About 5HT

Derek Flanzraich is in the business of healthyish. For nearly two decades, he’s been building brands that make health more accessible and fun. (He’s also been reading scientific studies since he was 12… because nothing says popular like PubMed 😆.)

It all started in 2011 with Greatist, the health media company Derek grew to 20M+ monthly readers before it was acquired by Healthline in 2019. (A pretty healthy outcome, tbh.) He later launched Ness, a venture-backed health-first credit card startup that, er, ultimately failed (but taught him a whooole lot about what it takes to succeed in consumer health). 

Since then, he’s been actively involved in and supporting dozens of health brands you know (and love!) like Ro, BetterHelp, GoodRx, Midi, Oshi, Allara, NOCD, Parsley Health, Truemed, Counsel, Phreesia, LMNT, Particle, Certify, Develop, Galileo, General Medicine, and many, many more.

He started writing 5HT in 2024 as a way to share what he likes/doesn’t like in consumer health, built on the belief that health should be more accessible, less alarmist—and, yes, actually kind of fun. Within a year, the newsletter grew to more than 100,000 subscribers (aka 5HTers) who get healthyish intel you only get from someone on the inside 🤫.

Glad you asked! Well, the format is 5 Healthyish Things Derek feels strongly about each week. Plus, 5-HT 🧬 is the chemical abbreviation for serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain tied to mood and motivation.

It’s science-y, a little nerdy, and exactly the energy Derek wants to spark into consumer health. Expect sharp insider takes on what’s happening and what’s next… along with a healthy dose of humor (and the occasional GIF). 

Join the people building what’s next in health