We all gained our “Quarantine 15.” As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, I have spent the last month vegetating in my room. Much like the furniture in my room, I have begun collecting dust, or is that dandruff? My perception of time has been warped to the point that an instant feels like an eternity. Wasting away within the four corners of my room, I pass the time in the company of my cats.

As one of my friends so eloquently put it, “we either live to eat, or eat to live.” Lately, I have come to the realization that I am an insatiable glutton who lives to eat. In fact, I have indulged in pizza every weekend for the past 4 weeks. Needless to say, I have put on some extra weight. Thankfully, I am not alone. According to Harvard Health Publishing patient data, 39% of patients gained weight during the pandemic. Of this demographic, approximately 27% gained less than 12.5 pounds and 10% gained more.

The remaining 2% gained a sizeable sum of more than 27.5 pounds. However, there’s no shame in gaining weight, especially during a global pandemic. From financial worries to constant lockdowns, we have all been stressed to the nines. From a scientific standpoint, greater levels of stress are associated with increased cortisol. This increase of cortisol then leads to an increased intake of hyper-palatable foods, which are foods high in salt, fat, or both.

Increased cortisol can also result in:

• increased fat
• heart disease
• diabetes
• reduce lean muscle mass
• slower metabolic rate

Following the onset of the pandemic, gyms were forced to either close or go digital. With this in mind, saying we all gained our “Quarantine 15” is a bit of an overstatement. After all, people with their own home gyms, personal trainers, and healthy diets existed before COVID-19 reared its ugly head. With this in mind, the pandemic actually inspired some people to pursue a healthier lifestyle, with downloads of health and fitness apps growing 46% worldwide.

Aside from fitness apps, people have also turned to online life coaches to help shoulder the weight of the ongoing pandemic. Globally, the International Coaching Federation estimates that there were approximately 71,000 coach practitioners in 2019, indicating an increase of 33% based on 2015 estimates. That being said, the estimated global revenue from coaching in 2019 was USD$2.849 billion, representing a 21% increase over 2015 estimates.

Life coaches weren’t the only ones lining their pockets with a bit of extra dough during the pandemic. The Global Meal Kit Delivery Services Market was valued at USD$10.26 billion in 2020. With this in mind, the market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13% from 2021 to 2028. The economic value and availability of meal kits have fueled the market’s growth. Sweetening the pot, the pandemic further accelerated growth, with nearly one in four households having ordered a meal kit.

Now, what if I told you there was a company that encapsulated life coaching, meal kit delivery, and lifestyle tools? If this is something you would be interested in, then look no further!

Plantable Health Inc.

• $11.02M Market Capitalization

Plantable Health Inc. (PLBL.NE) is a clinically supported plant-based program committed to transforming people’s health. The Company drives healthy weight loss and an improvement in performance, health, and well-being. How? By bringing together plant-based meals, personalized coaching support, and lifestyle tools to encourage people to change their dietary habits. The Company recently began trading on the NEO Exchange (NEO) on January 12, 2022.

Dr. Nadja Pinnavaia, Plantable’s CEO and Founder, carefully nurtured Plantable with the hopes of giving people control over their well-being. After losing her father as a child, her mother to breast cancer, and being a carrier of the BRCA gene, Dr. Pinnavaia began to research the impact of food on our health. With an extensive background in chemistry, Dr. Piannavaia applied her experience to create a company capable of making a healthy plant-based lifestyle accessible.

Currently, Plantable offers customers a selection of two programs:

Reboot Program

Plantable’s ‘Reboot’ program represents the first clinically-supported lifestyle program combining plant-based nutrition and behavioral psychology. For $175 billed weekly for four weeks, customers receive:

• their choice of 48 chef-prepared entrees
• up to 3 months of one-on-one coaching
  • this includes weekly calls and unlimited messaging
• 12 months of access to Plantable’s lifestyle tools

Quickstart Program

For a payment of $225 billed once for a seven day period, Plantable’s ‘Quickstart’ program offers customers:

• their choice of 12 chef-prepared meals
• one week of one-on-one coaching
• an introductory onboarding call
• 1 month of access to Plantable’s lifestyle tools

Clinical Trials

Sounds dandy, but what about results? In May 2015, a small 11-person proof-of-concept clinical trial was run to assess and document the success of Plantable’s Reboot Program. Data demonstrated a cohort average weight loss of over 9 pounds during the 28-day intervention. Furthermore, within the first four months of following a Plantable lifestyle, customers achieved an average loss of 10% total weight.

Plantable’s clinical trial results are summarized in the Company’s Foundational Results. With this in mind, Plantable’s Foundational Results have formed the basis of clinical trials with leading medical institutions including Memorial Sloan Kettering, Weill Cornell, and Johns Hopkins. These clinical trials are intended to assess Plantable as a dietary intervention for risk factors associated with breast, myeloma, and prostate cancer.

Primary outcomes for these trials include weight loss, microbiome improvement, reduction in inflammatory tissue, and changes in gene expression. Secondary outcomes include markers associated with metabolic health including the reduction of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation. Looking forward, Plantable expects to announce the results of the Company’s trials in late 2022.

