Case study:
Scaling The Root Co.
How ZyG turned a hair growth supplement selling on Amazon into a standout DTC brand on track to become a category leader.
How ZyG turned a hair growth supplement selling on Amazon into a standout DTC brand on track to become a category leader.
What breakout scale looks like
Executive Summary
When The Root, a hair growth supplement, approached ZyG, it already had many of the ingredients founders dream of:
A patented, science-backed product
Published research
Strong customer results and reviews
A growing Amazon business
What it lacked was a reliable way to determine whether it could become a category-defining direct-to-consumer brand, and the infrastructure required to build one.
ZyG evaluated the opportunity using its proprietary, agentic PMF Test, which assigned The Root a strong ZyG Scale Score, indicating significant scale potential. ZyG then deployed the same data capabilities, predictive models, and agentic network used during the PMF Test to start scaling the business. Within three months, The Root's direct-to-consumer business reached a revenue run rate 4x larger than Amazon, with projected customer lifetime value increasing to 12x Amazon's revenue run rate, validating the PMF Test's prediction.
When The Root, a hair growth supplement, approached ZyG, it already had many of the ingredients founders dream of:
A patented, science-backed product
Published research
Strong customer results and reviews
A growing Amazon business
What it lacked was a reliable way to determine whether it could become a category-defining direct-to-consumer brand, and the infrastructure required to build one.
ZyG evaluated the opportunity using its proprietary, agentic PMF Test, which assigned The Root a strong ZyG Scale Score, indicating significant scale potential. ZyG then deployed the same data capabilities, predictive models, and agentic network used during the PMF Test to start scaling the business. Within three months, The Root's direct-to-consumer business reached a revenue run rate 4x larger than Amazon, with projected customer lifetime value increasing to 12x Amazon's revenue run rate, validating the PMF Test's prediction.
When The Root, a hair growth supplement, approached ZyG, it already had many of the ingredients founders dream of:
A patented, science-backed product
Published research
Strong customer results and reviews
A growing Amazon business
What it lacked was a reliable way to determine whether it could become a category-defining direct-to-consumer brand, and the infrastructure required to build one.
ZyG evaluated the opportunity using its proprietary, agentic PMF Test, which assigned The Root a strong ZyG Scale Score, indicating significant scale potential. ZyG then deployed the same data capabilities, predictive models, and agentic network used during the PMF Test to start scaling the business. Within three months, The Root's direct-to-consumer business reached a revenue run rate 4x larger than Amazon, with projected customer lifetime value increasing to 12x Amazon's revenue run rate, validating the PMF Test's prediction.
The Opportunity
Dr. Yehoshua Maor wasn't trying to solve hair loss.
The Harvard-trained pharmacologist had developed a Brazilian botanical supplement to reduce inflammation and support immune health. But after customers began using it, something unexpected happened: they started reporting that their hair shedding had slowed, and many experienced significant new hair growth.
Intrigued by these anecdotal reports, Dr. Maor partnered with veteran entrepreneurs Monica Hodges and Zivi Mendelsohn and collaborated with world-renowned dermatologists and hair loss experts. Laboratory research provided key support, as it identified four distinct mechanisms through which the formulation affected hair follicles. The findings were published in a peer-reviewed journal and the formulation was patented.
The team began selling on Amazon, under the name Phyllotex, where the product gained traction and earned excellent customer reviews. The open question became: could the early success be transformed into a scaled, category-defining direct-to-consumer business.
Dr. Yehoshua Maor wasn't trying to solve hair loss.
The Harvard-trained pharmacologist had developed a Brazilian botanical supplement to reduce inflammation and support immune health. But after customers began using it, something unexpected happened: they started reporting that their hair shedding had slowed, and many experienced significant new hair growth.
Intrigued by these anecdotal reports, Dr. Maor partnered with veteran entrepreneurs Monica Hodges and Zivi Mendelsohn and collaborated with world-renowned dermatologists and hair loss experts. Laboratory research provided key support, as it identified four distinct mechanisms through which the formulation affected hair follicles. The findings were published in a peer-reviewed journal and the formulation was patented.
The team began selling on Amazon, under the name Phyllotex, where the product gained traction and earned excellent customer reviews. The open question became: could the early success be transformed into a scaled, category-defining direct-to-consumer business.
Dr. Yehoshua Maor wasn't trying to solve hair loss.
The Harvard-trained pharmacologist had developed a Brazilian botanical supplement to reduce inflammation and support immune health. But after customers began using it, something unexpected happened: they started reporting that their hair shedding had slowed, and many experienced significant new hair growth.
