Rick Stollmeyer - Co-Founder & CEO, Mindbody Inc.
How did you get into the industry?
Blake Beltram and I started Mindbody in 2001. Blake had started writing software for boutique fitness studios, specifically yoga, Pilates and spin studios. He was doing this in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas in the late nineties. We came together shortly thereafter and he explained to me this really exciting movement that was growing within the fitness space. I went out and spent a lot of time visiting these different studios where I took classes and got to know the business owners.
After spending quite a bit of time in the field, I got equally excited about this opportunity so we decided to go into business together.
Emerging industry trends?
What we’re seeing now is the convergence of face-to-face and virtual experiences. The ability to have a membership at a local fitness studio, while at the same time having remote streaming and on-demand video accessible as part of that membership, is an emerging trend. So we’re seeing this emergence of technologies that deepen the experience, particularly inside the studios with wearables such as heart rate monitors that provide all kinds of unique data to the consumer.
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