Equip

We were drawn to their story and mission as many of our team members had been touched by EDs – either suffering from one themselves or having a loved one who had struggled with an ED. Some are surprised to learn that EDs are the most expensive and one of the deadliest behavioral health conditions in the U.S., second only to opioid addiction. Nearly 30 million Americans across all races, genders, body sizes, and sexual orientations will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. Despite their prevalence, only 20% of those struggling receive treatment, and even less have access to evidence-based treatment. Our shared commitment to address this critical treatment gap, coupled with our strong belief in Kristina and Erin, led to our partnership with Equip.

We were delighted to lead the seed round that helped bring Kristina and Erin’s vision to life and to support them through the early fundamentals of company creation, including advising them through decisions about how to incorporate the company. Our team also had the pleasure of helping name the company – we proposed “Equip” during the naming process, believing that it reflected the ethos of the company. Equip – based on equipe, meaning “team” in French and the idea that the company has a strong focus on helping patients figure out how to equip themselves with skills to turn to instead of harmful behaviors. One of our team members, Brooke Hammer, even ultimately joined the company as a key member of the leadership team.

Equip is positioned to transform eating disorder treatment with compelling evidence that their clinical approach works for lasting recovery. A remarkable 96% of Equip’s patients on a weight restoration program are gaining weight, 7 out of 10 are seeing reduction in their ED symptoms and 80% of parents have reported an increased confidence in their ability to address their child’s ED.

Eating disorder treatment is complex and cannot be one-size-fits-all. Equip’s medical and behavioral health platform is built to meet patients and families where they are through virtual family-based therapy (FBT). There are still significant challenges in the space but Equip is leading the way to deliver accessible, effective, fully virtual care.

“F-Prime was one of our original champions who truly allowed Equip’s bold vision to become a reality. Their team fervently believed alongside us that the eating disorder treatment landscape was fundamentally broken, young people and their families needed evidence-based care at home for lasting recovery, and most importantly, entrusted us to build the model that we knew needed to exist. For that we, and the eating disorder field, are forever grateful for them.” – Kristina Saffran, CEO and Co-founder