Red Print Fit

Redprint is a mobile application that works with individual gyms to create a more interactive space for all gym members.

We strive to create an innovative gym environment that automatically syncs to your devices and tracks your every movement without taking your phone out of your pocket. A future gym that gives you real time feedback on your form to keep you performing safely and efficiently. A social gym that allows you to connect with other members of the gym, share your achievements, compete for top attributes, and be a part of a community all with one common goal, improvement. We believe we can be the architects behind the "smartgym," so you can be the architects of your own body.

Looking back on 2020, it’s difficult to acknowledge any positives that came during such a traumatic shared experience. Quarantine kept the hopes of an enjoyable year out of reach and effectively ended any plans that were made prior to the pandemic. However, the time spent under house arrest did provide opportunity to those who were able to pivot their plans under pressure.

In 2019 a pair of UB undergrads brought an idea to the attention of Wilson Bautista, the Associate Director for Informal Recreation. The idea was simple, provide on demand instruction to new gym goers directly to their phone to alleviate the overwhelming stress of starting their first workout routine. Serendipitously, Wilson was studying the tie between physical exercise and students’ academic achievement. Wilson needed a way to correlate exercise with grades which could be achieved using the proposal these undergrads brought to him. The potential win-win opportunity was obvious and Alumni Arena gym became the first testing site for the venture.

Albeit a promising partnership, the undergrads faced an obstacle that hindered any tangible progress. Neither was experienced in coding mobile applications. They put together a patchwork beta, held together by duct tape and prayers. The plan to begin demo testing in Alumni Arena was set to begin the Spring semester of 2020.

The pandemic brought any consideration of a demo test to an abrupt halt. Gyms were closed and left the budding startup at a standstill. With no clear answer on when gyms would be open again, the pair pressed pause on testing and went to work on the one thing they could control, the product. Michael Heitz, co-founder and CEO of this startup, took this time to rebuild the app from the ground up. The summer of 2020 was spent feverishly learning how to program. As the pandemic dragged on and kept everyone stuck inside, Michael was glued to the computer screen.

As 2021 approached, the startup team reached back out to Wilson to let him know the idea was still alive and ready to go. Wilson approved the demo testing once again, with the same enthusiasm he had when first hearing the idea. Febuarary 2021, an entire year after the original plan introduce Redprint to Alumni Arena, the app had its first downloads and users.

Using the time that was forced upon them, Redprint received the time to flourish into a product the team was proud to share. Each Redprint tag in Alumni Arena was made possible by perseverance under pressure, and a team who made lemonade from a year’s worth of lemons.