Do you know exactly how your body is responding to your workout or diet? If you are like most people then probably not. Keegan Hall is solving that problem with his BodyKey product from his company Emergent Detection. Keegan and his team have developed a product that gives you immediate feedback on how much fat your body just burned. This allows you to test different foods and programs to find out what gives you the best results. With health and especially obesity taking center stage all over the world this is a truly interesting product.
The product involves a quick urine test with their disposable cartridges to analyze your system. Will people want to do that after each workout or each meal? Most importantly how accurate is the system and the results it gives? Both remain to be seen but if the product provides the correct information it should prove useful and popular for health nuts and others. Check out the profile below to learn more about Emergent Detection and its plans.
What is the story behind your company?
While finishing my MBA coursework at the University of Washington, I met two very intelligent people: Eric Fogel, a former research scientist at Amgen and (then) current UW MBA candidate, and Aaron Falk, a PhD physicist who had made an amazing technological breakthrough. Essentially, Dr. Falk figured out how to take the core technology found in large lab machine (Spectrophotometer), miniaturize it into a hand held device, and then reproduce it in an inexpensive way.
Once this technology was developed, the next step was to figure out the best way to utilize the technology. Eric and Dr. Falk examined hundreds of potential uses for this technology before we made the decision that the weight loss industry would be the best place to start…and our product, BodyKey, was born!
What makes your company unique in its industry?
Our product, BodyKey, gives people immediate and personalized feedback on how their body is responding to their diet and exercise efforts, and then helps them fine-tune their program for maximum weight loss!
Our solution consists of two parts: a hand held device with disposable test cartridges and a computer software component.
We are distinct from our competitors in that we provide a direct measurement of the user’s actual metabolism. The device will give you an immediate reading of how much fat you’ve just burned from your diet and exercise efforts, and you can directly compare different foods and exercise activities to see what works best for your body. In the end we are measuring the rate of actual fat loss, and through repeated measurements you can come up with a projection of how long it will take you to reach your weight loss goals. No other product on the market offers such a personalized and complete weight loss tool.
Future plans for the company?
We are currently raising $500k for our preferred equity A round. We plan to use this capital to fund our initial manufacturing run, as well as develop our initial sales channels in anticipation of a 2011 product launch.
Founders and Ages:
Keegan Hall, 29
What was the start-up budget?
We’ve bootstrapped our initial milestones, and have recently completed a $37,500 seed round of funding.
What are some questions you have for the Under30CEO audience?
Question 1: What kind of deal structure is most appealing to an angel investor?
Question 2: Finding enough time in the day to complete all that needs to be done.
Question 3: As a result of #2, I drink too much coffee.
