Kurbo: Mobile Lifestyle App for Kids and Teens

Kurbo is a mobile app targeted towards kids and teens to help them learn about and maintain healthy eating and exercising habits. The app teaches kids about nutrition, labeling foods as green (good to eat anytime), yellow (eat in moderation), and red (eat sparingly).

Games on the app teach users about serving size and portions, and about exercise intensities. The program comes with a weekly coaching session to help provide additional support. Users set their goals and use Kurbo to help structure and plan for the week ahead.

If a user is allotted 35 reds a week and is attending a birthday party on Saturday, he can plan ahead by eating less “red” foods during the week so that he can fit in eating cake on Saturday (cake is definitely a red food). Kurbo doesn’t impose set diets on children, instead it gives them the ability to portion their calories and make small changes for themselves. Initially licensed from Stanford University and stress tested by SUNY Buffalo research, Kurbo aims to be a wellness and lifestyle app for children and teens, and lets them make decisions versus imposing rules. With this approach, 80% of Kurbo users lose weight. You can download Kurbo now for iOS devices.

Kinsa Smart Thermometer: World’s First Smart Thermometer and Real-Time Illness Tracking App

Feeling feverish is often the first symptom of getting sick and finally there is a smart thermometer that can calculate, display, and track changes in temperature with one app. The Kinsa Smart Thermometer is beautiful in its design and very easy to use. Not only does it track an individual’s temperature, but it also aggregates geographic health information and user feedback to help understand which illnesses are spreading and where.

I tested Kinsa in beta, and was astonished at how light, flexible and comfortable it is to use. Kinsa is made to be used by the whole family, but is especially well tailored to children. The smartphone display has fun bubbles that makes temperature taking engaging for the fidgety little ones. Each time a temperature is taken, the user can assign it to a person and save the record. Additionally, the precise time of the stored data is helpful information to a doctor.

By the time it is released to the public, Kinsa will have the ability to track the health within private groups (e.g. your child’s classroom, your neighborhood). This innovative spread-of-illness crowdsourcing will be able to create a truly connect, global network of aware families. It also means faster care – if you struck a high temperature and knew that strep was going around, you could head to the doctor when symptoms first appear to get antibiotics and avoid a long recovery.

Something so useful, technology driven, and affordable should be on everyone’s list of must-have health devices. Kinsa is taking pre-orders on their website, to be fulfilled March/April.

 

Kinsa Smart Thermometer from Kinsa on Vimeo.

Glow: Max Levchin’s New Fertility App Will Leave You Glowing

Entrepreneur Max Levchin, co-founder of PayPal, Chairman of Yelp, and Yahoo! Board Member, launched his latest project, HVF in 2011 to tackle modern problems with data-driven strategies. Two companies have successfully spun out of HVF, Affirm and Glow. While Affirm tackles the challenges of the financial industry, Glow focuses on helping couples get pregnant. Max answers some of my questions regarding Glow.

Using data and machine learning, Glow asks women using the app to input a few details about their menstrual cycle, basal body temperature, etc., to reveal a personalized fertility calendar, showing the “% chance of pregnancy” for each day. A companion app for the partner helps make the experience more inclusive for the couple.

A: Data analysis is your specialty, but manual data entry is prone to human error. In what ways does Glow more accurately collect information?

ML: Today, mostly through excellent visual and experience design, and some basic gamification ideas, we make it easy and compelling to stay on track with your logging. Soon, however, we envision integrating with personal trackers, both software and hardware (existing and new), to make the process entirely passive. We have just partnered with MyFitnessPal, which makes tracking calories, BMI, and fitness events a lot easier for MFP users that also use Glow – they never have to do it twice. This is a very nice feature, with a lot more in the same vein coming soon.

Unlike other pregnancy apps on the market, Glow has a very special community sourced, non-profit program called Glow First. Couples using Glow First contribute $50/month to a pool for a 10-month duration. If the couple becomes pregnant during those 10 months, their contributions stop. At the end of the 10 months, the pool of donations redistributes to couples who aren’t pregnant. With proof of medical costs, Glow First will pay for infertility treatments at an accredited infertility clinic of the couple’s choice. Max has personally donated $1 million of his own money to the Glow First program.

A: Glow First is the first of its kind – to collect and offer a pool of community contributions in an industry that insurance companies refuse. What makes First work today versus in the past?

