Noom

American company offering weight loss and wellness services

Noom

Company type| Private
Founded| 2008; 17 years ago (2008)
Headquarters| New York, New York, U.S.

Key people

* Saeju Jeong (Co-founder and Executive Chairman)
* Artem Petakov (Co-founder and Head of Noom Ventures)
* Geoff Cook (Chief Executive Officer)

Website| noom.com

Noom is an American privately held company that provides weight loss, fitness, and mental health services through a subscription-based mobile app. Founded in 2008, Noom combines digital health tools with an emphasis on behavior change and psychological principles to promote long-term lifestyle adjustments.

The platform incorporates elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and goal-setting strategies, and its programs are designed to support users in developing healthier habits. In addition to its weight management services, Noom has expanded to offer products related to stress management and general wellness.

Noom has received both praise and criticism. Supporters cite its focus on mental and behavioral aspects of health, while critics have raised concerns about the accuracy of its calorie goals, the use of algorithmically determined weight loss targets, and questions about the qualifications of some of its coaching staff.[citation needed]

## History

[edit]

Noom was founded in 2008 by friends Artem Petakov and Saeju Jeong.[1][2] The company's mobile app officially launched in 2016.[3] Noom is headquartered in New York City.[4]

Petakov, a former software engineer at Google,[5] currently leads Noom Ventures,[6] while Jeong serves as Noom’s Chief Executive Officer.[7]

In 2020, Noom reported $400 million in revenue.[8] As of April 2021, the company stated it employed approximately 3,000 people, including 2,700 coaches.[9]

In 2019, Noom partnered with Novo Nordisk to offer patients prescribed the diabetes medication Saxenda one year of free access to the Noom platform.[10]

## Services

[edit]

### Noom App

[edit]

The Noom app is the primary platform through which users engage with the company's services. Upon creating an account, users are prompted to provide physical information such as weight, height, and age, along with experiential data including lifestyle habits, personal goals, and perceived obstacles.

Users log their meals and physical activity, and in return, the app delivers feedback through multiple channels: algorithmically generated insights, guidance from a human coach, peer interaction, educational articles, and interactive quizzes.

The app has been reviewed by a range of media outlets, including newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune[11] and USA Today;[12] health information sources such as WebMD;[13] and lifestyle magazines including Good Housekeeping.[14]

### Other services

[edit]

In 2024, Noom launched Noom Vibe, a mobile application that encourages users to develop healthy habits by awarding "vibes"—a form of points—for activities such as walking or meeting step goals.[15][16]

That same year, Noom introduced a 3D body scanning feature within its app, designed to help users monitor physical changes and prevent muscle atrophy during weight loss.[17]

Also in 2024, Noom began offering a compounded GLP-1 medication as part of its weight management program.[18] The formulation includes the same active ingredient found in the anti-obesity medications Wegovy and Ozempic.[19]

## Research

[edit]

In 2016, a study published in Scientific Reports analyzed data from approximately 36,000 users of the Noom app, of whom 78% were female and 22% male. The data were collected between October 2012 and April 2014. To be included in the analysis, users had to log their weight at least twice per month over a period of six consecutive months. The study found that 78% of participants self-reported weight loss while using the app. The median duration of weight reporting was 267 days (approximately nine months). The frequency of data logging was positively correlated with weight loss. Additionally, male users had a higher average starting BMI and reported greater average weight loss compared to female users.[20]

In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized Noom as a certified diabetes prevention program, making it the first mobile health application to receive such designation.[21]

## Criticisms

[edit]

### Health programs

[edit]

Noom has been criticized for promoting elements of diet culture in its advertising campaigns.[22][23] The app has also faced criticism for setting calorie goals that some users and experts have deemed inappropriately low, and for employing coaches who may lack formal qualifications as registered dietitians. Coaching has been described as relying heavily on canned responses.[24][25]

Upon sign-up, users are prompted to complete a questionnaire consisting of over 50 questions, which is used to generate a personalized program. In 2021, the UK-based organization Privacy International alleged that Noom, along with other diet platforms, used such lengthy surveys to attract users but did not always tailor the resulting programs to the collected data. The organization claimed that many users received the same or highly similar programs regardless of their answers. It also raised concerns about the handling of potentially sensitive health data, alleging a lack of transparency regarding the sharing of such data with third parties, including Facebook, potentially in violation of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).[26][27]

In a follow-up investigation in 2023, Privacy International reported that Noom had made "significant positive changes" to its data handling practices. However, the organization noted that data was still being shared with Facebook and concluded that "there is still room for improvement."[28]

### Billing issues lawsuit

[edit]

In August 2020, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a warning to consumers regarding Noom's subscription practices. The BBB reported that numerous customers had filed complaints about difficulties canceling their subscriptions after the free trial period, as well as challenges in contacting the company to request refunds.[29]

