Semcap backs UK wellness e-tailer Healf in first platform bet

What's the deal? Private equity firm SemcapDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has made a minority investment in UK wellness e-tailer HealfDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the two companies announced Monday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal comes via Semcap's beauty and wellness division, led by Vasiliki Petrou, former head of UnileverDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Prestige.

What does Healf do? Founded in 2020 by brothers Lestat McCree and Max Clarke, Healf sells supplements, beauty products and wearables, plus home blood-testing kits under a service called Healf Zone. Customers who use it get bespoke guidance and product recommendations based on their results and shared data.

What's the endgame? Healf will use the funds to grow Healf Zone and expand globally; it launched in Germany in July. The company had previously raised £5.5 million ($7.5 million) from investors including Iris VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and JamJar.

Why now? In March, the Financial Times ranked Healf as Europe's fastest-growing business, with a compound annual growth rate of over 600%. Healf is Petrou's first investment in a platform rather than a brand; at Unilever she oversaw acquisitions including TatchaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, K18Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and DermalogicaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.

Curation as the moat. McCree said Healf turns down "95 percent" of brands that approach it, arguing that customer trust in its selection demands it be extremely selective. Top-performing brands include ThorneDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Lnmt, and wearables from Whoop and Oura.

The signal: "The wellness tsunami wave is even bigger than the internet wave," Petrou said, framing Healf as a business that sells trust by identifying needs and serving "a curated edit." The bet reflects rising consumer spending on health and a shift toward personalised, platform-based wellness commerce.

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