Sylvia Kampshoff is accustomed to change.
She not only left her native Germany but quit her law career to start an app-based personal training business, Kanthaka. The app matches trainers with customers.
When COVID-19 hit, Kanthaka saw an uptick in customers as gyms closed. But as people began social distancing and staying home, Kampshoff realized she needed to pivot.
In just about a week, she added an option for trainers to offer virtual in-home sessions. She also began offering free “Mommy and Me” group sessions for children and parents.
“It really feels like the trainer is there,” Kampshoff said. “Once the session starts, it’s a one-on-one experience.”
“We already have some clients using it,” she said.
What sets Kanthaka virtual training apart from watching a video on YouTube is that the trainer communicates with the client during the entire session. Technique wrong? The trainer will say something. Want to stop? You can’t just hit pause. The trainer will notice.
“It keeps you accountable,” she said.
The virtual sessions now allow Kanthaka — named after Buddha’s favorite white horse — to work with customers anywhere.
“I should have thought about this earlier,” Kampshoff said.
Kampshoff moved to Texas about five years ago. Based in Houston, she rarely had time to work out when she was an attorney. She worked long hours, and then she had a child.
“I couldn’t find a trainer, and I couldn’t sneak in time for myself,” she said.
She started Kanthaka, which she calls “Uber for personal trainers,” about two years ago. Customers who don’t feel comfortable going to a gym are particularly drawn to the service, she said.
The coronavirus might have forced her to offer services differently, “but out of a big problem, I now have a big solution,” Kampshoff said.
Kampshoff has been part of the current cohort of the Sputnik ATX accelerator. She had traveled from Houston to Austin for sessions with other members of her cohort, but those have become virtual, too.
Sputnik, she said, “really covered A to Z throughout the startup life. I feel really well equipped afterward.”
About 3,000 customers are signed up on the app. About 60 of those are active users, and the average spend is $800. The average customer completes 13 sessions. Some have logged as many as 100 sessions; others only do one.
She received $100,000 through the program and raised $210,000 from angel investors.
“I’ll be trying to do another round of funding soon,” she said.
Pivoting to virtual training was easier because Kanthaka was app-based, she said.
The virtual training, she said, “will be a really neat tool when we get out of corona. We plan to keep it.”
