Sqwod Daily
Thursday, 16 July 2026 · Weekday
Big Pharma just bought a seat on your clients' wrists — and it's all about the GLP-1 wave.
Connect the dots
GLP-1 is pulling Big Pharma straight into wellness hardware
Eli Lilly took an equity stake in Oura to help support patients on GLP-1 drugs — a drugmaker betting that the wearable is where medication adherence and lifestyle actually meet. Meanwhile, fitness brands are being told most of their AI spending isn't returning anything yet.
The lesson across both: technology only pays when it changes behavior. Lilly wants Oura because a ring can nudge a patient daily in a way a prescription can't. Your clients on GLP-1s need exactly that human-plus-data support — and that's a service you can build now.
In today's episode
- 01 Gear
Eli Lilly takes a stake in Oura to support GLP-1 patients
A pharma giant betting on a smart ring says the wearable is where medication and lifestyle meet. Your GLP-1 clients need the human-plus-data support in between — build it.
- 02 Build
Sebastien Lagree alleges a studio swapped Megaformers for knockoffs
The Pilates-equipment founder is fighting over counterfeits in Florida. If you run a licensed concept, it's a reminder that equipment IP is a real operational risk.
- 03 Build
How Barry's turns employer wellness into a growth channel
The boutique giant is selling classes to companies, not just consumers. Corporate wellness is a B2B revenue line hiding in plain sight for studios with capacity to fill.
- 04 ai-automation
Why most fitness brands don't see a return on AI
New analysis says the AI spend isn't paying off yet. The fix: buy tools that remove a task, not tools that add another dashboard nobody checks.
- 05 Signal
ETS Performance tops 80 locations as youth fitness booms
A youth-performance chain crossing 80 sites confirms the kids' training market is real and scaling. A franchise lane worth studying if families are your audience.
- 06 Build
YMCA vs the gyms: the best membership for your money
A consumer value comparison your members are quietly making too. Know how your pricing stacks up against the community-gym option before they ask.
Do this today
Sqwod recs
- Steal: Build a GLP-1 companion offer: a resistance-first program that protects lean mass during rapid weight loss. Demand is exploding and supply of qualified coaching is thin.
- Read: The 'why fitness AI isn't paying off' piece is a useful gut-check before you spend on another tool — buy AI that removes a task, not AI that adds a dashboard.
- Gear: Oura Ring Gen3 — our verdict + best price. · Sponsored
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- Eli Lilly takes a stake in Oura to support GLP-1 patients
- Sebastien Lagree alleges a studio swapped Megaformers for knockoffs
- How Barry's turns employer wellness into a growth channel
- Why most fitness brands don't see a return on AI
- ETS Performance tops 80 locations as youth fitness booms
- YMCA vs the gyms: the best membership for your money