ML: It’s actually not the first time this type of a financial mutual-help system has been built – it works really well in small communities where people know each other and adverse selection is not a major issue. But it has not been done at scale. Smartphones and real-time communications enable this change – you can learn as much as you need before making a decision, and once you choose to go forward, the process is almost frictionless.

Glow announced last month that the app has helped over 1,000 people get pregnant so far.

A: The Glow app is beautiful in its design. Can you speak as to how design is important to Glow and more generally?

ML: It’s absolutely a critical part of the approach. Conception is a very intimate, and frequently for our users, a complicated process – it’s key we do not disrupt it, but enhance it, and where we can, add beauty and simplicity. There has been a fair amount of research showing that any form of stress negatively affects likelihood of conception. We hope to bring peace and calm to our users through our design, in addition to all our data-driven goodness!

Best in Healthcare For 2013

2013 was a great year for consumer healthcare technology. This year, 95 million Americans have used mobile phones as health tools or as search devices to find healthcare information, paving the way for a more connected and health conscious 2014.

To continue with my annual Year in Review, I present some of my favorite companies and posts in 2013.

A big thank you to my readers for your support, ideas and input.

-Alexis

Best New Entrants into Wearables:

• Misfit Wearables — Self-tracking wearable, incredibly elegant and striking
• Withings Pulse — Self-tracking wearable, Withings’ first entry into the physical activity tracker space
• Goji Play — Self-tracking indoor cardio wearable, transforms any cardio machine into an interactive gaming workout
• OnTheGo Platforms — Smart glass app development platform that focuses on exercise apps and more
• Updated versions of the Jawbone UP, Fitbit Force and Nike+ FuelBand SE

Best Smart Fabric Concepts:

• Athos — Athletic apparel made with smart fabric and sensors to measure every muscle exertion, heartbeat, and breath
• OMsignal  — Embedded sensors in the apparel monitor your heart rate, breathing, and activity

 Best Fitness Apps:

• RunKeeper — GPS app to track outdoor fitness activities
• Moves — GPS app to track daily activity continuously, shown on a timeline
• Charity Miles — GPS app that tracks and lets you earn money for charity when you walk, run, or bike

 Best Personalized Coaching:

• Sessions — Simple, individual, and thoughtful fitness program to help you get healthy
• Wello — Online workouts with a Certified Personal Trainer in real-time on your mobile device over live video

A New Twist to Common Items:

• HAPIfork — An electronic fork that monitors eating habits and alerts you when you eat too fast
• Beam Technologies — A smart toothbrush that monitors oral hygiene and reports habits to a smart app
• Withings Blood Pressure Monitor — Measures, calculates and tracks changes in blood pressure on graphs

Best Up and Coming:

• PUSH — Tracks and analyzes performance at the gym; measures power, force and balance
• Emotiv Insight — Multi-channel, wireless headset that monitors brain activity to optimize brain fitness and measures cognitive health and well-being
• Scanadu Scout — Medical tricorder to measure, analyze and track vitals
• MC10 — Stretchable electronics that conform to the shape of the body to measure and track vitals

Best for Healthcare Providers:

• Pristine — Develops Glass apps to help hospitals deliver safer, more coordinated, more cost effective care
• Informedika — Marketplace for electronic test ordering and results exchange between healthcare providers
• IntelligentM — Data-driven hand hygiene compliance solutions for hospitals to dramatically reduce healthcare-acquired infections

Goji Play Launches: Tops the List of Must Have Fun Fitness Tech

I met with Kai Huang, co-founder and CEO of Blue Goji, and Zach Fountain, COO in a SOMA gym to test out Goji Play, a fusion of hardware and software that turns any cardio fitness machine into an interactive and engaging workout experience. How engaging? After the interview I tried Goji Play at home for thirty minutes and it really did feel like I had only been working out for five – it was totally and utterly immersive. Kai and his team are pros at making games active and social – he co-founded and invented Guitar Hero almost a decade ago.

The device setup is simple. I downloaded the Goji Play App as well as some games while giving the wearable activity sensor a quick charge. I clipped the sensor onto my shirt, but it also fit comfortably in my pocket or on my shoe. Setting up the wireless game controllers meant hitting all the buttons to sync them to the iPad app, which took several seconds.

The controllers are intuitive to use and designed for comfort. They can be fitted on any cardio machine or fixed onto hand batons (great for treadmill workouts). After a few minutes of using the buttons and commands they became second nature and I could focus my attention on exerting more energy into my cardio activity. I downloaded several games including a boxing game, a fast moving game (reminiscent of Mario Cart), and a block matching game similar to Tetris. Twenty minutes on one game felt like two minutes – I was so immersed that time passed quickly and before I knew it I had drummed up a sweat.

