With Mayo Clinic's Support, Nutrix's Hardware Monitors Workers' Stress

Stress isn’t just bad for individuals—it’s costly for employers, too. According to the American Institute of Stress, workplace stress leads to absenteeism, reduced productivity, high turnover, medical expenses, and workplace accidents, costing U.S. businesses over $300 billion annually.

One way to measure stress is by tracking cortisol levels. Even social media influencers recognize this, with “cortisol face” becoming a trending topic on TikTok. However, from a scientific perspective, measuring daily fluctuations in cortisol is crucial, as those variations hold the most significance.

"By the end of the day, our cortisol levels should be at their lowest," says Maria Hahn, CEO of Nutrix. Her company’s latest device, CortiSense, which measures cortisol in saliva, recently won the CES Innovation Award 2025 in the Digital Health category.

Rather than requiring patients to visit a clinic, CortiSense allows users to track their cortisol levels immediately upon waking up, making stress monitoring more convenient.

How CortiSense Works and Its Role in Digital Health

Developed with support from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, CortiSense integrates with Nutrix’s G-Sense platform, which includes:

✅ Continuous glucose monitoring

✅ AI-driven nutrition management

✅ Telemedicine solutions

Nutrix originally focused on diabetes but has since expanded its hardware development to stress monitoring and chronic disease management. "Cortisol regulates many other hormones, making it crucial for both mental and metabolic health," Hahn explains.

This vision has helped Nutrix secure funding from Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse and private investors. To date, the startup has raised $4 million, including a previously undisclosed $2.5 million seed round led by Poland Impact and Japan's Deep Tech fund OIST-Lifetime Ventures. After meeting Nutrix at CES 2024, Mayo Clinic also joined as a partner.

Scaling Up: U.S. Expansion and Corporate-Focused Strategy

Nutrix is now raising a Series A round to fund its expansion. However, its U.S. launch is already underway, with Mayo Clinic's support enabling plans to open offices in Silicon Valley.

This isn’t Nutrix’s first time entering new markets. Its G-Sense platform is integrated with Chile’s public insurance system, and in 2024, the Swiss health-tech company expanded to Mexico and Peru.

What’s new for Nutrix is its shift from a consumer-focused model to a corporate wellness approach. Unlike in the U.S., employee health screening is often an employer responsibility in Chile, Mexico, and Peru, ensuring private health data remains confidential while supporting workplace well-being.

Since the U.S. is now a priority market for CortiSense, Hahn acknowledges the need to clarify that Nutrix only collects aggregated data. While some might find the economic argument for workplace stress reduction unappealing, it serves as a reminder to employers that mental health is a crucial aspect of overall health.

Hahn also highlights cortisol’s significance in women’s health, particularly during perimenopause and menopause, an area that has been historically under-researched. She plans to use part of Nutrix’s funding to explore these connections further, stating:

"As a woman, this is personally important to me as well."