Purdue graduate develops gamified fitness tracker to help increase children's physical activity

OWL LLC, a tech startup founded by Purdue University graduates, has developed a wearable fitness tracking device and smartphone app for children. The app employs a "gamified" experience aimed at encouraging children to be more physically active. The platform calculates the amount of steps the user takes on a daily basis, for each step taken, the user earns 1 OWL point, which can then be used to obtain food for the virtual owl. The interactive app allows users to grow their owl, add new scenes and unlock fun tasks. Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A recent Purdue graduate has launched the startup OWL LLC, a smartphone app and fitness-tracking device aimed at encouraging children to be more physically active.

The technology is a wearable gaming platform that features a "virtual owl pet" in which youngsters can earn fitness points that "feed" their pet owl. The app allows kids to nourish and grow their owl, add new scenes and unlock fun tasks.

"There are 70 million children in the U.S., and many do not get the physical activity they need to be healthy and alert," said Ryan Ma, a Purdue University College of Liberal Arts graduate and co-founder of OWL. "My Owl Fitness helps kids' jumpstart a healthier lifestyle. We want them to grow up healthy and innovate the next greatest thing."

The company's technology earned a third-place award and $1,500 at the 2016 Boiler Mini-Accelerator Competition, a business competition held by the Anvil, a student and community startup incubator near Purdue's West Lafayette campus.

Other OWL team members include co-founder William Ma, as well as Purdue graduates Matt Wallace, digital media, Erica Cruz, lead UX designer, and Daniel Cruz, lead developer.

The concept for My Owl Fitness originated last year when Ma noticed popular physical tracking devices.

"A lot of my friends received these devices, and while scrolling through social media I saw a friend's post about the popular '90s toy called Tamagotchi," said Ma, who also is CEO of OWL. "It made me think about how we could make physical activity a more interactive experience for kids."

Incorporated into the My Owl Fitness ecosystem will be a collectible ceramic disc with an owl on the front and a QR code on the back. The QR code unlocks unique backgrounds and other features within the system.

Ma is receiving help from the Purdue Foundry, a startup hub in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.

"The Purdue Foundry helped us place at the 2016 Boiler Competition and is providing us with important business advice as we develop our startup," Ma said. "Keith Williams, my Foundry mentor, meets with me on a weekly basis to help set goals for my startup. We would not be where we are without Keith's help."

Williams is an entrepreneur in residence at the Purdue Foundry.

OWL is actively looking for more mobile app developers and marketing personnel to further develop and launch the product. The company plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in the near future. For more information, contact Ma directly through www.myowlfitness.com

About Purdue Foundry

Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. The Purdue Foundry collaborates with longstanding activities already taking place in the center with a goal to increase the growing demand from Purdue innovators who have an interest in forming a startup or licensing their discoveries.

Writer: Belia Mercado, BMercado@prf.org

Media contact: Hillary Henry, Purdue Research Foundation, 765-588-3586, hkhenry@prf.org

Source: Ryan Ma, ma97@purdue.edu or myowlfitness@gmail.com