In February 2022, Noom agreed to a $62 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit that alleged the company had used deceptive billing practices related to automatic subscription renewals. Qualifying claimants received approximately $167 each. During the case, a former senior software engineer at Noom testified that the cancellation process was intentionally designed to be difficult, with the goal of generating revenue from customers who failed to cancel in time. In response, Noom stated that it had taken steps to improve transparency around its pricing and policies, including the implementation of self-service cancellation tools.[30][31][32]

## See also

[edit]

* List of diets

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Artem Petakov". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
2. ^ Jeong, Saeju (December 4, 2018). "I Co-Founded a Company With My Best Friend, and 10 Years Later Our Partnership Is Stronger Than Ever". Entrepreneur. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
3. ^ Melton, Monica (January 14, 2020). "Weight Loss App Noom Quadruples Revenue Again, This Time To $237 Million". Forbes. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
4. ^ Matsuda, Akiko (November 4, 2020). "Noom inks 113K-sf sublease at 5 Manhattan West". The Real Deal. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
5. ^ Madell, Robin (Sep 26, 2019). "I'm a founder who spent 3 years working as a tech lead at Google — and it was a better education than pursuing an MBA. Here are 3 lessons from my experience". Business Insider. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
6. ^ "Noom Co-Founder Artem Petakov Shifts to Head Noom Ventures". Slice of Healthcare. March 6, 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
7. ^ Foster, Tom (Dec 13, 2021). "How Noom's Founders Shook Up a $250 Billion Industry With a Pandemic Hit That Took 10 Years to Build". Retrieved 10 June 2024.
8. ^ Mangalindan, JP (May 25, 2021). "Weight-loss platform Noom bulks up on $540 million in new funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
9. ^ MacLellan, Lila (April 3, 2021). "Weight loss app Noom was ready for its pandemic moment". Quartz. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
10. ^ Bulik, Beth (October 11, 2019). "Novo Nordisk teams with trending weight loss app Noom to help obesity patients" (Press release). FiercePharma. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
11. ^ Babish, Sian (December 19, 2020). "Noom review: Can this program help you achieve sustainable weight loss?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
12. ^ McCarthy, Megan (January 28, 2021). "I tried weight-loss app Noom again after a year—here's what changed". USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
13. ^ Watson, Stephanie. "Noom". WebMD. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
14. ^ Sassos, Stefani (November 12, 2020). "What Is the Noom Diet? A Nutritionist Explains How the App Can Help You Lose Weight". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
15. ^ Christine, Persaud (June 3, 2024). "10 of the most exciting product launches this spring (so far)". USA Today. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
16. ^ N, Kalina (June 5, 2024). "Noom Recently Debuted Its New Health-Focused App — Noom Vibe". Trend Hunter. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
17. ^ Gil, Bruce (October 17, 2024). "This app creates a 3D model of your body to show how it can transform by losing weight". Quartz. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
18. ^ Landi, Heather (Sep 17, 2024). "Noom to offer compounded GLP-1 drug to rival pricey branded weight loss meds". FIERCE Healthcare. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
19. ^ Capoot, Ashley (Sep 12, 2024). "Digital health company Noom to offer compounded GLP-1 drug through new weight loss program". CNBC. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
20. ^ Chin, Sang (November 7, 2016). "Successful weight reduction and maintenance by using a smartphone application in those with overweight and obesity". Scientific Reports. 6: 34563. Bibcode:2016NatSR...634563C. doi:10.1038/srep34563. PMC 5098151. PMID 27819345.
21. ^ LaMantia, Jonathan (April 14, 2017). "Startup's weight-loss app gets CDC seal of approval". Modern Healthcare. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
22. ^ "Noom receives backlash after former users claim the app promotes diet culture". The Independent. 2022-01-28. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
23. ^ "Noom is fat shaming your childhood". Mic. 2022-02-02.
24. ^ "What you need to know about Noom, according to a dietitian". NBC News. 2019-04-24.
25. ^ Landsverk, Gabby. "Noom markets itself as an anti-diet lifestyle app. Users say they find themselves counting calories, receiving canned advice from burned-out coaches, and taking on expensive subscriptions". Business Insider.
26. ^ "Why is Noom duping users into sharing their private medical history?". Cosmopolitan. 2021-12-01.
27. ^ "An unhealthy diet of targeted ads: an investigation into how the diet industry exploits our data". Privacy International.
28. ^ "New Year, New Noom? What our re-testing of the weight-loss platform taught us". Privacy International.
29. ^ Temko, Sandra; Bernabe, Angeline (August 19, 2020). "Better Business Bureau warns consumers about diet app Noom after thousands of complaints". Good Morning America. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
30. ^ Landsverk, Gabby. "Noom settles billing lawsuit for $62 million and promises to change business practices to address customer complaints". Insider.
31. ^ Stempel, Jonathan (February 14, 2022). "Noom diet app reaches $62 million settlement over automatic subscription renewals". Reuters.
32. ^ Avery, Dan (June 8, 2022). "See If You Qualify for a Piece of Noom's $56 Million Class Action Settlement". CNET.