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ukactive update: ActiveLab – The movement revolution
With the conclusion of ukactive’s Active Lab programme, we take a look at the 12 finalists and the innovative products they’ve designed to boost activity levels and change the way we exercise
WINNER - Imovesdance
founders,
Imovesdance
Imovesdance is a solution for schools, giving teaching staff everything they need to deliver outstanding PE and more. It’s the no-stress, no-sweat way to bring PE and dance into classrooms.
The online activity package provides the teacher with all the tools they need to lead various physical activities. The packages are based around interactive demonstration videos, curriculum-based lesson plans, music and flashcards, plus a range of assessment tools. This provides teachers with all the resources they need to teach activity in a fun, exciting way.
Package licenses are bought on a school-by-school basis, with all teaching staff able to access the resources through an online portal.
CustomFit App
MD,
Connected Fitness Labs
Connected Fitness Labs uses fit-tech to helps consumers see, feel and understand progress in their fitness plan, driving increased confidence.
The CustomFit App breaks down the four walls of the gym by offering digital training memberships to the wider public, not just gym members.
CustomFit allows users to create personalised and progressive workouts, all designed around what the user is trying to achieve: losing weight, toning up, gaining strength or boosting athleticism. It’s already live in eight countries across the globe, delivering 3.5 million workout sessions a year to around 300,000 users.
Amaven
Founders,
Amaven
We built Amaven as an online platform developed for teachers, fitness professionals and sports coaches to deliver personalised lifestyle, fitness and athletic programmes.
The platform assesses an individual’s strengths and weaknesses across several movement skills and fitness components. Based on the assessments, the system generates a personalised home activity plan to develop any weaker areas and build on a person’s strengths.
Individuals can access their plan, as well as vital fitness reports and statistics, through their Online Locker. This gives everyone the power to measure, track and improve their performance in just a few simple clicks.
VRGo
CEO and founder,
VRGo
The VRGo chair started out as a virtual reality chair aimed at the gaming community but, as its potential for inspiring movement became clear, it has quickly evolved. Unique in both design and application, the possibilities for the VRGo chair are endless.
We aim to develop an application alongside the VRGo that actively promotes movement for our consumers throughout their use of the chair. An analysis by Goldman Sachs in April 2016 validated this goal, noting that there will be broad and exciting potential for VRGo as our product develops over time.
Shapelog
Founder,
Shapelog
Strength training is the second most popular form of exercise – right behind walking. Shapelog aims to offer consumers a better strength training experience through tracking technology.
Our patent-pending devices can be retrofitted onto any piece of equipment, from any manufacturer – even a rusty old Smith Machine. Once fitted, our devices will collect thousands of items of data.
This allows us to do easy stuff – like recommend weight and reps for all workouts – but also some much harder stuff, such as offering practical tips for each exercise to help gym-goers improve their form, so they don’t get hurt.
StepJockey
Head of Revenue,
StepJockey
StepJockey set out to lead the charge against sedentary office lifestyles, by encouraging greater use of the stairs.
Ours is a system for labelling corporate staircases with calorie burn, and then incentivising stair use with team challenges, hosted on a free mobile app. It’s an easy and inexpensive way for employers to help their team become healthier and much more active.
We sell via subscription, providing our clients with a package of signs and software.
OpenPlay
Ian Pridham, CTO & Co-founder,
OpenPlay
OpenPlay is a sports marketplace that connects individuals with local sports facilities or activity providers, allowing consumers to easily find and book the facilities suited to them.
OpenPlay has a monthly subscription for its online booking system, and takes a commission on bookings taken by venues and activity providers.
It’s available to view on the web and via an app, with over 100,000 monthly visitors clicking through and getting active at more than 100 different venues across the UK.
iPrescribe Exercise
Founders ,
iPrescribe Exercise
iPrescribe Exercise is a free, medically-endorsed and evidence-based app that produces a personalised 12-week exercise prescription plan, based on an individual’s unique health profile.
Drawing on the latest academic evidence, the app uses an algorithm to provide the user with an automated yet individualised activity programme that will gradually lead the person to their optimal but safe level of activity.
Our years of experience as physiotherapists taught us that the best type of activity for a person is the one they enjoy the most. Our app helps people find their ideal active pursuit.
Silverfit
Founder,
Silverfit
Silverfit aims to encourage wellbeing and fitness in people over 45 years old – promoting happier, healthier ageing through local activities, classes and events for people of all abilities.
Our charity helps keep the older population fit, as well as battling social exclusion. We also host a range of fun, social organised events in various locations around London, which are listed on our website.
I founded Silverfit in 2013 and I suppose you could say I was a late bloomer when it comes to fitness. I only began running at age 50 and in 2015, when I was 72, I became the oldest British woman to complete an Ironman Triathlon. If I can do it, anyone can!
EveryMatch
Head of UK & Ireland ,
EveryMatch
Researchers have found that exercising with other people is much more effective than exercising alone. EveryMatch’s overriding mission is to help people find that perfect partner to share any activity – anytime, anywhere – in person. It matches individuals with others who want to do the same activity, at the same time, in the same place.
EveryMatch is an app designed for fitness operators, allowing them to offer their members a platform to find others who share their passion and to join and create events or groups.
The goal is to get more people active and keep them active, and help fitness operators retain members and build loyalty.
GYMetrix
Founder,
GYMetrix
The global fitness industry spends almost £10bn every year on fitness equipment. GYMetrix is a tool that helps operators to make the most of their gym space, ensuring the capacity of the equipment matches customer demand.
We temporarily attach discrete wireless sensors to all the equipment in a gym. We analyse the data to help operators better understand their customers’ equipment requirements and to make more informed gym equipment purchases.
GYMetrix is used across the world, including by the UK’s Pure Gym and The Gym Group, Equinox and Blink in the US, as well as Basic-Fit in Europe.
LiveSmart
CEO,
LiveSmart
LiveSmart is a new health assessment solution for communities, groups and organisations of any size.
Our six-month digital health programme brings together everything consumers need to reduce health risks and make long-lasting lifestyle changes. It offers an initial 50-point health assessment, then remote contact with a personal health coach, plus an interactive curriculum and technology that closely monitors the individual’s progress. Regular interventions are key to ensuring continued adherence.
Calling all entrants for 2017
The ActiveLab programme will return next year and ukactive is already looking for prospective applicants. If you’re an ambitious product- or service-based start-up with the potential to shape the future of the health and physical activity sector, email [email protected] or visit the ActiveLab website: http://activelab.co/
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