Culina Health—a telehealth platform founded in 2020 by registered dieticians Vanessa Rissetto and Tamar Samuels—is making nutrition counseling more accessible and affordable. The company’s success is driven by the growing recognition of the importance of eating healthy food and the rise of telehealth. This sector’s growth has been fueled by a 2020 regulatory change that enabled Medicare and Medicaid to reimburse telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person visits. This policy change has significantly broadened access to Culina Health’s services.
Telehealth Expands Nutrition Access
Culina Health was founded to address the need for affordable and accessible nutrition counseling. The company’s telehealth platform provides patients with one-on-one virtual nutrition counseling. Culina’s registered dieticians work with patients to create personalized nutrition plans that help them achieve their health goals.
The global clinical nutrition market is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating it will reach $57.2 billion by 2025 and $61.2 billion in 2026. Culina Health’s success has been driven by this and the rise of telehealth. The company has received positive feedback from patients, with a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 93. Culina Health’s services are accessible in all 50 states, with over 1,000 referring physicians.
Culina Health’s approach is based on the idea that “food is medicine.” The company’s registered dieticians take a clinical approach, providing not only nutrition plans, but also patient education and support to help them make sustainable lifestyle changes.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a regulatory change on May 17, 2020, authorized Medicare and Medicaid to pay the same rate for telemedicine visits as in-person visits. This fueled the growth of telehealth services, including Culina Health.
The Culina Health Method has achieved industry-leading outcomes, including 100% prevention of prediabetes progression; significant reductions in A1c, cholesterol, and blood pressure; and $7,000 in cost savings per patient annually, potentially scaling to $10.3 billion annually, according to the company.
Culina Health faces competition from other companies offering personalized nutrition solutions, such as Zoe, Season Health, Knownwell, and Oviva Health.
But Culina Health is a thought leader in the sector, which has spurred the company’s success. Rissetto and Samuels are frequent speakers, podcast guests and have written about and authored articles for many publications. This has helped raise the company’s profile and attract the attention of VCs, doctors, and clients.
“It’s been a game changer to be able to refer to a group of registered dietitians who meet my patients where they are, who are focused on the cumulative effect of small behavior modifications that can be implemented consistently over time, who don’t promote dieting, and at a financially accessible price point,” says Kara N. Denny, MD, MPH, Internal Medicine – Pediatrics. “What I love the most is that Culina Health hires a diverse team, so that if culturally competent care is a priority or would be helpful for my patient, I can typically find a RD at Culina to meet their needs.”
Culina has raised a total of $20 million in funding, including a recent $7.9 million Series A round led by Healthworx. It is the first digital nutrition company to receive backing from a payer.
“Culina is democratizing access to nutrition care for all, breaking barriers in the space with its proprietary, culturally competent care model,” explained Ashley Ryder, partner at VamosVentures. “Vanessa and her team get it because they’re deeply trained practitioners from diverse backgrounds who understand that everyone’s relationship with food is unique.”
Dieticians Scale Telehealth Startup
Rissetto and Samuels faced significant obstacles in scaling Culina Health, particularly given the challenging landscape for female founded startups, particularly those led by women of color. In 2024, only 1.9% of VC funding went to solely female-founded companies, with Black women representing a tiny share of that number. Initially, Rissetto and Samuels never envisioned venture capital as a path to growth. However, the pandemic shifted the healthcare landscape. The Medicare change increased accessibility to Culina Health’s nutrition services.
As Rissetto and Samuels gained visibility through speaking and the media, VCs began to take notice. Despite this newfound attention, Rissetto had to navigate the unfamiliar venture capital world, learning the jargon and fundraising rules. She credits mentors, including Charlie O’Donnell—partner at Brooklyn Bridge Ventures—and board members like Heidi Patel—managing partner at Rethink Impact—and board observers, like Aaron Samuels and Brian Hollins—founders and managing partners at Collide Capital—for guiding her through the process.
Raising pre-seed and seed rounds differed significantly from securing Series A funding. Early rounds involved fewer meetings and often resulted in larger investments. Rissetto emphasizes the importance of persistence, learning from each interaction, and never taking rejections personally. She also highlights the value of seeking feedback and building relationships with investors.
As Culina Health transitioned from a small business to a rapidly scaling company, Rissetto and Samuels focused on upskilling themselves and their leadership team. They sought advice from board members and advisors, who helped them identify key hires and build a strong leadership team. They also engaged Ernest Adams, chief DEI officer at Ford, to provide coaching and support to the leadership team. Rissetto met him during a SoulCycle class.
“We were lucky to have had a lot of help and mentors and kind people who just want to teach us and level-set us,” reflects Rissetto. Samuels adds, “It’s really hard to teach someone how to be fully invested in a mission.” Culina looks for that quality and can teach the rest.
The regulatory change allowing Medicare and Medicaid to pay equally for telehealth and in-person visits expires March 31, 2025. “We don’t have concerns that telemedicine is set to expire,” notes Rissetto. “We are confident that we will be able to continue our good work.” She adds they are in “constant communication with the payers and lobbyists.”
Culina Health is making significant strides in the rapidly growing market for nutrition care through telehealth. The company’s commitment to personalized care, patient education, and culturally competent services drives impressive outcomes and attracts investment. As Culina Health continues to expand, it is poised to make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of individuals and communities.