12 health and fitness startups that will boom in 2019, according to VCs

Startup: Arterys

Total raised: $44 million

What it does: Arterys offers AI-enabled medical imaging software as a cloud service.

VC: Alfred Lin, Sequoia Capital

Relationship: Investor

Why it's hot in 2019: "It shows the power of technology to help humanity. The company brings the convergence of cloud computing, big data, image processing, and AI applied to healthcare," says Lin.

Startup: Benchling

Total raised: $27 million

What it does: Benchling is a data management and collaboration tool for life science, pharma and biological researchers.

VC: Eric Vishria, Benchmark

Relationship: Investor

Why it's hot in 2019: "Benchling provides a platform to accelerate the pace of biotech research, helping researchers track candidates, design experiments, and share results. They're working with over 100,000 scientists and larger organizations like the FDA," says Vishria.

Startup: Boulder Care

Funding: $3.7 million

What it does: Boulder Care offers long-term support for people overcoming opiate addiction, accessible via an app.

VC: Josh Kopelman at First Round

Relationship: Investor

Why it's hot: "Boulder is building a telehealth addiction solution for the modern era partnering with local physicians while leveraging digital expertise to provide the counseling, random testing, care management and adherence verification via their mobile app," Kopelman says.

Startup: Calm

VC: Napoleon Ta, Founders Fund

Relationship: No relation. Just thinks it's cool.

Total raised: $28 million

What it does: Calm is a popular mobile app for meditation, sleep and overall mental wellness.

Why it's hot in 2019: "Calm is driving a real positive social impact by helping its users alleviate anxiety, depression, insomnia and a number of other ailments," says Ta.

He notes that with 35 million downloads, Calm has outpaced its competitors while raising less money and "still has huge potential to grow by expanding internationally and evolving into a more comprehensive wellness brand."

Startup: Mirror

VC: Eurie Kim, Forerunner Ventures

Relationship: No relation. Just thinks it's cool.

Total raised: $41 million

What it does: Mirror is a mirror that transforms into a screen that displays live and on-demand fitness classes.

Why it's hot in 2019: "Mirror has a unique angle on providing guided classes across a wider range of fitness types. Pricing is still steep at ~$1500, but Peleton has shown that there is consumer appetite to invest significant dollars in fitness in your home, so Mirror may be the next generation of this trend," says Kim.

Startup: Prolon

Total raised: Not available.

What it does: Prolon offers what it calls a five-day "fasting mimicking" meal program. It uses precise nutrients in combinations that it says will sustain you, but are not recognized as food by the body so they mimic a fasting state.

VC: Victoria Treyger, Felicis Ventures

Relationship: No relation. Just thinks it's cool.

Why it's hot in 2019: The company says it's a scientifically researched program that was originally developed for cancer patients. Intermittent fasting has proven health benefits and Prolon is billed as a wellness reset.

"My new year's resolution is to do it 2X/year," says Treyger.

Company: Tia

Funding: $2.5 million

What it does: Tia is a one-stop-shop for female health, integrating gynecology, wellness and primary care under one roof.

VC: Hayley Barna, First Round Capital; and Victoria Treyger, Felicis Ventures

Relationship: No relation. Both VCs just think it's cool.

Why it's hot in 2019: "Tia was born digitally via the app-based Tia Bot, and that data and engaged community has informed the customer-centric build-out of their first physical clinic," says Barna.

"It's a comprehensive approach for wellness with a focus on nutrition and acupuncture right in the office as well as primary care. And it covers all the stages of a woman's life," says Treyger.

Startup: Tonal

Total raised: $36 million

What it does: Tonal offers a personal trainer and weight machine all delivered in the form of a hang-on-the-wall big screen TV.

VC: Roger Lee, Battery Ventures

Relationship: No relation. Just thinks it's cool.

Why it's hot in 2019: "Consumers can get access to a world class gym and trainer without leaving the comfort of their home. It helps that the machine looks great too," says Lee.

Startup: Trusted Health

VC: Niki Pezeshki, Felicis Ventures

Relationship: Investor

Total raised: Not available.

What it does: Trusted Health helps nurses find jobs, replacing classic recruitment and job negotiations with smart matching and transparency.

Why it's hot in 2019: "Trusted is one of the fastest growing companies in our portfolio, and they are tackling a massive industry that is desperately in need of better technology," says Pezeshki.

Startup: Octave

Total raised: $3.25 million

What it does: Octave is a mental health clinic in New York that offers traditional 1:1 therapy as well as online coaching and a variety of classes.

VC: Sundeep Peechu, Felicis Ventures

Relationship: Investor

Why it's hot in 2019: "Octave’s mission is to create a society that is as proactive and consistent about its emotional well being as its physical fitness," says Peechu.

Startup: Virta Health

Total raised: $74 million

What it does: Virta is a diabetes treatment app that offers continuous access to board-certified health providers who monitor the patient, coach through diet choices to reduce dependence on medication.

VC: Sundeep Peechu, Felicis Ventures

Relationship: No relation. Just thinks it's cool.

"They’re able to reverse diabetes through diet — no medications or surgery needed. It’s a vast improvement over the current standard of care which is a lifetime of pills or insulin injections," says Peechu.