PNOĒ launches a self-administered breath-test mask for metabolic data

PNOĒ, a Malden, Massachusetts-based startup with operations in Athens, Greece, is preparing to launch the PNOĒ 2.0 on October 1 — a face mask that measures how much oxygen a person consumes and how much carbon dioxide they exhale, then turns that data into advice on eating, training, and, the company hopes, living longer.

The key change from PNOĒ’s current device is that users can administer the test themselves. Co-founder and CEO Apostolos Atsalakis said someone can walk into a gym, “just wear the mask, push the button, sit down,” and breathe for eight minutes, describing the process as simple. That matters because PNOĒ’s current device requires a trained operator, which limits where it can be used; a self-serve version could open the device to fitness centers without dedicated staff and potentially pharmacies, Atsalakis said.

The underlying science, metabolic testing, has been around for more than a century and is the traditional gold standard for measuring VO₂ max — the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise, a widely used gauge of cardiorespiratory fitness. The tests have traditionally required bulky, expensive lab equipment, largely limiting them to elite athletes and executive wellness programs. PNOĒ, now 10 years old, packages the same measurement in a portable device paired with software that turns results into recommendations, capturing 23 biomarkers including VO₂ max, resting metabolic rate, and metabolic flexibility.

The new mask is smaller and has fewer parts than its predecessor, which Atsalakis said makes it more reliable; its electronics detach from the mask and straps so multiple users can share the hardware while each keeps their own mask. The device is not cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Atsalakis said the company does not provide medical recommendations, positioning PNOĒ as a wellness device comparable to a body-composition scale rather than something a doctor could use to prescribe medication. He said the company’s growing data trove could eventually help flag health issues, though he put full diagnoses at still a couple of years away, with regulatory hurdles likely stretching that timeline further.

PNOĒ sells only to businesses, including Equinox, Four Seasons, Red Bull, the NBA, the Mount Sinai Health System, and Restore Hyper Wellness, which charge customers for testing under subscriptions ranging from $400 a month to more than $1,000. About 85% of its business comes from the U.S. The company, which went through Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 batch, has raised about $22 million, including a recently closed $11 million round, employs 110 people, says it recently turned profitable, and is growing more than 100% a year. Atsalakis said PNOĒ plans to raise a Series B within the next six to 12 months.

Why it matters

Removing the trained-operator requirement could push clinical-grade metabolic testing out of sports labs and executive wellness programs and into ordinary gyms and pharmacies, widening a longevity-data market currently split between expensive lab equipment and rougher smartwatch estimates.