Health Enhancement Systems

What Health Enhancement Systems does

Health Enhancement Systems (HES) is a privately held, founder-led provider of workplace wellness challenges, founded in 1992 by Dean Witherspoon and headquartered in Midland, Michigan. The company designs and delivers themed, science-backed well-being programs covering physical activity, nutrition, emotional well-being, and financial literacy, delivered via web and mobile applications on iOS and Android with device integration including Apple Health and third-party fitness trackers. Flagship and catalog products include Walktober (running 21+ years), Go Gold 2026, Star Trak, Bloom, Chirpy, 10K-A-Day, Right On the Money, Work of Art, and Good Nurtured, with in-app social mechanics (Teams, Friends, Social Wall) supporting engagement.

HES serves employers, health plans, higher-education institutions, government entities, and nonprofit organizations, with named customers including Chevron, Delta Air Lines, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Kaiser Permanente, Wellesley College, Washington University in St. Louis, Case Western Reserve University, and the State of Illinois CMS. The platform reaches 400,000+ participants annually across 127 countries and reports an 83% Net Promoter Score. HES monetizes through per-registrant licensing ($10–$21 per registrant depending on challenge and duration), population-scaled group licenses ($5K–$122K+ per challenge), and bundled multi-challenge licenses. Go-to-market is sales-led, combining inside sales, dedicated account managers, and channel partnerships with health plans and benefits consultants. The company remains bootstrapped and founder-owned after 30+ years of operation, with no disclosed external funding rounds.

Name

Health Enhancement Systems

Legal name

Health Enhancement Systems

Website

https://hesonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Health Enhancement Systems is a privately held, founder-led provider of themed workplace wellness challenges on web and mobile, serving enterprises, universities, governments, and health plans across 127 countries with programs spanning physical, emotional, and financial well-being.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Wellness Software

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Workplace Wellness & Wellbeing Education (EDAAAHAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employer Wellness & Population Health Programs (HLAEAAAH), Wellness Program Design & Accountability Coaching (HSADAGAC)

Keywords

• Workplace wellness challenges
• Employee wellness programs
• Corporate wellness platforms
• Behavior change challenges
• Financial wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Midland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Registrant Licensing: Organizations pay per participant registered for wellness challenges. Pricing varies by challenge duration (4, 6, or 8 weeks) with per-registrant fees plus one-time setup fee.
2. Group License: One-time fee covering entire eligible population (all employees with site access) for any single HES challenge. Price scales based on eligible population size.
3. Bundled License: One-time fee covering entire eligible population for 2 HES challenges within 12 months. Includes 1 dedicated account manager and streamlined single-agreement procurement.
4. Reward Cards: HES offers individual and bulk reward card options as optional incentives. Challenges also integrate with existing reward platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Health Enhancement Systems designs and delivers themed workplace wellness challenges covering physical activity, emotional well-being, financial literacy, and nutrition through a web and mobile platform. Organizations license per-registrant, group, or bundled access to individual challenges (such as Walktober, Go Gold, Bloom, Star Trak, Right On the Money), with implementation supported by dedicated account managers.

Product overview

HES offers a comprehensive suite of workplace wellness challenges organized into fixed, flexible, and personalized models. The core offerings include physical activity challenges like Walktober (flagship fall walking program), Go Gold 2026 (Winter Games-inspired), Star Trak (space-themed), 10K-A-Day, Bloom (spring-themed), Chirpy (flexible songbirds theme), Coast to Coast, Keep America Active, and seasonal challenges (Snow Wonder, Summertime, Spring Into Motion, Health for the Holidays). Specialized programs address emotional well-being (Work of Art, Good Nurtured) and financial literacy (Right On the Money, the industry's first game-based financial education program). Energy-focused challenges like Feel Like a Million use board game mechanics. Nutrition is addressed through Colorful Choices. Supporting platforms include Elevate (wellness platform for administration), Launchpad (implementation hub), and a Planning Calendar. Mobile apps for iOS and Android support all challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elevate Wellness Platform: A flexible, easy-to-implement online tool to help increase awareness and boost participation in all of an organization's well-being activities.