Intrigued by these anecdotal reports, Dr. Maor partnered with veteran entrepreneurs Monica Hodges and Zivi Mendelsohn and collaborated with world-renowned dermatologists and hair loss experts. Laboratory research provided key support, as it identified four distinct mechanisms through which the formulation affected hair follicles. The findings were published in a peer-reviewed journal and the formulation was patented.
The team began selling on Amazon, under the name Phyllotex, where the product gained traction and earned excellent customer reviews. The open question became: could the early success be transformed into a scaled, category-defining direct-to-consumer business.
The Challenge
Selling on Amazon is an obvious step for any DTC brand given the size of the marketplace. However, products selling on Amazon are often constrained by a look-alike environment that privileges comparison shopping over brand differentiation and excellence. The relationship with the customer, and the resulting data, do not belong to the brand owner.
The Root had strong conviction about the product’s potential and an ambition to build a stand-out DTC business. But like many product-led companies, lacked the team and funding to execute the entire customer journey - from converting creatives at volume to effective user acquisition, retention and lifecycle efforts to logistics optimization - and, critically, the data and predictive modeling expertise critical for DTC success.
Selling on Amazon is an obvious step for any DTC brand given the size of the marketplace. However, products selling on Amazon are often constrained by a look-alike environment that privileges comparison shopping over brand differentiation and excellence. The relationship with the customer, and the resulting data, do not belong to the brand owner.
The Root had strong conviction about the product’s potential and an ambition to build a stand-out DTC business. But like many product-led companies, lacked the team and funding to execute the entire customer journey - from converting creatives at volume to effective user acquisition, retention and lifecycle efforts to logistics optimization - and, critically, the data and predictive modeling expertise critical for DTC success.
Selling on Amazon is an obvious step for any DTC brand given the size of the marketplace. However, products selling on Amazon are often constrained by a look-alike environment that privileges comparison shopping over brand differentiation and excellence. The relationship with the customer, and the resulting data, do not belong to the brand owner.
The Root had strong conviction about the product’s potential and an ambition to build a stand-out DTC business. But like many product-led companies, lacked the team and funding to execute the entire customer journey - from converting creatives at volume to effective user acquisition, retention and lifecycle efforts to logistics optimization - and, critically, the data and predictive modeling expertise critical for DTC success.
The ZyG PMF Test
When The Root approached ZyG, the first step was validating the product’s ability to scale into a category-leading direct-to-consumer brand via ZyG’s proprietary PMF (Product Market Fit) Test. Many excellent products, even those loved by customers, simply don’t have the ability to scale for reasons ranging from lack of category momentum to poor unit economics at scale to cohort behavior. (Conversely, given the absence of a way to determine scale potential until now, many products that could have reached scale never get the clear indication needed to move forward, missing out on untold value).
The PMF Test consists of two stages: first, the Opportunity Assessment, deep competitive analysis to determine whether the category and product have the characteristics required for scale; second, Real World Validation, an agentic, real-world test designed to test whether those advantages translate into sustainable commercial performance.
Part 1: Opportunity Assessment
Using both public and proprietary data and benchmarks, ZyG evaluates the competitive landscape, category dynamics, and product differentiation to determine whether the business has the foundational characteristics required for scale. For The Root, the result of the research was a clear validation of the category and product characteristics:
Category Momentum: Hair growth is a large, highly engaged category with strong consumer demand, recurring purchase behavior, and significant opportunity for premium, science-backed brands
Product Strength: The Root demonstrated several characteristics ZyG looks for in scalable brands: Differentiated intellectual property, scientific validation, strong customer outcomes, compelling founder story, and expansion opportunities through future products.
Park 2: Real-World Validation
Having validated the category and product, ZyG moved to its agentic, real-world test - with real assets, customers and funding - that determines whether a promising product can become a scalable direct-to-consumer business.
The test analyzed:
Product Positioning: Multiple positioning strategies were evaluated, ranging from premium hair growth messaging to ingredient-focused education, founder credibility, scientific proof, and specific biological mechanisms.
Creatives: A high-velocity creative system continuously generated and tested new concepts across formats including: Video, Static, Native, UGC and Influencer content. Each message was rapidly validated and iterated based on real customer response.
