Show notes
This week on the 20 Minute Fitness podcast’s ‘Why I Built This’ mini-series, we bring to you Omri Yoffe, a guy behind a very interesting company in the health & fitness space, called Vi. Omri’s path is definitely not your average tech founder’s, as he is a former Israeli Air Force pilot. And today he is the mind and leader behind Vi, the ultimate next-generation running coach: an AI personal trainer, who gives you real-time feedback.
Even though Vi started off with a focus on running, Omri and the team have much bigger goals for the company’s future. Listen on to find out more about Omri’s journey from the Air Force to the fit-tech space. And how he’s planning to fulfill Vi’s mission of growing the world's best AI companion for body & mind!
Three Things You Will Learn
1) The Vi Experience
You must be wondering how Vi looks like and what it's like to go for a run with her. Well, Vi is also an app, just like the rest of your health & fitness apps sitting on your smartphone. But due to Vi's three magic ingredients: data collection, machine learning tools, and her UX, she will take you on a more immersive, natural & audio journey.
After completing the on-boarding and going on your first running "date", Vi will start learning about you and get to know you as a person. From that moment onwards, she will build up a truly personalized training plan that's in line with your fitness level, goals, and personality. Each session will be highly personalized, using your own name, stats, and goals with the right kind of music in the background. Press play to hear how Vi is crafting your personalized running sessions and what else she has to offer!
2) How Vi Will Coach You For Your First 5k
While Vi can be relevant for all levels, the team is most passionate about casual runners or those who have not even started running yet. So if you're just about to start training for your first 5k, Vi is definitely a running buddy for you!
Vi will set up a weekly plan for you every week and all you have to do is press 'play' on the app and start running. After each session, you can give her feedback, which will be taken into consideration when Vi plans your next run.
And the most valuable part of all is that Vi is also there with you during each run and gives you feedback in real-time. She will pay attention to your cadence and make sure that you maintain the right step rate. She will also give you advice on how to stay in the optimal HR zone based on your personal goals. And finally, Vi will give you feedback on your pace as well.
Tune in to learn how Vi is able to give you all these real-time feedback and how she will guide you to reaching your personal goals!
3) The Evolution Of Vi
Vi was officially born and taken to market in 2017 after a very successful Kickstarter campaign. However, the technology itself was built a few years back for a completely different purpose. Vi was originally built as a voice feedback technology for pilots & astronauts. A system that was created to save lives after a tragedy that happened to one of Omri's friends in the Airforce.
But after a few years, Omri realized that it's not only pilots and astronauts who could make use of Vi. He thought that the "hands-free - eyes-free" experience also has great potentials in the fitness industry. And that there’s some magic in getting into this “audio zone” with the right music, coaching, and personalization. And he was right.
The team started off with running, but Omri gave us a sneak peek of where we can expect to see Vi popping up in the near future. Tune in for more!
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