When Vanessa Rissetto received her breast cancer diagnosis last May, she was already in the midst of a challenge that would make or break most entrepreneurs: raising venture capital for her nutrition startup, Culina Health.
For Black women founders, who receive less than 1% of venture capital funding, the odds of securing major investment already felt like scaling a mountain. But Rissetto wasn’t about to let cancer write her story — and she damn sure wasn’t about to let it derail her from her mission to reshape the way we approach nutrition and healthcare. “With the unyielding support of my all-female leadership team, friends, and family, I raised seed extension funding while undergoing initial surgery and treatments for my cancer,” Rissetto tells ESSENCE. She then pivoted to secure a Series A fund, totaling over $7.9 million, bringing Culina Health’s total funding to more than $20 million.
The epitome of the phrase “girl boss,” Rissetto’s remarkable achievement is rooted in a deeper mission. As a Black woman in a field where 82% of registered dietitians are white, Rissetto recognized a critical gap in healthcare delivery and she had a higher purpose to make a change. “This discrepancy is largely due to accessibility issues, which are exacerbated in Black and brown communities,” she explained. Her solution was to build a platform that makes nutrition care available through insurance coverage, effectively democratizing access for historically underserved communities.
Founded in 2020 by Rissetto and her co-founder Tamar Samuels, Culina Health is a digital platform dedicated to making clinical nutrition care inclusive and accessible for everyone. The company offers personalized, virtual nutrition counseling services, addressing a wide range of health concerns, from managing chronic illnesses to addressing weight concerns. Under their leadership, Culina Health has grown to a team of over 90 registered dietitians, providing care across all 50 states. Democratizing access, indeed.
Today, Culina Health has partnerships with major insurers, including Cigna, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare, making its services accessible to 70% of the U.S. population. The company’s impact is evident in its impressive metrics: 117% year-over-year growth, relationships with more than 1,000 referring providers, and over 10,000 patients served through their proprietary Culina Health Method™.
The Culina Health Method™ is built on a foundation of clinical excellence and evidence-based practices, delivering outcomes that exceed typical industry benchmarks. Among its achievements, the company reports that none of its prediabetes patients have progressed to full diabetes, with additional measurable improvements in key health markers like A1c levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
A cornerstone of Culina Health’s approach is its commitment to cultural competency. “We use a unique approach that includes a rigorous cultural competency training program for our dietitians, equipping them with the necessary skills to effectively address the unique needs of a diverse patient population,” Rissetto shared. This pioneering approach acknowledges the crucial role of cultural sensitivity in healthcare delivery, ensuring that nutrition advice is tailored to each individual’s cultural background and preferences.
Completing the Series A raise while managing cancer treatments was more than a professional milestone for Rissetto—it was a testament to her resilience. “Despite having gone through some of the scariest moments of my life, I knew I always wanted to have a significant impact on the community, and my battle with breast cancer proved that I was capable of doing that and so much more,” she reflected.
Her advice to other women facing their own challenges is to “be resilient.” She emphasizes the importance of pushing through difficult moments, acknowledging one’s limits, finding balance, and leaning into one’s purpose to keep moving forward. “True strength includes knowing when to ask for help,” she noted. “If it weren’t for my family, friends, and colleagues, I wouldn’t have been able to get to where I am today.”
Looking ahead, Rissetto’s vision extends beyond business metrics. “I want to be a change-maker,” she declared. “I hope the legacy I leave behind is one about being the person to initiate change instead of waiting for it to happen.” With Culina Health’s impressive growth and innovative approach to nutrition care, she’s already well on her way to achieving that goal.
Despite the dual challenges of running a rapidly scaling company and managing her health, Rissetto remains focused on her North Star: ensuring that everyone, regardless of health literacy, financial status, education, or ethnicity, has access to a healthier life. In doing so, she’s not just building a company—she’s creating a blueprint for how determination, purpose, and resilience can transform healthcare for generations to come.