We are thrilled to announce our investment in Prado, led by founder and CEO Jon Carter. Through its platform, Prado is leading a historic shift from reactive disease management toward proactive, equitable food-based health optimization.
Chronic disease is overwhelming the US healthcare system. It is the leading cause of death in the US, is linked to 99% of Medicare spending, and disproportionately affects low-income individuals. Yet treatment models continue to overlook one of the most powerful interventions available: food.
Patients and providers want food as medicine, but providers lack the infrastructure to integrate it into their care models. They want to move beyond PDFs and general advice toward actionable, structured care.
Prado bridges this gap through two connected innovations, both anchored in advancing health equity and inclusion:
- A clinical workflow layer that lets providers prescribe food the way they prescribe medication, with structured care plans, adherence tracking, and a revenue share that aligns clinical and financial incentives.
- An HSA/FSA payment rail that makes medically tailored meals affordable for any patient with a tax-advantaged health account, expanding access without requiring payer buy-in.
What this means for each party in Prado's model today:
- Patients purchase medically tailored, ready-to-eat meals with pre-tax dollars and follow a clinician-issued care plan that tells them what to eat and when.
- Providers gain a prescribing workflow with adherence tracking and aligned economics.
- Food merchants gain a clinical demand channel and recurring revenue they cannot reach through D2C alone.
Prado's mission is anchored in Jon's personal experience with preventable chronic disease, which strengthens his drive and long-term commitment to building food-as-medicine infrastructure for the US healthcare system. Moreover, the company sits at the intersection of two of Zeal Capital Partners’ core investment categories – Fintech and Healthcare – by reimagining how clinicians treat chronic disease, while simultaneously making medically tailored meals more affordable through their HSA/FSA payment infrastructure.
We're proud to support Jon and the entire Prado team as they work toward a more effective, accessible, and equitable health system.