Products and services

• Bloom Spring-themed physical activity challenge that takes participants on a global journey of renewal from cherry blossoms in Japan to lavender fields in France. Participants earn blossoms by reaching daily activity goals; features worldwide visuals, device integration, Social Wall, leaderboard, real-time polls, individual and team participation, badges, 200+ recipes, and organization-wide goals.
• Walktober Annual fall walking challenge and HES flagship program. Challenges participants to 6,000, 8,000, or 10,000 steps a day, earning red, orange, or gold leaves. Features fall images, Friends feature, 260 shareable recipes, message board, daily health tips, and optional team competition with groups of 4-5.
• Go Gold 2026 Winter Games-inspired Olympic-themed wellness challenge motivating employees to stay active. Participants log physical activity and earn bronze, silver, and gold medals (Bronze 6000 steps, Silver 8000, Gold 10000). Features winter sports-themed images and videos, real-time team competition and leaderboards, device syncing, milestone badges, recipe library, Social Wall, Friends feature, and organization-wide dashboards.
• Star Trak Space exploration-themed physical activity challenge taking participants on an interactive tour through 7 distinct eras of space exploration by recording steps or exercise minutes. Earns red, yellow, or blue stars aligned with 6,000, 8,000, or 10,000 steps. Features Friends, optional team competition, badges, Interactive Wellness Wall, and 200+ recipes.
• 10K-A-Day Step-based physical activity wellness challenge encouraging participants to step out and step up to better health. Annual favorite among HES offerings, commonly implemented as part of a cost-saving bundled license.
• Work of Art Emotional well-being challenge focused on the art of living an emotionally healthy life. Helps participants learn skills for resilience, healthy relationships, self-confidence, and happiness. Explores mindfulness, gratitude, optimism, and connection through activities using personal photos to create meaningful artwork.
• Good Nurtured Workplace kindness challenge raising awareness of the mental, emotional, and physical health benefits of kindness, civility, and graciousness. Categories include Good to Me (self-care), Good to You (kindness toward people you know), and Good to All (acts toward people you don't know).
• Right On the Money Industry's first game-based employee financial literacy program featuring 2 parts (Money Round and Double Your Money Round) with 18 financial well-being topics including budgeting, college financing, retirement saving, and debt reduction. Players earn virtual dollars on a personalized game board matching their life stage; includes teams, buddies, interactive message board, and in-app messaging.
• Feel Like a Million Board game-themed wellness program designed to increase energy. Flexible program with 5 energy bundles, each with 6 activities covering physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, and loose change. Participants earn virtual dollars along a game board toward a $1 million virtual goal; integrates with Apple Health and major fitness devices.
• Elevate Wellness Platform Flexible, easy-to-implement online platform that serves as the administrative hub for managing HES wellness challenges, helping organizations boost awareness and participation in well-being activities.
• Launchpad Implementation solution allowing wellness coordinators to host all HES wellness challenges from a single website. Each organization is assigned an account manager who creates the site with the organization's color scheme, branding, and content on desktop and mobile devices.
• Rewards Individual and bulk reward card options to fit any budget for wellness challenge incentives. HES challenges also integrate with existing reward platforms.
• Chirpy Flexible behavior wellness challenge with a whimsical songbirds theme that boosts optimism and energy, allowing the wellness manager to choose activities.
• Coast to Coast Physical activity wellness challenge taking participants on a nostalgic cross-country road trip to better health.
• Keep America Active Flexible web and mobile program taking participants on a vivid virtual adventure across the country as they log exercise and well-being behaviors. Features customizable health habits, virtual travel across the US with trivia and breathtaking views, MapWalk for creating and sharing walking/biking/running routes, 200+ recipes, and multiple device integration. Program length of 6, 8, or 12 weeks.
• Colorful Choices Nutrition-focused wellness challenge making eating great easy by shifting eating patterns toward vivid vegetables and fruit.
• Health for the Holidays Holiday-themed wellness challenge combining health focus with combating holiday stress and renewing the joy of the season.
• Spring Into Motion Seasonal wellness challenge helping participants shake off winter with an everything-is-new-again theme, encouraging movement and fresh start.
• Worldwide Wellness Wellness challenge taking participants on a journey around the world through a global travel theme focused on runway-to-better-health framing.
• Snow Wonder Winter-themed physical activity wellness challenge designed to heat up participation during colder months.
• Summertime Summer-themed wellness challenge recapturing the energy of youth and summer memories while promoting well-being.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants in teams of 4-5 have double the chance of achieving program goals compared to solo participants
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Francis LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2022Francis LLC's Certified Financial Planners (CFPs) reviewed and validated the content for HES's Right On the Money financial wellness program, ensuring accuracy and expertise in personal finance topics covered in the gamified financial literacy challenge.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wellness Coaches USA: Wellness Coaches USA delivers corporate wellness programs including coaching, challenges, and screenings — directly competing for the same employer wellness buyer with a similarly broad well-being focus.
• Wellbeats: Wellbeats provides on-demand fitness, nutrition, and wellness programs for employers — a comparable B2B challenger in the same workplace-wellness content category.
• MoveSpring: MoveSpring (owned by Peerfit) delivers step and activity challenges with team competitions and device integrations, closely mirroring HES's Walktober-style walking challenges and employer sales motion.
• Wellable: Wellable is a B2B wellness platform offering challenges, biometric screenings, and incentives — directly comparable to HES's challenge-led model and corporate/government buyer focus.
• IncentFit: IncentFit offers wellness incentive programs and activity challenges to employers and health plans — directly comparable to HES's challenge + reward-card bundle and channel through benefits consultants and health plans.

Broad incumbents

• Limeade: Limeade is an established employee experience platform that includes well-being challenges as part of a broader engagement, communications, and inclusion offering — competing for the same mid-market to enterprise buyer.
• Virgin Pulse (legacy Virgin Pulse Care): The legacy Virgin Pulse platform (now part of Personify Health) was a category-defining incumbent in corporate well-being challenges — directly comparable to HES in the employer wellness challenge category.
• EXOS: EXOS provides corporate wellness, fitness, and performance programs for employers — a broader incumbent with overlapping challenge-style engagement programs targeting similar enterprise segments.
• Virgin Pulse / Personify Health: Personify Health (formerly Virgin Pulse) is the largest incumbent in employer well-being, offering a broad platform that includes challenges alongside navigation, biometrics, and mental health — competing for the same HR/wellness buyer.

Emerging players

• Wellable Collective (Challenges module): Wellable's standalone challenges module competes head-to-head with HES in step and activity challenges for the same HR/wellness coordinator buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-enhancement-systems

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Health Enhancement Systems