Zero Inks $2.8M Additional Seed Financing

Zero, a health and wellness platform for fasting, today announced it has raised $2.8 million in additional funding from True Ventures and Trinity Ventures, bringing the company's total seed funding to $4 million. Zero also announced the hires of Dr. Peter Attia and Nick Robinson to the executive team, further accelerating the company's growth plans and adding valuable expertise to bring new and expanded product offerings to market.

As one of the largest fasting communities in the world, Zero helps people make long-term lifestyle changes that can improve their overall health. The company is led by Chief Executive Officer Mike Maser, a serial entrepreneur and former founder of Fitstar (acquired by FitBit in 2016). He assumed Zero's chief executive officer role in April 2018.

Zero's advisory team includes some of the world's leading doctors and researchers, who guide the company's fasting protocols and oversee the development of science-backed content to help support users with their long-term health goals.

"81% of Zero users say fasting is a lifestyle for them, not just a tool to reach a short-term goal," said Maser. "As a cancer survivor, I used fasting to aid in my treatment, and can speak to the positive impact that it has had on my health."

Since Zero's founding, the app has been downloaded more than 2.5 million times, and users have completed more than 35 million fasts to date. "That's over 550 million hours of fasting," added Maser. "The interest and enthusiasm about fasting only continues to grow, and Zero has an exciting opportunity to not only support people in their daily fasting routines, but also in their overall health and wellness on a personal, individualized level."

Instead of focusing on short-term wins or specific diets, Zero's fasting protocols are focused on when people eat, not what they eat. The app connects people who are interested in fasting to the tools, resources and community to help them find the best fasting routines for their health, in addition to tracking progress and milestones over time.

"Wellness is a $4.2 trillion dollar industry* and continues to grow rapidly year over year," said Tony Conrad, partner at True Ventures. "People all over the world are looking for ways to improve their health and well-being, from adopting meditation practices, to taking increased control over their nutrition and finding the right fitness routines. The Zero team and Mike are viewing this opportunity through the lens of their own health journeys as they bring this practice of intermittent fasting to the mainstream. We love to support these types of teams – teams on a personal mission to make a meaningful impact in people's lives."

"Mike is a brilliant entrepreneur with incredible values, unshakable integrity and a longstanding passion to unleash technology's potential to improve lives," said Ajay Chopra, general partner at Trinity Ventures. "We proudly backed Mike in the early days of Fitstar and are thrilled to collaborate with him again through our investment in Zero."

More on Zero's key executive hires:

Dr. Peter Attia, one of the leading medical experts on the effects of fasting on health and longevity, has joined the company as co-founder and chief medical officer. A longtime advisor to Zero, Dr. Attia will continue to advise the development of Zero's product and education strategy by engaging and educating users on the benefits of fasting and offering them support as they embark on fasting protocols. More information about Dr. Attia's work can be found at peterattiamd.com.

Nick Robinson, former chief marketing officer of Quest Nutrition, has joined the company as chief business officer. Mr. Robinson will accelerate the company's growth plans by activating the Zero community and driving the company's marketing and business strategies.

Dr. Attia explained, "My work centers around the power that fasting, in all its various forms, can have on improving human health and longevity. Zero created a tool, and more importantly a community, that makes it easy for anyone to learn about and adopt a fasting protocol that best fits their needs and lifestyle. As a longtime advisor and advocate for Zero, I'm excited to deepen my involvement and work with the team to evolve the product offering and drive the evolution of Zero alongside Mike and Nick."

Zero is available for iOS and Android in the App Store and Google Play. For more information about Zero, please visit www.zerofasting.com.

About Zero

Zero, a health and wellness platform for fasting, is one of the largest app-based fasting communities in the world. Originally founded by Kevin Rose, the company is now led by chief executive officer, Mike Maser, a serial entrepreneur and former founder of Fitstar (acquired by Fitbit in 2016). Zero helps people make long-term lifestyle changes that can improve their overall health. The company's advisory team of leading doctors and researchers have guided the product's development to create research-based fasting protocols that support users in reaching their health goals.