Vishal Gondal, founder of GOQii.
It was 2012. Vishal Gondal was at the peak of his career. Touted the “King of Gaming,” his company IndiaGames had become a market leader and sold to Disney for US$100 million.
But success came with a price. Though Vishal gained fame and wealth, the ex-national volleyball player also put on a significant amount of weight. At the height of his success, he was almost an astonishing 120 kg.
The avid hiker would overcome his weight gain and go on to start fitness tech platform GOQii. On top of helping users get fit, the platform is also a tool for philanthropy. Here’s how one man sold his health for US$100 million, and got it – and much more – back.
“I became a volleyball myself”
Vishal is a self-taught game developer. At the age of 13, he began programming games on his ZX Spectrum, an 8-bit personal computer released in 1982. Three years later, he founded his first company, IndiaGames. This time, he made games for corporates.
One game he remembers fondly was a game for Pepsi, which had players shoot at cans of Coke.
His success came at a cost. Vishal had been a national volleyball player in school. But when he became an entrepreneur, he survived exclusively on pizzas and Pepsis (unsurprisingly).
“I became a volleyball myself,” Vishal recalls. “I almost reached 120 kilos in weight.”
A marriage of technology and the human touch
Vishal only managed to gain control of his health when he met a fitness coach. The coach helped him understand data from fitness trackers and suggested lifestyle changes, all through messaging services.
After reflecting on his own weight-loss journey, he created GOQii – a fitness band integrated with a remote coach. GOQii went on to be part of the first batch of the InsurTech Accelerator by Swiss Re, where they received help from experts and other founders with industry knowledge and on product refinement.
“Swiss Re helped GOQii refine our product for the health insurance and life insurance segment. They also helped us interact with various stakeholders across the world who advised us on big data and improvements to our ecosystem,” Vishal says.
GOQii will donate to a charity as you get fitter
At the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalk in Mumbai, where GOQii users and employees walk to raise awareness and support a cause.
Today, Vishal runs half-marathons. He goes trekking regularly both in the Sahyadris in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra and in the Himalayas. Last year, he successfully trekked up to Everest Base Camp with six other GOQii users.
What’s the point of leading a healthy life when you cannot follow it up with a good deed towards the less privileged?
Vishal managed to combine keeping fit with philanthropy – and hopes that we would all give back to the world.
As a GOQii user walks, he or she also generates Karma points. “Karma,” in Sanskrit, refers to intentional actions that can drive future consequences. These Karma points allow users to do good. They are converted into monetary donations to charities like Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust’s Food for Education program and Oxfam India’s work to empower women against violence.
At the annual 100 km Oxfam Trailwalk in Mumbai, GOQii users, employees, and Vishal walk 100 km within 48 hours. Money raised from this walk goes to Oxfam’s projects to combat poverty and injustice, such as education for the poor and helping women who face early marriage or violence. During this challenging walk, staff also raise funds by selling snacks.
Vishal says that giving to others has been shown to increase health benefits in people with chronic illness, including cancer and multiple sclerosis. Studies show that even just thinking of helping others can make people feel happier.
GOQii’s Oxfam Trailwalker in Mumbai.
“GOQii is not in the wearable business.”
The company has since taken off. Last year, GOQii led the Indian wearable market with a 16.1 percent market share in Q2, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Healthy consumers can enjoy lower insurance claims, while unhealthy consumer will start their journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
But Vishal says that “GOQii is not in the wearables business.”
Instead of selling activity trackers, they aim to help people get fit and change their lives. They don’t just look at hard data. GOQii’s coaches also advise on de-stressing, healthy eating, and good sleep. The platform works with other fitness bands as well.
“We help our users make sustainable lifestyle changes. We see this as the future of how the insurance industry will manage risk,” Vishal says.
For example, a GOQii coach can advise on how to lose flab, or what cooking oil to use.
On Active Sunday, users are invited for a one-hour outdoors workout session with the expert trainers and coaches of GOQii.
GOQii has set its sights on becoming a one-stop health and wellness application. In its third year currently, GOQii has recently launched a heart care service. Users share their health and heart rate data with a GOQii doctor for a consultation. In specific cases, the GOQii doctor may refer the user to a cardiac specialist at healthcare partners like Max Hospital.
Vishal is working towards a marriage of technology and the human touch.
“We don’t just want to create algorithms,” he says. “We want to create a platform to bridge data with humans who can understand and explain it to the user.”
The Swiss Re Group is a leading wholesale provider of reinsurance, insurance and other insurance-based forms of risk transfer. In 2016, Swiss Re launched its InsurTech Accelerator and received its first batch of startups. This year, InsurTech Accelerator is reopening admissions. The aim is to increase awareness of the program and get relevant applications for the program. Find out more here.
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