From Guitar Hero, Kai witnessed how fun games can inspire people – friends and families – to be more active and social.

How did you make the leap from pure gaming (Guitar Hero) to health and fitness?

KH: “We wanted to take the immersive experience of gaming and use it to inspire people to get active. The power of games is that they get people to engage in an activity in such a way that you often don’t realize how much time has passed because you’ve been so involved. While you are doing this, we are tracking your fitness goals, steps, distance, etc. and truly making this a fitness product.”

How has Guitar Hero influenced the design and hardware of Goji Play, if at all?

KH: “We’ve designed the Goji Play for comfort – we want you to use it on any wireless device and any cardio device in the gym. The hardware is designed to be simple and easy to use – something that everyone feels comfortable using.”

ZF: “On the software side, we area focused on making games that are deep, engaging, immersive experiences. Additional games and apps are in development and will be released on a regular basis.”

Who is your target market?

KH: “Anyone who uses an exercise machine. We have a broad audience from people who have invested in exercise equipment at home to anyone with access to a gym. “

What is the broader vision and mission of Blue Goji?

KH: “We want people to lead healthier lives and we want to get people motivated. If we can take an activity and make it fun while helping you get healthy in the process then we’ve done well.”

ZF: “We want this to have an impact on the entire family and each member can create their own profile. There might be a primary purchaser but because we support multiple profiles and have a wide variety of games we envision the entire household getting value and having some collective fun in getting in shape and using the system together. Also, given that the New Year is around the corner, we think Goji Play can keep people on track with any fitness resolutions.”

KH: “We want people to remember that Goji Play is all about fun and letting you have fun. In the background it’s about pushing you to achieve your fitness goals – but if you have fun using Goji Play, then we’ve succeeded.”

Available online starting today for $99, Goji Play is compatible with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, and can be used with most cardio equipment including treadmills, stationary and recumbent bicycles, and elliptical machines.

Melissa Thompson, CEO and Founder of TalkSession: 30 Devices in 30 Days

Melissa Thompson left her Wall Street career as a trader with Goldman Sachs to follow her passion for entrepreneurship and social impact, founding TalkSession, an online counseling platform that uses cutting-edge technology to connect users with highly credible professionals for on-demand, mobile therapy and counseling sessions. She is a leader in the world of healthcare technology but remains humble and curious. Among her many community involvements and initiatives, she is a member of 37Angels, a community of women angel investors, a Board Advisor to the Flawless Foundation, a Technology Advisor to Newport Academy, and is on the Board of Directors of the Center for Health Innovation, leading the Women in Healthcare & Life Sciences initiative. Melissa is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post,

I caught up with Melissa to hear about her latest project, Quantified30, where she tried 30 healthcare devices in 30 days. You can read about her adventures at www.q30blog.com.

You tried 30 devices in 30 days, what was the inspiration behind this?

I created the Quantified 30 project for three reasons. The first? I was waking up exhausted every morning even though I was sleeping. I wanted to find the underlying cause, or at least something I could do to improve how I felt. I had exhausted the obvious reasons. The second relates to my startup. TalkSession is a telemedicine platform for remote therapy sessions. As the platform grows, I want to integrate biometric and contextual data around a person’s needs related to mental health and increase the healthcare provider’s knowledge of non-verbalized elements related to his or her patient. Lastly, I was frustrated that there were so many devices flooding the market and in comparing even just two of them, I noticed highly varied results. Since wearable devices are not subject to the same acuity trials as are diagnostic applications, I wanted to perform a small experiment (sample size = 1) to determine which metrics were most reliable.

Of all the apps and devices, which surprised you the most?

As a device, Lumoback was the most pleasantly surprising. The notion of wearing a buckled strap around one’s torso sounds awkward, but it was surprisingly comfortable, accurate and I would forget I was wearing it (until I slouched).

I had a surprise “moment” that led to my inappropriate laughter in a meeting. The FitBit One, randomly lit up with the scrolling words, “SMOOCHES MELISSA.” I am a big fan of positive reinforcement, but that unprompted love note was a bit out of context.

After 30 days, are there devices or apps you still use every day?

