Background
Based in Turkey, Faruk is the founder of FitVon - a platform (app) that helps users get healthier by tracking and sharing their progress with friends.. Faruk brings both his direct experience practicing medicine and his experience as CEO of KeyVon Medical, a company bringing AI to health care services, to FitVon. Faruk created FitVon to help solve 3 key problems that dieters face: 1) Loss of motivation, 2) Lack of close monitoring and 3) Non-personalized programs.
The app works with users to accumulate key data and then offers AI-Based personalized lifestyle changes while using its social media functionality to keep its users motivated and self-aware Plus, FitVon’s experts - including licensed dieticians and nutritionists - can closely monitor their consultées with ease, which leads to higher success rates.
After releasing their app in April, FitVon is looking to expand into the U.S. Market. Faruk is in search of further partners to support this expansion through networking, mentorship, and investment. Given Faruk’s 5,000+ mile distance from the US, Vintro created a cheaper, more efficient, and faster introduction option than what is traditionally available. To gain a valuable relationship with a new U.S. based doctor, the Vintro team suggested a Vintro with one of our X experts - Dr. Marc Pietropaoli, CEO of Victory Sports Orthopedics in Skaneateles, New York Although Dr. Pietropaoli’s immediate expertise does not lie in nutrition, he is an innovative and talented businessman. Furthermore, he takes a holistic approach to surgery and recovery with his patients, so we felt as though Dr. Pietropaoli would provide a good review for Faruk and be interested in continuing conversations with FitVon after the initial Vintro. Dr. Pietropaoli has an extensive personal and professional network in the medical space as well, giving the opportunity to many more partnerships and introductions through referrals.
Faruk's Pitch Video
Faruk’s FitVon pitch is a great example of how to succinctly intro an expert to you and your company and idea and to clearly communicate what you’re asking the expert for. He added some unique features and explanations to his pitch video as well, including using subtitles and having an on-screen demo.Additionally, Faruk covers four key areas we outline in our Secrets to an Effective Pitch Video:
- His background and unique qualifications
- The project
- Their progress/ state of play
- The ask
Industry Leader Dr. Marc Pietropaoli's Feedback For Faruk
Vintro ensures that leaders answer the 3 questions below, either by video or audio. Below are the audio files and text transcripts of Dr. Pietropaoli’s review of FitVon for Faruk.
What did you like from the pitch?
Text Transcript: "I like that fact the owner is a physician and is very invested in this so I think he is going to work hard toward his goal. It's free but I have some questions about how it's going to make its money. It's personalized which I think is a good thing, it's not a one size fits all which is always good. It sounds like the early results from the dieticians and nutritionists has been favorable, but I would like to see that and have testimonials from the dieticians. Overall, it's a great idea, age-old problem, weight loss, nutrition, etc, but it's a hard market to get into and be sustainable."
What issues did you see?
Text transcript: "Some of the issues that I saw are that yes it may be a ‘first mover’ in that it has all the features that apparently no other app has, although I don't know that for sure, but there are about 320,000 health and fitness apps out there so far so how are you going to differentiate yourself from the others and again weight loss, diet, nutrition, is a very difficult market to be sustainable in and to dominate. I know you only had a short time to do the pitch but I'd like to know more and I think I can probably help more. Great idea, obviously. My questions are: it seems like it's a very populated area and how do you dominate that, get into it, and be sustainable."
What next steps should they take?
Text transcript: "I think you want to emphasize that you’re a physician and hopefully this is medical and science-based, I think that helps. I think stressing the personalized thing is important, it's not one size fits all. Maybe some testimonials from the dieticians and or any users who have already utilized it. I think even though again you say you are the first mover in this field, how do you differentiate yourself from the other 320,000 apps out there trying to accomplish similar or same things? Again, great idea, tremendous if you can make it super easy for people to lose weight and keep it off and stay motivated that's always important but no one really knows that secret sauce from what I’ve seen so far. So, what's your secret sauce, how are you going to do that?"
The Outcome
After interacting on Vintro, the two exchanged contact information through the Vintro app and made plans to speak further over the phone and eventually plan to meet in person.
Faruk Yilmaz's Takeaways
"In the pandemic era, it is difficult to find the right investor or have the opportunity to attend events for the correct introductions and network. Vintro is digitalizing the introduction and investment process. It makes the process faster and easier. Vintro not only matches you with the optimal reviewers, but the dedicated Vintro team is also there to help you with the whole process. They help you to optimize your Video Pitch, highlight the most important aspects of your product, and tell you what investors seek. After the suggestions of the team, we connected with Dr. Marc Pietropaoli. He was very keen to support FitVon and gave us valuable insights on moving forward with our product. The speed of communication is worth mentioning, it is fast and efficient. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be a member of the Vintro community.”
Dr. Marc Pietropaoli's Takeaways
"I truly enjoyed receiving a Vintro from Dr. Faruk. My Vintro experience was very personal, easy, and efficient. I consider the experience a ‘win-win’ for both Faruk and myself – he received actionable feedback and advice, while I had the great opportunity to be exposed to an excellent idea. The fluid interaction was effective and opened a clear path for future dialogue between the two of us.
It is a pleasure to work with bright entrepreneurs like Dr. Faruk and put my professional knowledge to great use. We both look forward to continuing our relationship in person, which would not be possible without Vintro.”