Meet the CEO Who Turned His Health Journey Into a Platform Helping Over 90,000 People Lose Weight
“I think our perspective outside of healthcare is what has allowed us to create an experience that is winning over consumers.”
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In less than two years, bootstrapped Atlanta-based startup OrderlyMeds has attracted more than 90,000 customers looking for better, more personalized weight loss help.
OrderlyMeds, a telemedicine startup, was born out of Founder and CEO Chris Spears’ own journey using GLP-1s, a class of drugs that includes popular weight loss treatments like Ozempic and Wegovy.
Spears is one of a growing number of Americans experimenting with GLP-1s. One in eight Americans has tried a GLP-1 medication, but access and support remain a problem.
That is something that OrderlyMeds is looking to change. Rather than simply delivering medication, the platform represents a shift toward personalized health, one that recognizes weight loss isn't just about the drug, but about ongoing support, education, and individualized care that adapts to each person's needs.
The Road Into HealthTech & Telemedicine
By his own count, Spears has launched 39 ventures since high school. The longest and most successful of those ventures before OrderlyMeds was Arke, an Atlanta-based B2B marketing technology consulting firm he led for 17 years before selling it in 2021.
He entered “retirement mode” shortly after. But not long after his health took a turn, and he ended up in the ICU in October of 2022. During his recovery journey, his primary care physician prescribed a GLP-1. The problem? It wasn’t covered by insurance and it just wasn’t in stock at his pharmacy.
So like many other patients in his position, he turned to a telemedicine company that sold GLP-1 meds online.
While taking the medication was "life-changing," Spears said that the user experience on that telemedicine platform left much to be desired. It lacked the support and wraparound services that could help patients like him succeed.
That’s where Spears saw an opportunity.
Today, OrderlyMeds offers GLP-1 users a different, more personalized treatment experience. After a virtual consultation and weight loss assessment, OrderlyMeds’ third party medical teams are able to ship out GLP-1 medications right to the customer’s door. The platform then provides a community of ongoing support to help with dosage changes, questions, and help achieving an individual's overall health goals.
Lessons In Scaling
Spears formed the company in October of 2023, bringing in several folks from his previous ventures. After a quick build out, OrderlyMeds initially launched in January 2024, hoping to capitalize on New Year’s Resolution momentum.
They landed a grand total of 17 initial customers.
But that slow start did not last long. By the end of that first year, OrderlyMeds had helped 24,000 people on their weight loss journey. Towards the end of 2025, that number has surged to over 90,000.
That has translated into over 2 million pounds lost.
So, what worked?
The team did not focus on paid media in their first year of operation.
“We really focused on our customer experience,” Spears told Hypepotamus. In the early days, a quarter of new customers came onto the platform as referrals from existing customers, and another quarter came from organic search.
The other half discovered OrderlyMeds through social media influencers who were not paid to produce content, but rather to share their personal weight loss experience.
“That still probably generates 30 to 40% of our customers every month,” Spears added.
An Outsider's View
OrderlyMeds started as a direct-to-consumer play. But the company is expanding into the B2B world by selling to benefit brokers, corporate partners, and pharmacies that are struggling to keep up with GLP-1 demand. It is also working to launch additional brands that will bring its telemedicine platform into other healthcare areas, helping to "diversify revenue across a broader spectrum of healthcare," Spears said.
In November of 2025, the bootstrapped startup had over 160 W2 employees and around 200 1099 contractors on staff.
“We grew from $1 to $100 million ARR in 11 months from May '24 to March '25,” Spears added.
OrderlyMeds recently graduated from ATDC, The State of Georgia’s technology incubator program located in Midtown Atlanta. Spears said that his time inside ATDC was helpful in building up his CEO peer group” in the city as he looks to scale OrderlyMeds further.
As a Georgia Tech computer science graduate who spent most of his career in the IT services and consulting space, he said “nothing could have prepared him” for what it would be like leading a fast-growing HealthTech company. But he said an outsider’s view has been important for their growth.
“I think our perspective outside of healthcare is what has allowed us to create an experience that is winning over consumers.”