Yes! As for devices, I still wear Shine (best looking, most seamless) and Pebble (I like the ability to quickly screen if a phone call or message requires immediate attention). As for apps, I still use Sleep Cycle, and just started using Human, which is a great “starter tracker” and has also integrated transportation metrics into the timeline as well (maybe I can reduce the amount I spend on taxis!)

If you could create a sensor or device that could provide any piece of information, what would it be?

Any one piece of information? That is a very tough question. If it could be anything at all it would be a sensor to detect danger. Danger could be environmental danger, like on-coming traffic, or it could be early diseases detection. (You did say, anything, so I think super-powers are a fair dream!)

Google Glass. What is the most exciting potential application you have heard thus far?

I may be biased, but Glass’ potential lies in healthcare, and also in education. I believe healthcare is the most critical issue of our generation and technology is at a place where we can make significant inroads into increasing quality and lowering costs.

As for education, how many times have you told yourself that you would “look that up later,” and subsequently forgotten. For example, Glass wearers could say, “Glass, what am I looking at?” And it will have the ability to dictate the histories represented by monuments.

While not world-changing, there is one app I would love to see someone develop for Glass. I am fairly clumsy and more-often than not, guilty of texting-and-walking. It would great to literally have a second set of eyes so I can look away and not risk walking into traffic or other people.

Overall, Glass’ applications will have the most impact when its ability to provide immediacy and relevance to a users’ physical environment, like Google search has done for our Internet browsing environment.

You are the CEO and Founder of TalkSession. Tell us more about the company and what your long-term vision is for TalkSession.

Recently, we were fortunate enough to present TalkSession at the White House and prepared this video short to explain our mission.

TalkSession is a telemedicine company focused on improving mental healthcare access. With 1 in 4 people diagnosed with mental illness, I, like many have witnessed family members and friends not have the ability to get the help they needed.

I hope TalkSession can break down those barriers over time and make mental health treatment more accessible and acceptable.  For the long-term I want to prove through TalkSession that mental healthcare is a preventative tool. If we integrate behavioral healthcare into our primary healthcare, realizing the mind-body connection, people will have lower rates of chronic illnesses, obesity, and be happier and more productive.

I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to address this problem, armed with the knowledge and technology we have to offer.

Melissa, on a self-therapy test session with TalkSession.

What are a few goals you want to achieve in your lifetime?

As soon as I am able to invest, I want to be an angel investor and support others, while continuing my entrepreneurial pursuits. Raising the first check is always the hardest. The first angel investors who believed in me made such a difference in my business, confidence and trajectory. I would love to help entrepreneurs in the earlier stages of their development get the chance to pursue their dreams.

I strongly believe that innovation will come from the individuals with the most determination and passion to solve a problem. When asked, “Couldn’t Google replicate your technology?” Maybe they could, but my very specific niche is not their focus. Through focus, we will see a proliferation of thoughtful innovation.

My goal is to participate in and foster the movement towards using our collective ideas and skills to create products and business that are useful, and not just cool.

And as for 5, 10, 20 years from now? I hope you’ll check back with me then. I could not have predicted 5 years ago that I would be where I am today.  As long as I am making a difference in the world in some way, then I will set my goals as the world’s challenges evolved and try to apply myself in the most useful way possible to address those challenges.

Kishan Shah: 200 Pounds Lost, the President of Downsize Fitness Continues to Inspire

I met Kishan Shah in 2007, when we both interned on the trading floor at UBS Investment Bank. While he might describe himself as heavy set back then, I remember his inquisitive personality and warm smile. In truth, he was halfway through his weight loss journey, which started in 2005 when he hit 400 pounds. In 2007 he was down to 250 pounds. Kishan hit 230 pounds when he was leaving Dubai, where he had worked at consulting firm, Oliver Wyman, after spending time at a mixed martial arts training camp in Thailand for a month (he dreamed of training like Rocky when he was a kid). Although Kishan hit a small roadblock, gaining 40 pounds while working at an investment bank in Chicago, he moved to New York to work at Goldman Sachs and got down to 195 pounds a year and a half ago using their onsite gym. He’s been at 195 pounds ever since.

Kishan surprised me this past spring with a call to discuss healthcare technology and fitness. Although he had worked in finance his entire career, he wanted to focus more on his passion – bringing his personal experience of losing over 200 pounds through diet and exercise to others. Kishan soon after joined Downsize Fitness as President and has been a public health advocate ever since, even speaking with First Lady Michelle Obama about his experience.

I asked Kishan to share some of his experiences and expertise with us:

When did you first realize there was something wrong with your weight, and when did you start to do something about it?