Plant-Based Nutrition

Plantable’s plant-based foods are packed with protein, high in fiber, and are GMO-free. Moreover, the Company’s meals contain no inflammatory oils or added sugars. Through Plantable programs, customers have access to a large collection of prepared meals including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Additionally, customers can order program-free via Plantable’s a-la-carte meals. Aside from the Company’s prepared meals, customers can also purchase staples such as sauces, condiments, and spices.

One-On-One Life Coaching

Through one-on-one life coaching, Plantable provides support 7 days a week to its customers. By combining the neuroscience of addiction and behavioral psychology, the Company’s life coaching is intended to help customers change their eating habits quickly and for the long term. Each program is designed to cater to each customer’s lifestyle goals and dietary preferences. Furthermore, Planatable’s onboarding calls, weekly check-in calls, and SMS access provide customers with support and accountability.

Lifestyle Platform

Plantable’s lifestyle platform provides daily analytics covering water intake, food consumption, sleep quality, and integrated wearables. This allows for the tracking of progress and dynamic customization of a customer’s coaching experience. Customers can also access Plantable’s menu plans and recipes along with instructions, nutritional info, and shopping list integration.

Latest News

Shortly after listing on the NEO, Plantable announced on January 18, 2022, that it has launched its first digital product with the introduction of its lifestyle app. Dubbed the “Plantable App”, this represents the Company’s first expansion outside of the United States (US) and marks the first phase of Plantable’s digital health initiatives. The Company’s new app is available for free download via the Apple App Store or Google Play.

“Our digital platform provides our clients the tools they need to become ambassadors of their own health, and permanently rewire their habits through daily interaction with our coaches and app. Advancing our technology is a key focus for our company this year, as we look to enhance our client offering, and expand into the rapidly growing digital health sector,”

commented Plantable’s CEO and Founder, Dr. Nadja Pinnavaia.

As part of the Company’s greater digital health initiative, app development will be funded by Plantable’s recent Initial Public Offering (IPO) financing. The Plantable app will act as a cornerstone for the Company as it prepares to launch complementary revenue streams from digital-first product offerings. In addition to classic features, the Plantable App will also offer a premium version where customers will be able to access a greater selection of features. Feature breakdown is as follows:

Classic Features:

• available globally
• expanding library of plant-based recipes
• favorite section for storing liked recipes
• unlimited tracking features to monitor daily stats

Premium Features:

• only available to US subscribers participating in the Reboot Program or Quickstart Program
• one-on-one personalized coaching
• shopping list integration
• a growing library of scientific and educational content
• audio playback functionality for on-the-go listening

Plantable also announced that it has retained Hybrid Financial Ltd. to provide marketing services to the Company for an initial 12 months. This engagement is expected to heighten market and brand awareness for Plantable as well as broaden the Company’s reach within the investment community.

Financials

According to Plantable’s Financial Statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, and 2020, the Company had cash of USD$997,562 as of September 30, 2021. This represents a significant increase from USD$127,238 on December 31, 2020. As of September 30, 2021, Plantable had total assets and total liabilities of USD$1,256,000 and USD$410,104, respectively. For December 31, 2020, these numbers translate to USD$385,786 and USD$1,793,494, respectively.

For the three months ended September 30, 2021, Plantable reported revenue of USD$210,798 compared to USD$271,507 on September 30, 2020. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company reported revenue of USD$867,847 compared to USD$858,307 on September 30, 2020. In total, Plantable reported a net loss of USD$516,386 for the three months ended September 30, 2021, up from a net loss of USD$126,453 on September 30, 2020. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, Plantable reported a net loss of USD$3,694,939 compared to USD$449,139 on September 30, 2020.

On July 23, 2021, 3,000,000 options were granted to Dr. Pinnavaia, Plantable’s CEO and Founder,  at an exercise price of $0.05 per common share. The options are set to expire on July 23, 2031, and will vest if the Company achieves a trailing 12-month revenue of $25,000,000 or a certain change of control of the Company occurs. It is worth noting that Dr. Pinnavaia has invested $1.5 million of her own money into Plantable, demonstrating a personal interest and confidence in the Company’s future. Pre-IPO, Plantable’s CEO ownership was 43%.

Regarding customer spend, Plantable reported a $1500 average Reboot customer lifetime value. For context, lifetime value is calculated by dividing total revenues by the number of distinct customers. With this in mind, 46% of customers made additional purchases after their first Reboot program. That being said, Plantable reported $2600 in repeat Reboot customer lifetime value. In 2020, the Company’s total sales reached $1.4 million.

Moving forward, Plantable intends to launch and monetize a standalone digital platform. Additionally, the Company plans to launch its “Eat With Impact” CPG line of staples, with an initial online launch followed by retail distribution.

Following Plantable’s listing on the NEO, the Company’s shares reached a high of $0.44 before reaching a low of $0.18 today. The Company has since traded 153,721 shares today and is up 12.50%, reaching a share price of $0.225 as of 2:36 PM EST.