising health costs in the U.S., linked to obesity and demand for GLP-1 treatments, and the opportunity for companies to address these challenges through nutrition.
Qasim Al-Zawawi, principal at Vesalius Biocapital, noted that nutritional care is often underestimated in the context of chronic disease. “We believe that Nutrium has the potential to become the go-to solution for companies and people looking to improve their health in a sustainable way.”
Indico Capital’s Stephan Morais recalled that from the start, Nutrium’s team had a clear vision about nutrition’s role in well-being. “We were fortunate to support that ambition and help the team find a path to realize the promise of wellness, an essential component of longevity, which is a huge and rapidly expanding market,” he said.
Tomás Lavin Peixe, partner at Lince Capital, emphasized that Nutrium’s approach is rooted in evidence-based care. “Nutrium’s approach, based on clinical evidence and focused on tackling chronic health problems and obesity through personalized nutrition, continues to transform the way companies invest in employee well-being.”
Featured image: The Nutrium team, whose mission is to transform global health by combining evidence-based nutrition with technology to improve patient care and corporate well-being. (Photo courtesy of Nutrium/via ECO)
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