Meet the New Must-Have App, WLNSS
When you want to be driven somewhere, there’s an app for that. When you want food delivered to your home or office, there’s an app for that. But what about when you need a heathcare specialist to work their magic on a wonky muscle or your stuffy nose? Oh yes, there’s now an app for that, too. Enter, WLNSS.
When friends and former hedge fund investors, Milan Chatterjee and Florian Gruessing recognized a flaw in the American health care system they were investing in, they knew they had to do something about it. Healthcare is very expensive in this country and the two yearned for a way to give back to communities that might not be able to afford or benefit from the services they were investing in.
Some use the accessibility of this IV-therapy to connect with friends by throwing “IV parties” while others use it to elevate their beauty regimen or fight off an oncoming cold.
The founders live lifestyles that place emphasis on holistic and preventative approaches to healthcare, and recognized others investing in these self-care practices. “Our idea was to come up with a concept that focused on true healing and a mind-body-spirit approach to healthcare and do it in an affordable and accessible way,” Milan explained. “We wanted to bring luxury to the masses.”
They did just that. Through friends, they connected with Sveen Chohan, their third co-founder, who specialized in IV therapy. Instead of going to costly urgent care centers and waiting in long lines, patients would book her directly. Together, they realized how disruptive this model could be if effectively scaled by a tech platform. Through another friend, they partnered with a developer. Then, this May, the WLNSS app – an on-demand, mobile wellness platform - launched in LA. After a very successful first few months, the platform expanded to New York City.
Now, if you have a tight muscle, feel under the weather, or experience a wave of anxiety, you can summon an acupuncturist, IV therapist, and other healthcare specialists right to your door. The specialists are vetted and undergo an extensive training and onboarding process, because, at the end of the day, these people are coming into your home, so the founders know the “vibe” needs to be just right. This application allows you, the consumer, to take matters into your own hands and reclaim agency over your healthcare.
WLNSS also empowers their specialists by granting them the independence they cannot find within the typical healthcare space. Similar to Uber and Seamless, specialists can create their own schedules. Some practice elsewhere, have professional websites, and run their own businesses. This app assists them with acquiring clients and puts more the money in their pockets “by stripping operating and real estate costs and redistributing that value into lower prices and higher wages.” This model allows WLNSS to pay specialists well above-market, keeping their network hungry and motivated..
The branding took some time to evolve into what you see on the screen when you land on their homepage or download their app. First, the name went through several drafts. They played around with the idea of using another language or a name that isn’t obviously in-line with wellness. Then they figured out they wanted the name to communicate what they were all about, so they played around with the word “wellness” until they landed on “WLNSS” which just “felt right.”
The rest, like the fonts and organization of their pages, were created with the assistance of a contracted designer. The founders desired an aesthetic that was “sleek, but not exclusive.” There’s a way to channel elevation without alienating potential clients, and with the help, they achieved it. “[WLNSS] is not just for the 5th Avenue apartments,” Milan declared. “It’s for everyone.”
Want to hear more about WLNSS in person? Meet the team at our next event!