Taken from my article on Greatist:  In 2005, I hit my turning point. It wasn’t the impending amputation of my right foot from diabetic complications that provoked me to change my health routines — it was the embarrassment of shopping for a suit. I was at a store for large men when the tailor’s five-foot tape measure could not fit around my 62-inch waist. I saw the pity in his eyes, the tears in mine, and I promptly exited the store, determined to turn things around.

Many people yo-yo diet when they are trying to lose weight, how did you keep yourself motivated at first, and how do you continue to motivate yourself?

I spent my first 19 years yo-yo dieting and was generally unsure of how the human body worked.  I believe changing one’s own environment is the single most important factor towards successful, sustainable weight loss.  That’s why at Downsize, our secret sauce is community.  We make sure to provide all of the tools for people to live happy, healthier lives – whether that means fitness training, nutritional advice, support groups, events with affiliates and partners, a kickball league, you-name-it.  We don’t advocate supplements/magic-pills/or any sort of quick fixes.

Today, it’s less about my own weight and more about helping others.  I personally receive at least 10 emails a week about how my story has inspired others.  It’s the greatest feeling in the world.

Do you use any health apps or devices?

I have used a Nike FuelBand in the past.  We use a quantified-self device called MYZONE to track our members’ heart rates and calorie burn in real-time at our gyms.  We also use an Inbody Scale to provide a detailed body composition analysis to our members at Downsize.

While I love these devices and enjoy using them, I personally weigh myself once a quarter – I judge my progress based upon how I feel and how my clothes fit.  As a former Wall-Streeter, I am intensely analytical and appreciate data.  However, I have come to the realization that my fitness and nutrition program’s ultimate output is to make me happier and healthier.  I try not to be bogged down in the numbers and instead focus on a deeper level of awareness to understand what my body and mind are actually telling me.

You have extensive experience working at some of the world’s most well-known financial institutions. What made you make the switch to be President at Downsize Fitness?

Downsize provided me with an opportunity to do the following:

1. Focus on a population segment that I care deeply about.  From my personal experience, being overweight, I felt society ridiculed and ostracized me.  The traditional fitness industry has ignored this population and the medical community has provided minimal support.
2. Create human-level impact.  Our members love coming to Downsize, no company has made sustainable weight loss fun – it’s a drill sergeant bringing you to tears in the gym or a juice cleanse which makes you starve.  We’ve had members kick their insulin injection.  We’re literally saving lives and making people happier on a daily basis.
3. Be an operator.  Growing an organization and mentoring talent excite me.  I absolutely love what I do – I see a relationship between my effort and the number of lives I can touch.  There’s nothing more impactful than that.

What are your passions?

Other than Downsize:

1. Teaching.  I want to help others in an educational setting – whether that means entrepreneurship, business lessons, or general career advice.  I’ve taught at Columbia and my alma mater University of Michigan and have designed my own course at General Assembly – I hope to teach at more schools and through different online platforms in 2014.
2. Hip hop music.  It represents the hustle and ability to connect with people from all walks of life.  Check out my interview with The Phat Startup bridging hip hop and business.

In a perfect world, from a health perspective, what would you like to see?

The AMA finally recognized obesity as a disease which is a great first step to engage the medical community.  At Downsize, we hired our Chief Medical Advisor who has helped his patients lose 80,000 pounds.  We are working closely with providers to generate happier and healthier communities.

What tips or recommendations would you give readers who are in the process of losing weight?

1. Execute.  Even on my weekends, I wake up at 6AM and I am in the gym by 7AM.  It’s extremely satisfying to have woken up, get in a great workout, eat breakfast, catch up with friends over Skype in Europe and the Middle East all before noon.  It may sound like a chore to do this, but your body adapts to being more active.
2. Read.  While I may have lost a few pounds, I am continually learning about healthy foods, new exercises and additional spiritual techniques to de-stress and focus.  I love the concept of growing stronger and smarter every day.
3. Listen.  Play therapist and listen to your family, friends and peers about their views on food habits and exercise routines.  I love hearing different perspectives and constantly tinker with my own personal (and Downsize’s) approach to keep things interesting.
4. Rest.   I hope that everyone takes time to rest during the weekend.  As an introvert, I look forward to that special time each week that I can spend alone, away from our increasingly connected world to simply unwind.  It recharges my emotional batteries, rests my muscles from my workouts, clears my mind and restores my ambition for the coming week.