Inside the peptide craze: Myra Ahmad (CEO of Mochi Health) and Mansi Hukmani (peptide Substacker) on why everyone is injecting themselves

From influencers chasing a deeper tan to AI founders in SF biohacking through their all-nighter before a tier-1 pitch, it feels like everyone is suddenly taking black-market Chinese peptides. And in July, RFK and the FDA may officially reclassify a list of peptides, so that compounding pharmacies can legally sell them again. Startups like Mochi and Superpower are already investing in the supply chain so they can get in on the craze the moment it's legal.

This week the pod sits down with two of the most knowledgable people in the space. First, Mansi Hukmani, also known as the Chief Longevity Officer, the #1 Substacker writing on peptides and the wellness industrial complex. She gets invited to the bougie loft parties where nurses are injecting hedge fund bros with NAD+ shots between cold plunges, which is exactly the boots on the ground journalism the hosts want.

Next the trio sits down with Myra Ahmad, founder and CEO of Mochi Health, a marketplace for GLP-1s and primary care providers that has served over 500K patients. Myra has bootstrapped the company to its current size, which is pretty much unheard of in SF. They’ve grown so quickly at a 500% YoY rate that everyone’s taking notice including Eli Lilly who recently sued them over marketing claims. We dive into why Eli Lilly is threatened by a player like Mochi.

With Mansi the pod gets into:

• Why New York biohackers are different from SF biohackers (and why London is behind)
• How China controls 90% of the global protected amino acid supply, and why HIMS just bought a peptide manufacturer
• Why pharma hates peptides, hint: you can't patent something your body already makes
• The Las Vegas conference where two women fainted on the spot from peptides
• Why Mansi thinks menopause shouldn't exist

With Myra the hosts unpack:

• How Mochi grew to 500K+ patients
• The 503A vs. 503B compounding pharmacy distinction that the GLP-1 market hinges on
• How HIMS will send you a weight loss medication within 60 seconds of filling out a form, with zero doctor in the loop
• The actual premise of the Eli Lilly lawsuit and why pharma wants compounding to disappear despite centuries of precedence
• Why Mochi invested in a testing lab in San Carlos instead of producing peptides themselves

If you've ever wondered whether you should try peptides, what's actually in the syringe, or why your group chat suddenly knows what BPC-157 is, the hosts have too, which is why they decided to do this deep dive.

Thank you to Kalshi for sponsoring: https://kalshi.com/sign-up?referral=getthecheck. Use our referral code to get $10 when you trade! Maybe there will be a market on if Priya takes a peptide in 2026 soon.

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00:00 Intro to peptides01:06 Meet Mansi known as Chief Longevity Officer on Substack05:58 Who's actually doing peptides11:43 The peptide players: telehealth companies, pharmacies, pharma, and China13:47 Why peptides are so hard to manufacture16:42 China's chokehold on the supply chain19:49 The big players moving in: HIMS, Superpower, Mochi21:02 Why pharma hates peptides29:44 How the FDA categorizes peptides32:09 Superpower's peptide launch33:44 Should Priya start taking peptides38:40 Psychedelics and why menopause shouldn't exist43:41 Meet Myra, founder and CEO of Mochi Health49:35 The Mochi vs. Eli Lilly lawsuit50:19 What's the point of compounded drugs52:48 The GLP-1 and peptide landscape54:33 Why HIMS doesn't have doctors in the loop56:29 Is pharma evil?57:55 BTS of the FDA classification of peptides1:02:12 Is Mochi selling peptides1:04:19 Why aren’t there clinical trials of major peptides1:07:15 The next billion-dollar peptide will be…1:07:42 Bootstrapping Mochi to 500K patients