The Swell

What The Swell does

The Swell is a private, membership-based community and learning platform founded in 2020 by CEO Alisa Volkman and co-founder Pilar Guzmán, headquartered in New York and operating as The Swell Corp. The company targets women navigating midlife — particularly perimenopause and menopause, typically aged 40–60 — and extends its content surface into sexual health, brain health, longevity, emotional well-being, and financial wellness. Its flagship co-host relationship with Naomi Watts and her brand Stripes Beauty anchors The New Pause Symposium, the company's signature annual event now held in both New York City and Los Angeles, supplemented by additional symposiums (Sex Symposium, Flourishing Mind, New Peri Pause), on-demand masterclasses (Menopause & HRT 101 with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Live Longer & Stronger with Dr. Vonda Wright), and curated conversations with figures such as Maria Shriver, Katie Couric, and Dr. Lisa Mosconi.

The platform's underlying technology is a digital content delivery system comprising on-demand video streaming, a membership portal, and community features hosted on theswell.com; the company does not operate a mobile app, does not expose an API or SDK, and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Content is produced in collaboration with credentialed medical experts and thought leaders, and distributed through direct-to-consumer channels: owned website sales of annual memberships, individual event tickets, and on-demand content purchases, complemented by Instagram and email newsletter marketing, earned media in Vogue, The New York Times, Fast Company, Oprah Daily, The Cut, and LA Times, and large-scale in-person events that double as both acquisition and retention moments.

The business model combines recurring subscription revenue from $400 annual memberships with transactional revenue from individual event tickets ($75–$650 depending on tier) and on-demand masterclass purchases ($95–$150). Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer through the company's own e-commerce site, with marketing driven by content, PR, and community-led word-of-mouth. The company currently operates in private beta behind an application-based waitlist, limiting near-term scale but reinforcing exclusivity-driven acquisition.

Name

The Swell

Legal name

The Swell Corp

Website

https://theswell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Swell is a private, membership-based community and learning platform serving women navigating midlife (perimenopause and menopause), offering expert-led symposiums, on-demand masterclasses, and digital content on health, longevity, and wellness through an annual subscription and event-based revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Health & Wellness Community Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Membership Communities with Learning (Community-Led Education) (MPACALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI), Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Women's midlife wellness
• Menopause community platform
• Expert-led health education
• Longevity symposiums
• Membership learning community

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership: Beta memberships offered at $400 annually, payable monthly. Members receive access to full content library, community features, and exclusive member benefits including early access to events and content.
2. Event Tickets: In-person symposium tickets ranging from $75 (live stream) to $250 (individual) to $650 (VIP). VIP includes cocktail reception, preferred seating, deluxe gift bag, and annual membership.
3. On-Demand Content: Individual masterclass purchases such as HRT 101 at $95. Includes video content, downloadable materials, FAQ libraries, and time-limited access (30-90 days depending on content type).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Swell is a membership-based community and learning platform that delivers expert-led educational content, live symposiums, and on-demand masterclasses focused on women's midlife health, including menopause, sexual wellness, longevity, brain health, and emotional well-being. Its core offering combines an annual membership ($400/year) granting access to a content library and active peer community, alongside individually ticketed in-person and live-streamed events featuring medical experts and celebrity co-hosts.

