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In this episode of Hims House, Jonathan Stern and Patrick Lester break down Hims & Hers’ recent acquisition of ZAVA, a major telehealth provider in Europe, alongside two European healthcare experts: Sekander Amini, a UK-based private pharmacy owner and longtime Hims investor; and Mads Christiansen, founder of New Deal Invest and a practicing GP in Denmark. Together, they explore how Hims’ U.S. playbook will need to adapt for European markets, the realities of competing with publicly funded healthcare systems, and the regulatory and operational hurdles ahead. They also discuss the likely strategic rationale behind the deal—licenses, market entry speed—and discuss the potential long-term opportunity around personalized medicine, AI, and peptides.
00:00 – Godel Terminal
02:23 – Europe vs. US — What “competing with free healthcare” really means
05:06 – Google Trends data: rising interest in ZAVA over time
05:35 – Why “free” care often leaves room for paid services
16:34 – Advertising laws in Europe vs. US
25:41 – Cross-border shipping: Will Hims need pharmacies in every EU country?
29:55 – Compounding and Personalization
33:29 – Strategic rationale: Why Hims bought ZAVA
35:07 – The hidden importance of pharmacy licenses in the UK
36:03 – Hims’ evolving product strategy in Europe
37:59 – How AI + real-world data will unlock personalized treatment
39:20 – Platform vision: Hims as the “front door” to next-gen healthcare
01:00:24 – How to judge the success of the ZAVA acquisition
01:04:11 – The future of medicine
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