Create a startup over the course of one weekend? No problem! Cue the coffee, Red Bull, take out, and complete isolation from any type of exercise or activity. Sound accurate?
Not so much for those who took part in the sold out HACKFit Boston this past weekend at the NERD Center and Brooklyn Boulders in Somerville. In fact, HACKFit, a competition where early stage fitness-tech concepts become viable startups, was the complete antithesis to this! Around 150 techies, hackers, entrepreneurs, and other business-minded individuals teamed up to bring their ideas to life and get in some killer workouts at the same time. HACKFit is all about balancing mind and body – adequate sleep, healthy meals, exercise, and tons of coding and business planning!
Hackathoners wasted no time after arriving at Microsoft on Friday afternoon. They jumped right into a fitness session to get their creative juices flowing then received a dose of inspiration during the keynote address by Jason Jacobs, Founder and CEO of RunKeeper. The remainder of the night was spent listening to pitches and forming teams around the best ideas. Participants would spend the rest of the weekend in these teams, bonding during fitness breaks and developing a sense of camaraderie as they rushed to transform their vision into a reality.
The next 48 hours were jam-packed with working and working out. Rock climbing, martial arts, thai chi, yoga, running, and Crossfit kept the hackers fresh as they finalized and demoed what will become some of the greatest fitness technologies on the market. One creation you should keep your eyes peeled for? The HACKFit 2013 winner SimplyLift, a free phone app that records weight, reps, sets, and rest time while working out. Say goodbye to workout spreadsheets!
Does this competition sound as awesome to you as it did to me? Head to their website to learn about all things HACKFit and how to get involved in the next competition.