Product overview

The Swell is a community and learning platform offering a membership-based model with tiered access to content. The core product is the Annual Membership ($400/year), which provides access to expert-led symposiums (The New Pause, Sex Symposium, Flourishing Mind), workshops (HRT-101), on-demand content libraries, and an active community. Individual events like the Menopause & HRT 101 Masterclass are available as separate purchases ($95 on-demand), while the membership includes access to the full content library. Events range from annual flagship symposiums (The New Pause) to specialized programs (The New Peri Pause, Live Longer & Stronger, Financial Wellness), all focused on midlife health, longevity, and personal growth topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Swell Membership Subscription-based community and learning platform for midlife individuals offering expert-led workshops, symposiums, on-demand content, and an active community focused on health, longevity, and personal growth. Members receive full content library access, community features, and early access to events and content.
• The New Pause Symposium Annual in-person and streaming symposium on menopause and women's health featuring expert talks, panel discussions, interactive Q&As, marketplace experiences, and community connection.
• The Sex Symposium Program on sexual health and wellness featuring expert talks, panel discussions, and Q&As addressing intimacy, pleasure, menopause impact, and relationship dynamics.
• The Flourishing Mind Symposium On-demand symposium exploring emotional well-being and human flourishing through neuroscience of stress, psychology of happiness, and emotional agility insights.
• The New Peri Pause Perimenopause-focused evening event offering expert-led discussions on hormone changes, symptoms, and advocacy strategies for women in their 40s.
• Live Longer & Stronger On-demand program on strength and longevity featuring Dr. Vonda Wright, covering latest science on exercise, aging, and musculoskeletal health.
• Menopause & HRT 101 Masterclass On-demand masterclass with Dr. Mary Claire Haver covering menopause and hormone replacement therapy, including 60+ detailed FAQs, downloadable toolkits with symptom trackers, and community Q&A access.
• Financial Wellness Program Multi-week course on the psychology of money, addressing financial shame, anxiety, and empowerment for midlife individuals.
• HRT & Breast Cancer Masterclass Deep-dive masterclass with Dr. Avrum Bluming on hormone therapy, breast cancer, and reexamination of the WHI study findings.
• On-Demand Event Access Digital access to recorded symposiums, workshops, and expert content available for replay after live events, with varying access periods based on ticket type.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Stripes BeautyflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Co-host partnership with Stripes Beauty (Naomi Watts' company) for The New Pause Symposium series. Naomi Watts serves as co-host alongside The Swell's CEO Alisa Volkman. This flagship partnership positions both brands at the forefront of menopause awareness and women's midlife health.
• WeightWatcherscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025WeightWatchers is a featured partner and sponsor of The New Pause Symposium, with their Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kim Boyd and Chief Experience Officer Julie Rice appearing as speakers at the 2025 event.
• ConvenecoreOthers · 1 January 2025Venue partner for The New Pause Symposium 2025, providing event space at 225 Liberty Street, New York City. Convene is a premium event venue provider.
• 1 Hotel Brooklyn BridgecoreOthers · 1 January 2024Venue partner for The New Pause NYC 2024 symposium, located in Brooklyn, NYC.
• Stripes BeautyflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Co-host partnership with Stripes Beauty for The New Pause NYC 2024 symposium, with Naomi Watts as co-host.
• Stripes BeautyflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Co-host partnership for The New Pause Los Angeles 2023 symposium, co-hosted by Naomi Watts and Stripes Beauty.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MasterClass: Broad incumbent in expert-led video learning with a subscription content library; comparable to The Swell on the expert-taught, video-course learning model, though broader in topic and absent the live community/events layer.
• goop: Broad incumbent in women's wellness with a content-driven, community-supported brand spanning perimenopause/menopause content, events, and product marketplace — overlaps with The Swell on women-focused wellness content and celebrity-driven programming.
• Tia: Women's health platform combining in-person care, telehealth, and content/community programming; targets a similar women-focused ICP and shares The Swell's emphasis on education and community alongside clinical credibility.
• Parsley Health: Established women's health and wellness platform combining clinician-led care with content and community — overlaps The Swell on the women/midlife audience and the integration of expert content with member services.

Direct peers

• Gennev: Direct competitor operating a menopause/midlife women's health platform combining telehealth, education, and community — overlapping The Swell's core audience and value proposition around evidence-based midlife care.
• Evernow: Direct peer in women's midlife/menopause care combining telehealth, education, and community support; targets the same ICP and increasingly overlaps with The Swell's expert-content positioning.
• Elektra Health: Direct peer in the women's midlife/menopause category, offering a virtual care platform with educational content, expert access, and community — closely comparable to The Swell's expert-led, community-supported model.
• Midi Health: Direct peer providing clinician-led midlife and menopause care; competes for the same women's midlife audience and increasingly bundles educational content and community around its clinical services.
• Caria (formerly MenoGuide): Direct peer offering a menopause/midlife platform with personalized programs, expert-led content, and community — highly comparable to The Swell's subscription community-plus-education model.

Regional players

• The Class (by Taryn Toomey): Community-driven women's wellness brand built around immersive in-person experiences and a membership offering — comparable to The Swell on the curated, community-led, experience-plus-content monetization model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thisistheswell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Swell