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Episode Overview:
How can we democratize access to personalized nutrition care?
Our next guest, Vanessa Rissetto, is revolutionizing the field as CEO and Co-founder of Culina Health.
With a unique background blending nutrition expertise and business acumen, Vanessa has built a rapidly growing virtual nutrition platform that's covered by insurance.
Under her leadership, Culina Health has expanded to over 90 registered dietitians, raised more than $20 million in venture funding, and is a trusted referral partner for physicians nationwide.
As an underrepresented founder breaking barriers in both healthcare and tech, Vanessa is passionate about making quality nutrition care accessible to all.
Join us to discover how Culina Health is transforming the nutrition landscape and improving health outcomes through personalized, expert-led care. Let's go!
Episode Highlights:
- Led Culina Health to nearly $1 million in first-year revenue through organic growth and physician referrals, proving the demand for accessible nutrition care.
- Built trusted relationships with One Medical, where 60% of physicians now refer patients to Culina Health before specialty care providers.
- Maintained exceptional team retention, demonstrating strong company culture.
- Scaled to 4,500 monthly patient sessions while staying capital efficient, only expanding technology investment after Series A funding.
- Disrupted the industry by focusing on insurance coverage and medical partnerships instead of direct-to-consumer marketing.
About our Guest:
Vanessa Rissetto is a registered dietitian and the co-founder and CEO of Culina Health, a clinical nutrition care company she established in 2020. Prior to founding Culina Health, Vanessa served as the Director of Dietetic Internships at New York University (NYU), where she led clinical nutrition treatment for a diverse patient population and mentored early-career dietitians, many of whom now work at Culina Health
Vanessa holds a bachelor's degree in history from Fordham University and a master's degree in marketing from NYU. She later pursued her passion for nutrition by completing her dietetic internship at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she worked as a senior dietitian for five years She is certified in Adult Weight Management (Levels I & II) by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Under Vanessa's leadership, Culina Health has raised $13 million in venture funding and has become a leading trusted care provider for physician referrals, with patient outcomes consistently surpassing industry averages. She has also cultivated an all-female leadership team that strives to make nutrition care more inclusive and accessible for everyone.
A sought-after speaker, Vanessa is a frequent guest on the "Today" show and has shared her expertise at investor and industry summits such as Rethink, Graham & Walker, and Tensility. Her insights have garnered national press coverage in publications including The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Vogue, Women's Health, Shape, Good Housekeeping, Men's Health, Prevention, PopSugar, Well+Good, Refinery29, INSIDER, and Allure.
Recently, Vanessa was honored by Goldman Sachs as one of the “Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs in 2023.” She has also been recognized by Essence as one of the "Black Nutritionists Who Will Change the Way You Think About Food," by Byrdie as one of the "Dietitians Carving Out Space for Black People in the Nutrition Industry," and by NPR as "A Black Dietitian Wants to Close the Nutrition Gap."
Beyond her professional endeavors, Vanessa is known for her love of Doritos, her commitment to her community, and her uncanny ability to remember people’s birthdays
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