The app industry looks to educate and support professionals seeking a balance between work and ... [+]
Apps have grown up over time with greater application to the individualized and personalized lives of those fully engaged in the 4th industrial revolution. The tenets of this time in history are fundamentally about the blurring of lines between technology and the humans interacting with it.
As the relationship with technology continues to grow from an apparatus or nice-to-have opportunities with convenient life extensions, more players are emerging.
Health and Wellness Industry Embraces Tech
The health tech sector has exploded over the last decade, integrating multi-media advancements into pocket-sized motivation delivery systems. From supplements to exercises to trainers and coaches, the health tech space continues to educate the masses on alternative options for better health practice.
According to Statista, fitness apps alone are projected to reach $19.33 billion worldwide in 2023, with an annual growth of 14.34% between 2023-2027. Harvard Health Publishing reports on the power of exercise in overall health, citing research pointing to the correlation between using physical activity apps and increased exercise participation. “A recent study explored the psychological mechanisms that come into play when people use apps to increase their levels of exercise,” says Elizabeth Pegg Frates, M.D. “The current research can help guide us to use apps and social networks to our advantage and increase activity.”
Many entrepreneurs have a decision to make – what will I offer, what will I sell, and why am I the one to offer what I offer and sell what I sell in my market?
Alberto Gandolfi, an entrepreneur born in the investment banking industry, believes he’s solved an emerging issue for professionals who employ hybrid work schedules. Be Victorious is blending the personalized nature of a training regimen and filtering it through mobile experiences. It is an interesting calculation by Gandolfi and his team as more and more professionals are looking to stay in shape while still maintaining their career trajectories. A professional win-win of sorts for those who register with Gandolfi’s app.
Personalization Supports Hybrid Lives
The respective app stores that reside on our phones continue to expand in the health and wellness sector. However, the dilemma for the physical gym hasn’t eased since the pandemic. Traditional gyms are now battling for market share, from exercise and machine-specific physical businesses like Orange Theory and RowHouse to population-specific gyms that cater to subsets of the population. The resounding message is one of personalized spaces targeted to those human elements that connect us: neighborhoods, gender, and exercise modality preferences.
Investment banker turned health tech entrepreneur sees a personalized future for professionals ... [+]
Gandolfi and other health tech and app entrepreneurs embody the growing consumer expectation that their time is theirs and that what they do with that time forces work and other obligations to oblige.
The health and wellness industry is booming across all access points – physical gyms, supplements, and technology like Peloton and the Mirror, to name a few.
Gandolfi sees the technology side of health and well-being actively joining an industry in constant evolution. “The fitness industry is in constant expansion. Our approach has been to provide an experience that incorporates the personal training experience in a cost-effective model for consumers. Our coaching also puts a strong emphasis on mental health on the psychological aspects of training, drawing from the key tools utilized by peak performance athletes,” says Gandolfi.
It has been said that technology can be the great equalizer. For some, that might be the case; for others, it [technology] can be a window into a personal ecosystem not built by outsiders but by ourselves.
Gandolfi and boutique brick-and-mortar establishments are betting that independence, through tech, not only creates habits of sustained and prolonged use but outcomes that avoid the one-size-fits-all approach so many have endured for decades.
“We aim to disrupt the industry through thoughtful approaches that match the hectic lifestyles of many professionals,” says Gandolfi.
“Our users have to identify their fitness levels and tell us their primary and secondary goals. Our proprietary algorithms create specific, 12-week workout plans. Our coaches focus on the mental aspect of training and provide clear instructions on how to correctly perform each movement whilst explaining the why of each exercise. This is something that traditional gyms or fitness classes (or most apps, which replicate classes or repetitive exercises) struggle to provide with any substance.”
Until the 1980s, team sports (soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.) or individual sports like boxing or tennis were considered the main vehicles to create a fitness regime. In most cases, these were once-per-week activities that led to scarce benefits. The 80s marked the beginning of gym memberships creating a community among health practices.
More recently, organized fitness classes and modality-specific establishments have integrated the concept of personalization into the industry. Personal Training started to take a larger share of the market but the economic barriers to entry continue to leave would-be-consumers in wait. Gandolfi’s personal frustration balancing time and money to achieve his desired health outcomes motivated him to create a world he would enjoy. “I believe good fitness apps combine the feeling of a class, with the tailored experience of personal training, at an affordable price and without wasting time in commutes and changing rooms.”
Expectations of technology continue to distill down to the individual user level. The applications in the health and wellness and health tech sectors are embracing usability and personalization to sidle up next to users for consistent engagement.
Time will tell how regulations on the healthcare system will or will not impact the personal health information integrated into the health tech, centered on personal fitness and associated health practices. Gandolfi and boutique offerings appear ready to embrace this burgeoning industry supporting the masses through individual and personal experiences that match hybrid lifestyles.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
