Apps : Innovation + Job News

Last May, Brandt Butze had what he calls an “Aha! moment.” He was 370 pounds and wanted to lose the weight and get in shape. He went on Facebook and posted that he was committed to walking.
 
“I had 225 comments on my Facebook page and all sorts of support,” he recalls. That first morning, his sister and a group of people met Butze and they went for a 30-minute walk. “We jogged the last block,” he says. “I was in tears there was so much support. Thirty-minute walks turned into 45-minute walks and in three weeks, I was walking six to seven miles a day.”
 
In fact, Butze had so much support that trying to schedule people to walk with him was interfering with actually walking. “I was spending three to four hours a day trying to plan walks,” he says.” I looked for an app to help and I realized other people were in the same boat I was -- finding some way to have a workout schedule where people can work out with other people.”
 
So Butze and friends Aaron Marks, Jonathan Schultz and Kevin Rahilly created FitVia, a mobile app that allows users to post their workout schedules and find others to join them.
 
“We tried different hypotheses, talked to friends and friends of friends and asked them what motivated them, what de-motivated them,” Butze says. “We realized we were on to something.”
 
The four approached LaunchHouse for help developing FitVia and were accepted to the accelerator program. FitVia will launch by the end of the year. “We’re launching this as a premier app initially,” says Butze. “We’re hoping to gain as many people as possible as quickly as possible.”
 
FitVia plans to hire additional staff as they grow. Butze plans to branch out to corporate America as they grow, targeting HR departments as a way to keep healthcare costs down.
 
To date, Butze has lost 71 pounds.

 
Source: Brandt Butze
Writer: Karin Connelly

Teenage diabetics often believe they are invulnerable to future health problems from their disease. That’s what Jennifer Shine Dyer, a pediatric endocrinologist and Founder and CEO of the Columbus-based startup EndoGoddess, LLC, discovered in her practice and through texting with her teenage patients.

“They block out that they have this disease,” Dyer explains. “Warning them they could be on dialysis when they’re 30 if they don’t monitor their glucose levels and take their medication simply doesn’t register. They can’t relate to potential dire future consequences.”
 
To address this problem, Dr. Dyer developed the EndoGoal app for iPhone and Android. EndoGoal makes tracking glucose levels easy and rewarding for teens.

“EndoGoal is a mobile software engagement program with rewards and a virtual pet named Cooper, the diabetes dog,” she says. “You check your blood sugar and record four glucose tests a day to earn points you can spend on Amazon. Every time you record your level, you get to feed Cooper, too.”

Dr. Dyer recently expanded the EndoGoal app to include adults as well. She’s contacting employers to subscribe to what she calls the EndoGoal Wellness Program, promoting the concept of rewarding health savings account contributions to diabetic employees who participate.
 
EndoGoal doesn’t cost users anything. “It’s all about positives, with nothing negative, like price, to interfere with use,” the physician notes. “It’s meant to increases people’s engagement with their health. We’re not telling you what to do or giving medical advice of any kind. Our goal is to encourage you to take care of yourself.”

The diabetes software program is being funded by investors, the ONE Fund of Ohio Third Frontier and Dr. Dyer. EndoGoal earns revenue through selling subscriptions to corporations who offer the program to their employees.
 

Source:   Jennifer Shine Dyer
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Getting away from it all doesn’t have to mean expensive, time-consuming travel. It can be as simple as exploring, discovering and learning new things on a day trip right in your own backyard.
 
That’s what Robert Denhard discovered while he was driving around Central Ohio, taking back roads and savoring the sights and sounds of local small towns.

Taking notes and photos on one of his sojourns, Denhard realized that others might find what he was doing relaxing and interesting as well. So he launched LoopBackroads in July for those, like himself, looking for escape and adventure  nearby yet off the beaten path.

LoopBackroads offers 10 Central Ohio “loops” that can be downloaded onto a cell phone, tablet or computer for $2.99 each. Each loop includes turn-by-turn directions, historical information, fun tidbits, photos and insights from locals.

With the goal of covering as much of Central Ohio as possible in the 10 loops, Denhard began by drawing 10 circles on a map starting from different points in Columbus and then back again. “I studied maps, plotted out routes and drove an insane amount, documenting everything,” he recalls. “I also did a ton of reading and talked with more local people than I can count.”
 
Loops contain photos of and information about historic homes, architecturally interesting buildings and monuments, rustic barns and bridges, castles, caverns and even some ghost towns Denhard discovered. They’re also illustrated with graphics and original hand sketches by Drew Miller, area artist and Denhard’s business partner.
 
Denhard was impressed by the warm welcome he received from folks at the local mom-and-pop businesses he visited while creating the loops. He encourages LoopBackroad travelers to patronize them, recommending bringing cash because not all establishments take credit cards.
 
In addition to income from downloads of the loops, Denhard anticipates ads from those local businesses to generate future revenue for LoopBackroads.
 
Source:  Robert Denhard, LoopBackroads
Writer:  Lynne Meyer