Oura agrees to buy Counsel Health for $625 million

In short: Oura says it will acquire primary care startup Counsel Health for $625 million to expand medical care features inside the Oura app.

What happened

Oura, the company known for its smart ring, announced it is buying Counsel Health for $625 million. Counsel Health offers a chat-based medical service that uses AI (software that can answer questions in a human-like way) and can connect users to licensed physicians.

Counsel’s service was added to the Oura app in June. Users can message Counsel’s AI for personalized health guidance and then chat with a doctor when needed, without leaving the Oura app.

Oura says it plans to build more services across preventive care, urgent problems, specialist care, and long-term conditions. Counsel CEO Muthu Alagappan is expected to join Oura as chief clinical AI officer, along with Counsel’s 70 employees, according to Bloomberg. The deal is expected to close before the end of 2027.

The announcement comes a few weeks after Oura postponed its planned IPO, which is when a company sells shares to the public for the first time (like opening up ownership to public investors). Oura said it paused those plans because of uncertainty in the IPO market.

Why it matters

Many people already use Oura to track sleep and other body signals, but that data does not automatically tell you what to do next. By adding easier access to medical advice and doctors (like having a clinic front desk inside your health app), Oura could make it simpler for users to move from tracking to getting care. It also shows Oura is trying to grow beyond selling rings as competition in smart rings increases.

Source: TechCrunch AI