Gyms and other customer-facing businesses can offer lab-grade metabolic testing without trained operators when PNOĒ ships its self-serve mask on October 1. The new device, called PNOĒ 2.0, reduces the staff and space required to deliver VO₂ and related metabolic measurements, potentially expanding access beyond elite sports labs.
The mask still covers the nose and mouth and straps around the head, an aesthetic some observers have compared to a comic-book antagonist. Its function is clinical: it measures oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide output and converts those breath gases into metrics and recommendations about eating, training, and long-term fitness.
PNOĒ co-founder and CEO Apostolos Atsalakis said the test is simple to run, you can "just wear the mask, push the button, sit down," and then breathe for eight minutes. "That's it. It's that easy," he said. The self-administered workflow is the central change from the startup's prior device, which required a trained operator and therefore limited where the test could be offered.
Metabolic breath testing itself is not new, and VO₂ max has long been the gold standard for cardiorespiratory fitness. PNOĒ positions its technology as a portable version of that lab equipment, pairing hardware with software that translates raw measurements into actionable guidance. Atsalakis summarized the company’s aim bluntly: "We made it accessible to everyone."
The company says the test captures 23 biomarkers, including resting metabolic rate and metabolic flexibility, metrics it argues answer questions blood tests cannot, such as personalized calorie needs and training prescriptions. The device is smaller than PNOĒ's earlier model, with fewer parts to improve reliability, a redesign completed with Milan’s Design Group Italia after "a lot, a lot, a lot of iterations," Atsalakis said.
To ease shared use, the electronics detach from the silicone mask and straps so multiple clients can reuse the hardware while each person retains their own mask. PNOĒ sells only to businesses which then offer tests to customers; clients include Equinox, Four Seasons hotels, Red Bull, the NBA, the Mount Sinai Health System, and Restore Hyper Wellness. Subscriptions run from $400 a month to more than $1,000, covering hardware, software, training, and marketing, a package Atsalakis calls a "business in a box." About 85% of the company's business comes from the U.S., and it is expanding in Europe and, through partners, into Latin America and Asia.
PNOĒ is careful not to present the device as a medical diagnostic. The product is not cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the company states plainly, "we do not provide medical recommendations." Atsalakis added that "A doctor cannot prescribe medication based on our results." He also said using breath data to flag disease is a research path the company hopes to pursue, but full diagnostic capability is "definitely a couple of years away," and will face regulatory hurdles.
The startup traces its roots to Atsalakis's PhD research at the University of Cambridge and was co-founded with Panos Papadiamantis. PNOĒ went through Y Combinator's Winter 2019 batch and has raised about $22 million to date, including a recently closed $11 million round from investors such as 50 Years and Lars Rasmussen. With the PNOĒ 2.0 release, the company plans to scale its business-to-business model by lowering the operational bar for offering metabolic testing in fitness and wellness settings.
