The pandemic period has in fact changed our habits and the way we use services. Among these, we cannot fail to mention the fitness sector, today evolved into something completely new but that has already become part of our daily life. We are obviously talking about “distance” training, enjoyed through the most common live streaming platforms now known to all of us.
With the reopening of the gyms, the attitude to do gym even at a distance, does not seem to have gone out of fashion. In fact, there are still those who prefer to be followed by qualified trainers online, in one-to-one lessons or in small groups of friends. Hoop raccoglie collects this “legacy”, but not giving up the most common form of training: the live one. Let’s take a look at this project
What’s Hoopy?
Hoopy is an application through which you can book and enjoy fitness classes to choose from 10 different disciplines (Yoga, Pilates,Fitboxe, HIIT and others) Once you have selected your favorite discipline,
You can consult the lessons and trainers available, choose the date and time of the lesson and the mode of use: online or live. In case the live mode is chosen, hoop da gives you the possibility to indicate the place where you want to do the lesson and the trainer will reach you exactly where you indicated. The lessons can be carried out both in one-to-one mode and in small groups up to a maximum of 10 people.
The application is available for both iOS and Android users and you can download it from here:
If you want to know more about Hoopy, read the interview with Marta Molinelli
Hello Marta, nice to meet you and thank you for the time you are dedicating to us. Tell us more about Hoopy
Thank you for taking an interest in Hoopy. We like to refer to Hoopy as the” uber of personal training”. It is the user who decides what to do, where and when to do it. No subscriptions, fixed costs and no time spent moving to a gym
How and when was the idea of Hoopy born?
I was in Paris in a big Hotel and having canceled a meeting I thought of asking the concierge for a Yoga teacher. I didn’t think I’d put him in trouble. In fact, he was only able to point me to group classes I could go to, while for me it was important to have a private teacher who at short notice came to where I was. An hour later I find myself on an uber and from there the idea of a personal fitness version of Uber. I shared the idea with Barbara; my partner in this adventure and with a group of developer friends. We threw down the first business plan, read books on start-ups and the lean method, created the clickable version of the application, and tested the market with it … obviously making a lot of mistakes 🙂
How long did it take to shape the project?
Approximately one year of preparation, before the launch a couple of months before Covid. In fact, the project is constantly evolving, we are always full of ideas that often arise from the feedback of our users.
How are people responding?
At the beginning it seemed almost an idea too “innovative” for a conservative country like Italy (can you trust an unknown pt that arrives at home? Doing sessions with different trainers instead of the same one… the personal trainer will cost a lot…). the first hard-won customers, however, have all remained on the platform, appreciating the simplicity, immediacy and flexibility with which we organize and perform the service, the quality of our trainer partners( carefully pre-selected by us, and’ our added value) , the fact of always being followed and motivated to achieve their goals, not to be tied to membership never used and that you can share the session with 1 friend without changing the cost, a lot came from word of mouth.
How has the fitness world changed in the last two years?
Obviously, the pandemic and the consequent hiccup closures, have pushed fitness lovers towards solutions like ours: digital, personalized. Let’s say that those who were fanatical about the gym had to make a virtue of necessity by approaching our service on demand, in presence or live streaming. Many have then understood the importance in general of a healthy lifestyle and proper physical activity, both to support the immune system and to combat stress from lockdown and various uncertainties. I believe that remote sessions (whether they are pre recorded videos or live sessions) will now remain a custom. Even with the gyms open and a return to almost normal’, it is understood that ” where and when I want” can allow me an extra session that I could not have done before. Obviously, we at Hoopy are strongly convinced that even remotely, the guidance of an expert trainer in that hour is essential to make a difference. on demand yes, but only quality
How did you launch your project? Have you used crowdfunding campaigns?
We collected some money from friends and families at the beginning, then we won contests and now we are preparing for the first crowdfunding
Do you also train with Hoopy?
Absolutely yes. In presence when I’m in Milan (practically every week) and online when I’m in Zurich where I live or traveling. Having, like many, a super-fast-paced life, and being a young mom of three who cares a lot about being fit mentally and physically, Hoopy is the service that i cannot renounce to, rather, without Hoopy i will maybe postpone all the workouts and the time dedicated to myself. The personal trainers that are on the platform, then, are becoming like family. It is beautiful and stimulating to know that everyone has their own way of approaching the session and communicating, but this diversity gives me different and always useful inputs and motivations.
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