Good Morning
You have probably seen the Fitbit wristband, you may even have one, but what do you know about the company.
Fitbit
is a wearable device that tracks every footstep and exercise milestone
you make and is at the forefront of the new tech companies specializing
in fitness. They are known for their innovative, multi format approach
to fitness products and have had rapid success in the consumer
electronics market.
The company was founded by
software engineers, James Park and Eric Friedman, who had zero
background in hardware and lived and worked in an apartment the size of a
small conference room, crammed with boxes.
"Park, a
former cross-country runner and avid swimmer, realized two things: that
the years of startup life had left him in terrible shape, and that he
had the resources to come up with a solution. In early 2007, the two
launched their fitness gadget company in San Francisco's Financial
District, with Park as CEO and Friedman as CTO."
Getting
funding required a lot of perseverance, the first $2 million came in
2008 when the company was two years old, their first product was
released in September 2009. The second round of funding of $9 million
came a year later with the company tripling in size in 2011.
A lot of people have found that just wearing a Fitbit can be incentive
enough to make a big difference. The companies numbers show the average
user takes 43 percent more steps per day; for those with weight-loss
goals, there is an average drop of 13 pounds.
Some fun facts:
Fitbit users have trod more than 80 billion steps.
The
top ranked user is purported to be a woman in her early 40's, who
averages more than 20 miles a day (there is a treadmill desk involved)
Another
woman in her 60s gradually increased her walking time to achieve the
highest-level daily step badge, currently at 40,000 steps.
An inspiring story, a small device that has had a large impact on the fitness industry.
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