jralphs

Sent you a message.

I sent you a message.

Expanding the functionality of the app. The first iteration will be very simple with only a few features.

Good idea. I'm actually testing at the University of Toronto gym, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to reach out to the comsci department.

Really great advise. Thank you.

The next step is building out a basic app that will display the metrics being tracked by the sensors and using that information to provide adaptive programming. To understand what I mean by adaptive programming take a quick look at fitstar.com. I wan't to build a very basic form of that functionality, but the beauty is users won't have to stop and manually record their exertion level, repetitions, and working time between each exercise. My machine will automatically track those metrics, so the experience is seamless.

Based on your feedback and the feedback of others, I'm going to pull the trigger and start setting up meetings with investors. I think that's a logical next step and finding good people is something that I can continue to focus on in parallel to other things.

I'm in Mississauga, ON.

I agree with your point. I think with the crowdfunding route having a CTO is crucial. Like DevX mentioned, after raising money I would be able to find someone who is compatible and has a good track record to fill that position.

I would love to launch the commercial and home versions simultaneously. However, the components need to be different for the commercial version because the product needs to be more robust. Therefore you're essentially designing, building, and shipping two different products. It makes things more risky, but there is a possibility to make it work if the same body component (which is an aluminum extruded frame with embedded track rails)can be used for both machines.

The tech stuff has not been a bottleneck. I've spent the last 1.5 months in gyms testing the product, while my contractors have been building the tech mvp (hardware + algorithms). They'll be done in 2-3 weeks, so I need someone to take over at that point and start building the app.

DevX, I appreciate the advice. Finding someone down the road probably makes more sense. Otherwise, it's just disruptive to the entire business. I guess the problem becomes more of a financial concern. Engineers aren't cheap and I would need to raise more money and adjust my valuation.

Cellis, crowdfunding makes a lot of sense and I plan on doing one for the home user version of the product.

Benologist, I guess it's always been my plan to get a technical cofounder. The supporting software platform is just as improtant as the physical machine. Since, I'm not an engineer, I think it makes sense to have someone building out that side of the business. And to the point above, it's more economical in the beginning.