Forward

Forward was a technology-driven primary care company that operated AI-powered, self-serve health pods (CarePods) in retail locations, providing automated health assessments including blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen, temperature, body composition, and basic blood tests without the need for on-site medical staff. The CarePods used AI to guide patients through screenings, generate health reports, and connect users with remote physicians for follow-up consultations. Despite raising over $600M in funding and deploying pods across the U.S., Forward ceased operations in late 2024 due to unsustainable unit economics, marking it as a notable example of the challenges in scaling fully automated primary care delivery.