When The Root approached ZyG, the first step was validating the product’s ability to scale into a category-leading direct-to-consumer brand via ZyG’s proprietary PMF (Product Market Fit) Test. Many excellent products, even those loved by customers, simply don’t have the ability to scale for reasons ranging from lack of category momentum to poor unit economics at scale to cohort behavior. (Conversely, given the absence of a way to determine scale potential until now, many products that could have reached scale never get the clear indication needed to move forward, missing out on untold value).
The PMF Test consists of two stages: first, the Opportunity Assessment, deep competitive analysis to determine whether the category and product have the characteristics required for scale; second, Real World Validation, an agentic, real-world test designed to test whether those advantages translate into sustainable commercial performance.
Part 1: Opportunity Assessment
Using both public and proprietary data and benchmarks, ZyG evaluates the competitive landscape, category dynamics, and product differentiation to determine whether the business has the foundational characteristics required for scale. For The Root, the result of the research was a clear validation of the category and product characteristics:
Category Momentum: Hair growth is a large, highly engaged category with strong consumer demand, recurring purchase behavior, and significant opportunity for premium, science-backed brands
Product Strength: The Root demonstrated several characteristics ZyG looks for in scalable brands: Differentiated intellectual property, scientific validation, strong customer outcomes, compelling founder story, and expansion opportunities through future products.
Park 2: Real-World Validation
Having validated the category and product, ZyG moved to its agentic, real-world test - with real assets, customers and funding - that determines whether a promising product can become a scalable direct-to-consumer business.
The test analyzed:
Product Positioning: Multiple positioning strategies were evaluated, ranging from premium hair growth messaging to ingredient-focused education, founder credibility, scientific proof, and specific biological mechanisms.
Creatives: A high-velocity creative system continuously generated and tested new concepts across formats including: Video, Static, Native, UGC and Influencer content. Each message was rapidly validated and iterated based on real customer response.
When The Root approached ZyG, the first step was validating the product’s ability to scale into a category-leading direct-to-consumer brand via ZyG’s proprietary PMF (Product Market Fit) Test. Many excellent products, even those loved by customers, simply don’t have the ability to scale for reasons ranging from lack of category momentum to poor unit economics at scale to cohort behavior. (Conversely, given the absence of a way to determine scale potential until now, many products that could have reached scale never get the clear indication needed to move forward, missing out on untold value).
The PMF Test consists of two stages: first, the Opportunity Assessment, deep competitive analysis to determine whether the category and product have the characteristics required for scale; second, Real World Validation, an agentic, real-world test designed to test whether those advantages translate into sustainable commercial performance.
Part 1: Opportunity Assessment
Using both public and proprietary data and benchmarks, ZyG evaluates the competitive landscape, category dynamics, and product differentiation to determine whether the business has the foundational characteristics required for scale. For The Root, the result of the research was a clear validation of the category and product characteristics:
Category Momentum: Hair growth is a large, highly engaged category with strong consumer demand, recurring purchase behavior, and significant opportunity for premium, science-backed brands
Product Strength: The Root demonstrated several characteristics ZyG looks for in scalable brands: Differentiated intellectual property, scientific validation, strong customer outcomes, compelling founder story, and expansion opportunities through future products.
Park 2: Real-World Validation
Having validated the category and product, ZyG moved to its agentic, real-world test - with real assets, customers and funding - that determines whether a promising product can become a scalable direct-to-consumer business.
The test analyzed:
Product Positioning: Multiple positioning strategies were evaluated, ranging from premium hair growth messaging to ingredient-focused education, founder credibility, scientific proof, and specific biological mechanisms.
Creatives: A high-velocity creative system continuously generated and tested new concepts across formats including: Video, Static, Native, UGC and Influencer content. Each message was rapidly validated and iterated based on real customer response.
Offering Optimized for LTV in DTC: The Platform continually analyzed the best strategy for The Root to increase conversion and maximize long-term customer value. This included testing the subscription structure, bundle strategy, pricing, purchase incentives and offer sequencing.
Funnel Design: The platform tested multiple customer journeys, including: Product-first experiences, educational landing pages, quiz funnels, content-driven acquisition, and alternative website architectures. Every stage of the purchase journey was optimized using performance data.
Financial Viability: Using predictive modeling built on a strong data layer, the platform modeled: Customer acquisition cost (CAC) thresholds, lifetime value, cohort behavior, contribution margin, scalable unit economics, etc. This enabled decisions based on future profitability rather than short-term ROAS alone.
Offering Optimized for LTV in DTC: The Platform continually analyzed the best strategy for The Root to increase conversion and maximize long-term customer value. This included testing the subscription structure, bundle strategy, pricing, purchase incentives and offer sequencing.
