Summer is here and most people are trying to stay in shape. Nevertheless, the heat doesn’t mean that life comes to a halt and we can all go holiday. For most of us it can be quite a task just making it to the gym a few times a week to work out. Design Your Life is a Korean startup which wants to help get its users looking and feeling healthy.
Design Your Life’s flagship app Design Your Body has already received a lot of good reviews and over 40,000 downloads. Though currently only available on Korea’s app store, CEO Jong Soo Moon says that the company also plans to release an Android version this month and would like to partner with a major company to reach even more consumers.
The app is aimed at both beginners and those with experience. For those who are new to exercise, they can use “Quick Start” and follow the various exercises. Once users are familiar with workouts they can create a personalized schedule and record their progress. The app also contains pilates routines and a BMI calculator that offers suggestions for meals and workouts.
While there are many other exercise apps on the market, Moon says that his company wants to play a greater role in regards to users’ and the greater public’s health.
“We want to get away from being an app which simply provides exercise information and that’s why we put the effort into creating a website where users can exercise and encourage one another. Another plan is to create features which help users develop exercise habits.”
The company has created a social web platform to compliment the Design Your Body app. Here users can upload photos of their progress and leave comments on each other’s photos or updates.
“Through our social health network website, we also want to help everyone become healthier by offering promotion opportunities to other health app developers.”
Moon says that Design Your Life aims to further differentiate itself from other similar startups by providing opportunities and help to other areas of society.
“With the donations received from exercise events held at Yonsei and Korea universities, every month we provide 3 middle and high school students with classes through the internet.
The company currently has four full time staff and four part-time workers. Mostly made up of university students and with an average age of 25, the startup is young both in terms of the company and the team members. While the number of employees may seem a tad excessive for the company’s current size, Moon says that because the company receives support from the Enterprise Support Foundation there are no major charges for office use which keeps costs down. He stressed that the young talent in the company were all there for a reason.
“These young people have come together not just as a company but because of a shared vision, so the cohesion between the members is strong.”
Design Your Life is currently developing three further apps including one which provides daily exercise information matched to the user and their environment, an app for middle school and high school students, and a Design Your Body GPS tracking app. The company is also currently taking part in a Smart Growth Program on Microsoft’s new “Azure” platform which is being held by KOTRA and Microsoft, and wants to use it as an opportunity to enter Silicon Valley in the future.
Check out other Design Your Body users here or like the app’s Facebook page here.