Former Evercore Analyst Quits Banking to Launch Ren App

Josh Hou, a 22-year-old former investment banking analyst at Evercore, resigned from his position after one year to co-found Ren. Hou chose to forfeit a projected $50,000 bonus to pursue the health optimization startup, citing a lifelong interest in fitness and the grueling culture of Wall Street, where sleep deprivation was treated as a badge of honor.

Ren is a health optimization app that enables users to run experiments on their bodies to determine how specific interventions, such as supplements, affect their health. The company currently has approximately 40 beta users, and the founders are iterating the product based on feedback in preparation for an official App Store launch.

Future business plans for Ren include selling health experiment components, including supplements and blood tests, directly through the platform.