Funnel Design: The platform tested multiple customer journeys, including: Product-first experiences, educational landing pages, quiz funnels, content-driven acquisition, and alternative website architectures. Every stage of the purchase journey was optimized using performance data.
Financial Viability: Using predictive modeling built on a strong data layer, the platform modeled: Customer acquisition cost (CAC) thresholds, lifetime value, cohort behavior, contribution margin, scalable unit economics, etc. This enabled decisions based on future profitability rather than short-term ROAS alone.
Offering Optimized for LTV in DTC: The Platform continually analyzed the best strategy for The Root to increase conversion and maximize long-term customer value. This included testing the subscription structure, bundle strategy, pricing, purchase incentives and offer sequencing.
Funnel Design: The platform tested multiple customer journeys, including: Product-first experiences, educational landing pages, quiz funnels, content-driven acquisition, and alternative website architectures. Every stage of the purchase journey was optimized using performance data.
Financial Viability: Using predictive modeling built on a strong data layer, the platform modeled: Customer acquisition cost (CAC) thresholds, lifetime value, cohort behavior, contribution margin, scalable unit economics, etc. This enabled decisions based on future profitability rather than short-term ROAS alone.
Results
The result of the PMF Test, a combination of the Opportunity Assessment and the Real World Validation, was a ZyG Scale Score of 8 on a 10 point scale, indicating very strong scale potential.
The predictive power of the ZyG Scale Score was further born out during The Root’s soft launch. Within the first three months the product demonstrated strong early commercial performance across every key growth metric:
The result of the PMF Test, a combination of the Opportunity Assessment and the Real World Validation, was a ZyG Scale Score of 8 on a 10 point scale, indicating very strong scale potential.
The predictive power of the ZyG Scale Score was further born out during The Root’s soft launch. Within the first three months the product demonstrated strong early commercial performance across every key growth metric:
The result of the PMF Test, a combination of the Opportunity Assessment and the Real World Validation, was a ZyG Scale Score of 8 on a 10 point scale, indicating very strong scale potential.
The predictive power of the ZyG Scale Score was further born out during The Root’s soft launch. Within the first three months the product demonstrated strong early commercial performance across every key growth metric:
Revenue Run Rate Multiplier Comparison
4x Amazon Revenue Run Rate
The Root's direct-to-consumer business reached a revenue run rate approximately 4x larger than its current Amazon business, despite being constrained by inventory.
12x Revenue Run Rate Including Predicted LTV
When projected customer lifetime value is incorporated, the DTC business represents approximately 12x Amazon's revenue run rate.
4x Amazon Revenue Run Rate
The Root's direct-to-consumer business reached a revenue run rate approximately 4x larger than its current Amazon business, despite being constrained by inventory.
12x Revenue Run Rate Including Predicted LTV
When projected customer lifetime value is incorporated, the DTC business represents approximately 12x Amazon's revenue run rate.
4x Amazon Revenue Run Rate
The Root's direct-to-consumer business reached a revenue run rate approximately 4x larger than its current Amazon business, despite being constrained by inventory.
12x Revenue Run Rate Including Predicted LTV
When projected customer lifetime value is incorporated, the DTC business represents approximately 12x Amazon's revenue run rate.
New Customer Purchase Type Share
70% Subscription Adoption
Approximately 70% of new customers chose either a one-month or three-month subscription plan, demonstrating strong customer commitment from first purchase.
70% Subscription Adoption
Approximately 70% of new customers chose either a one-month or three-month subscription plan, demonstrating strong customer commitment from first purchase.
70% Subscription Adoption
Approximately 70% of new customers chose either a one-month or three-month subscription plan, demonstrating strong customer commitment from first purchase.
Revenue Run Rate Multiplier Comparison
Strong Subscriber Retention
Retention rates remained strong across both subscription cohorts:
- 85% of monthly subscribers renewed.
- 65% of three-month subscribers renewed.
20% Higher New Customer ROAS
New customer return on ad spend (ROAS) exceeded the category benchmark by 20%, demonstrating efficient customer acquisition from launch.
Strong Subscriber Retention
Retention rates remained strong across both subscription cohorts:
- 85% of monthly subscribers renewed.
- 65% of three-month subscribers renewed.
20% Higher New Customer ROAS
New customer return on ad spend (ROAS) exceeded the category benchmark by 20%, demonstrating efficient customer acquisition from launch.
Strong Subscriber Retention
Retention rates remained strong across both subscription cohorts:
- 85% of monthly subscribers renewed.
