Obesity is on the rise in India. Since the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey, conducted between 2015 and 2016, the prevalence of obesity has risen from 21% to 24% among women and from 19% to 23% among men.
Poor eating habits and lack of physical exercise are, of course, some of the reasons. This, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw a sudden interruption in an active lifestyle, further exacerbated the problem. Unsurprisingly, more people are becoming interested in fitness.
There are already plenty of health and wellness-focused startups like Fittr, HealthifyMe, Cure.Fit, and Possible to help people achieve their goals. The digital healthcare market is also quite large, ready to be worthwhile $372 billion this year.
Another startup that has more recently entered this space is Mohali-based Fitelo. Launched in 2019 by Mehakdeep Singh and Sahil Bansal, Fitelo aims to help its users achieve long-term fitness and wellness goals by making it a habit rather than a fad.
This approach stems from the founders’ experience: the duo struggled with weight management in their younger years, and though they tried different techniques to keep fit, the results were mostly short-term.
The startup aims to help its customers adopt a weight loss approach that they can easily implement into their lives. This includes a focus on nutrition, proper exercise, and good sleep patterns, among others.
“There is no calorie counting involved. There is no portion control or following fad diets. We don’t ask our clients to follow a strict gym routine,” said Bansal. tracker. “There are no supplements or drugs [either].”
Fitelo’s platform has a three-pronged approach: first, they determine body type, composition, and requirements through body analysis, and then provide a personalized diet plan based on customer preferences.
Second, it uses internal technology to understand customers’ habits and help them improve their lifestyle. Third, assign a coach that best suits the client to suggest diet and exercise plans; this is done through live classes, pre-recorded sessions, calls and chat inquiries.
While many other startups offer similar services, one aspect that separates Fitelo from the rest is its approach through behavioral science. The idea is to help your customers build a healthy habit on a consistent basis.
Fitelo also helps customers learn to read food labels so they can make informed decisions before consuming any packaged food. The goal is to help people take small steps.
“Once we have created a lifestyle profile of our client, using technology we can identify gaps in their fitness. From a single platform, we can suggest interventions in all areas”, said Bansal.
Since its inception, the company has had more than 25,000 users in 50 countries and has onboarded more than 200 trainers. Bansal revealed that the platform covers Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities and Indians living outside the country.
In addition to weight management programs, Fitelo offers disease management plans for diabetes, thyroid, and PCOD/PCOS.
In February, Fitelo raised $1.5 million in a pre-series A funding round from Guild Capital and executives from Pareto Capital, Chaayos and Country Delight.
Without revealing company finances, Bansal said Fitelo has been profitable since launch.
The company earlier this year said it is targeting Rs 250 crore ($31 million) in revenue over the next three years.
