PumpUp founders see bright future for fitness app

PumpUp co-founders Garrett Gottlieb and Phil Jacobson believe their company holds the key to overcoming the excuses that keep many of us from staying in shape, by making fitness coaching easier and more affordable.

And while the VeloCity Garage startup didn't reach a deal with the high-powered investors on CBC’s Dragons’ Den during a show that aired November 6, they learned some great lessons and gained valuable exposure.

PumpUp allows users to build a personalized workout plan, complete with tips and instructions. It’s a bit like having a personal trainer right on your phone.

Gottlieb and Jacobson had hoped that at least one cast member from the popular CBC program would be willing to invest $100,000 for a 10 per cent share in their company. Dragon David Chilton was interested, but wanted a 20 per cent stake with a 25 per cent royalty until his investment was paid back. Gottlieb and Jacobson weren't prepared to give up that much control in a company that they believe has nowhere to go but up.

“Going on Dragons’ Den was a fantastic experience,” Jacobson says. “While we chose to not take the deal offered by Dave Chilton, we've seen some incredible progress since filming in April; we've grown our user base by over 1,000%, expanded our team, and we've raised angel capital from great local investors.

“Going on the show has definitely increased our profile on a national scale, we were ranked number three in the App Store this morning which was exciting to see!" 

At the time the show was filmed in April, PumpUp had about 10,000 users. Since then, the user base has grown ten-fold, with more than 100,000 people using the PumpUp fitness app on their mobile phones.

“PumpUp combines the personalization of a trainer, the guidance of a DVD and the community aspect of a fitness class into one experience that’s always with you,” Jacobson says.

In the year since it launched, the company has gone through Communitech’s Hyperdrive program and returned to University of Waterloo’s VeloCity Garage. Growing demand for the app has seen them hire two new team members and attracted more than 25,000 followers on Instagram and 30,000 followers on Twitter. On Nov. 5, it launched on Android.

It all started with a formula familiar to most Waterloo entrepreneurs: Identify a need. Envision an answer. Make it a reality.

As an athlete and a computer science student at University of Waterloo, Gottlieb recognized the need and the opportunity for a tool that could help people overcome obstacles to personal fitness. With no app available that would allow users to input equipment, muscles and duration, and then output a suitable workout, he and the team set out to create one.

“Being a bit of a fitness junkie, I know how amazing the benefits of health & fitness can be,” says Gottlieb. “It boosts your confidence and enables you to do things that you couldn't before.

“My goal with PumpUp is to improve the health and fitness of the masses, one workout at a time.”

Jacobson, a Wilfrid Laurier University business graduate, sees plenty of room for the business to grow.

"We've come a long way in a short time, but we're just scratching the surface. We want PumpUp to be the go to global platform for your personal fitness. We think this can go very far."