- 65% of three-month subscribers renewed.
20% Higher New Customer ROAS
New customer return on ad spend (ROAS) exceeded the category benchmark by 20%, demonstrating efficient customer acquisition from launch.
Key Takeaways
The Root demonstrates that product-market fit does not have to be a leap of faith. Traditionally, founders and investors have relied on intuition, isolated metrics, or small-scale traction to decide whether to invest heavily in growth. ZyG's PMF Test replaces that uncertainty with a structured validation process that combines deep market analysis with real world testing.
The PMF Test for The Root resulted in a ZyG Scale Score of 8 out of 10, indicating strong scale potential and confirming the founders’ conviction. And rather than handing founders a report and asking them to build the endless capabilities necessary for DTC scale, ZyG then onboarded the product onto its Platform, using the same technology, data, and agentic systems to execute on that potential. After three months, The Root’s direct-to-consumer business generated a revenue run rate 4x larger than on Amazon, with projected customer lifetime value increasing that figure to 12x Amazon's revenue run rate.
The Root demonstrates that product-market fit does not have to be a leap of faith. Traditionally, founders and investors have relied on intuition, isolated metrics, or small-scale traction to decide whether to invest heavily in growth. ZyG's PMF Test replaces that uncertainty with a structured validation process that combines deep market analysis with real world testing.
The PMF Test for The Root resulted in a ZyG Scale Score of 8 out of 10, indicating strong scale potential and confirming the founders’ conviction. And rather than handing founders a report and asking them to build the endless capabilities necessary for DTC scale, ZyG then onboarded the product onto its Platform, using the same technology, data, and agentic systems to execute on that potential. After three months, The Root’s direct-to-consumer business generated a revenue run rate 4x larger than on Amazon, with projected customer lifetime value increasing that figure to 12x Amazon's revenue run rate.
The Root demonstrates that product-market fit does not have to be a leap of faith. Traditionally, founders and investors have relied on intuition, isolated metrics, or small-scale traction to decide whether to invest heavily in growth. ZyG's PMF Test replaces that uncertainty with a structured validation process that combines deep market analysis with real world testing.
The PMF Test for The Root resulted in a ZyG Scale Score of 8 out of 10, indicating strong scale potential and confirming the founders’ conviction. And rather than handing founders a report and asking them to build the endless capabilities necessary for DTC scale, ZyG then onboarded the product onto its Platform, using the same technology, data, and agentic systems to execute on that potential. After three months, The Root’s direct-to-consumer business generated a revenue run rate 4x larger than on Amazon, with projected customer lifetime value increasing that figure to 12x Amazon's revenue run rate.
"We had a great product and deep knowledge of our customers. What we lacked was both the confidence that we could successfully scale online and the infrastructure to make it happen. ZyG first validated the opportunity through its PMF process, then brought together the technology, data, predictive models, and execution capabilities needed to continuously optimize a D2C business.
As business and product people, it was a relief to have ZyG take on everything needed to scale, with a platform powered by agentic systems and experienced operators. Essentially, ZyG replaced working with multiple agencies, in-house teams and a significant financial burden and simply delivered an outcome. Throughout, it has always felt like a true partnership, with everyone working toward the same goal."
"We had a great product and deep knowledge of our customers. What we lacked was both the confidence that we could successfully scale online and the infrastructure to make it happen. ZyG first validated the opportunity through its PMF process, then brought together the technology, data, predictive models, and execution capabilities needed to continuously optimize a D2C business.
As business and product people, it was a relief to have ZyG take on everything needed to scale, with a platform powered by agentic systems and experienced operators. Essentially, ZyG replaced working with multiple agencies, in-house teams and a significant financial burden and simply delivered an outcome. Throughout, it has always felt like a true partnership, with everyone working toward the same goal."
"We had a great product and deep knowledge of our customers. What we lacked was both the confidence that we could successfully scale online and the infrastructure to make it happen. ZyG first validated the opportunity through its PMF process, then brought together the technology, data, predictive models, and execution capabilities needed to continuously optimize a D2C business.
As business and product people, it was a relief to have ZyG take on everything needed to scale, with a platform powered by agentic systems and experienced operators. Essentially, ZyG replaced working with multiple agencies, in-house teams and a significant financial burden and simply delivered an outcome. Throughout, it has always felt like a true partnership, with everyone working toward the same goal."
Ziv Mendelson, Co-founder
Ziv Mendelson, Co-founder
Ziv Mendelson, Co-founder
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