Soon after the pandemic sent the country into a lockdown, we found that children in large numbers were being encouraged by parents to log on to the Fitb.ee app (available on iOS and Android). Success came in big numbers for co-founders Avinash Rajapet and Prathima Koppolu, fitness entrepreneurs and young parents themselves. As the months rolled by, the app became a solution for other age groups also.
Fitb.ee also provides a wide range of solutions like fitness tips, nutrition plans, easy workout regimes (without equipment), and other activities to help young women who suffer from PCOS and obesity lead a healthy and fit lifestyle. According to Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, PCOS and obesity are more than just commonly occurring diseases among young women. Both increase the risk of critical diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. We caught up with Avinash, who is also the programme director at Fitb.ee, to find out more about the start-up’s other big focus. By the way, Fitb.ee has been chosen to be a part of the third batch of Lightspeed Venture’s Extreme Entrepreneurs programme.
How far has Fitb.ee been able to diversify?
From being focused exclusively on children and teens in the four to 19 age group, we have discovered that there is a growing need for guidance in young adults. Hence, there has been an exponential increase in our audiences in the 16-25 age group. We have also added many programmes that focus on getting young mothers back to fitness. With this, the Fitb.ee app continues to be free for kids and teens.
With most tech services coming to the fitness sector, how can start-ups like Fitb.ee continue to attract new members?
At Fitb.ee, fitness is more than just exercising or nutrition. As each body responds differently, we have continuously strived towards inspiring young adults to achieve their goals, albeit in a fun and safe environment. In order to cater to the customised needs of the wide Indian body types, we are the first wellness company to fuse workout plans of carefully chosen fitness influencers across the globe with nutrition plans that cater to the Indian palate.
Avinash Rajapet, co-founder and programme director, Fitb.ee
One area Fitb.ee is working on is helping young women cope with PCOS and obesity. Can you share some trends that have emerged?
As the user base of Fitb.ee grew, we noticed that a lot of young women with PCOS, PCOD, hypothyroidism and other hormonal imbalances had signed up with us. Noticing this growing trend, we tied up with the gynaecology department of a leading hospital in Hyderabad. We learnt that one in five women in India suffer from PCOS. What shocked us was that each doctor in this hospital reviewed at least 10 patients with hormonal imbalances daily. Moreover, our co-founder, Prathima, was herself diagnosed with an early onset of rheumatoid arthritis when she was 16 and the only way she could decrease the pressure on her joints was by leading a healthy and holistic lifestyle of regular exercising and mindful nutrition. With this growing need, we decided to create a specific programme for all these young women as well.
With vaccination taking off, where will tech-based fitness start-ups be in the future?
The pandemic has really shown the world that fitness doesn’t necessarily have to involve more than a small corner of your room. The online model offers affordability, ease and convenience of use, and some vital statistics that can really track, guide and motivate people in their fitness journey. This being said, the human interaction between a trainer and client is crucial for personalised fitness, but technology-based fitness and fitness apps will continue to see a rise.
