In a world driven by technology and convenient methods, awareness of physical health becomes even more important for every person. That is why Baris Ozaydinli, an entrepreneur that supported by Microsoft’s Accelerator startup program, created Fitwell. The idea came to him after repeated attempts to remain faithful to going to the gym and breaking his bank on personal trainers. With Fitwell, users were going to be able to receive the care and instruction they deserve without the expensive sessions that some trainers could ask for.
But first, there was the issue of building the business from the ground up. Baris Ozaydinli was introduced to a team of engineers that liked the idea of his app so much that they actually closed their own company to commit to the Fitwell full-time. That’s where Microsoft stepped in to help. Ozaydinli became a member of BizSpark Plus, an initiative focused on helping start-ups gain access to training, software, and advice. The Fitwell creator was even honored with a meeting with Satya Nadella and became closer with the Microsoft team in Turkey. Not long after, Ozaydinli decided to apply for Microsoft Accelerator.
With seven Microsoft Accelerators across the world, the global initiative is always looking for entrepreneurs with big dreams to build great companies. Particularly startups that will ‘change the world’ on a larger scale. Accelerator provides resources, support, and tools through four to six month long programs to take late-stage startup companies from development to a functioning business.
The Fitwell mobile app has both a free subscription as well as a paid subscription. The Fitwell Standard version includes a wide array of tools that include setting/tracking goals for health and fitness, free generalized assessments and suggestions, tracking activities and progress, free workout guides and videos, and settings for reminders. The basic app also has little tidbits such as leveling up by becoming healthier and supports using Google Fit alongside the app’s tracking features. In fact, the list of features through Fitwell Standard is quite impressive.
For users that want to amp up their fitness investment, they are able to “Go Premium & Get Personal” with Fitwell Premium. The subscription model asks you to shell out for $4.52 USD monthly or $36.67 annually to have access to all of the app’s features. This includes a personal meal and workout plan designed by a team of trainers, weekly performance reports and unlimited access to all programs and workouts on top of the Fitwell Standard list.
In Turkey, the fitness application instantly took off and became the most popular health app in the country without competition. It waws even on top of the country’s most downloaded charts with one million users globally. As a local incentive, Turkey retailers offer loyalty points to users of the app based on their performance. The clear success in his country has Ozaydinli hoping that Fitwell will be able to expand to other markets in the UK, US, and India for the future.
The clear success in his country has Ozaydinli hoping that Fitwell will be able to expand to other markets in the future. As it moves forward, Fitwell will be fitted with new bot and AI capabilities thanks to Microsoft Accellerator.
Further reading: BizSpark, Fitness, health, Microsoft Accelerator
