Getting out of shape physically? Not inspired enough to stick to a regular exercising regimen? GymPact (that we'd featured recently) is an app that motivates you to hit the gym regularly, is what you need. The app is really quite simple to use, sign up with GymPact, select the number of days in a week that you wish to exercise, and select the penalty that you will pay for missing out each gym session and you are well on your way.

If you complete your workout successfully you are paid  $0.50 to $0.75 for working out each day or else you end up paying the penalty that you had set for missing out on getting to the gym each time. Ouch! As Yifan, co-founder, CEO and chief taskmaster at Gympact explains, people are more concerned about the loss of something rather than being concerned about the potential of being rewarded.



GymPact already has over 40,000 gyms already in their database and the latest release of the app is supports locations around the world; and in any case if your gym is not listed you can just add your gym to their database the first time that you go to workout there, after signing up with Gympact. So if you want to stay in shape and be a regular at the gym, I would strongly urge you to sign-up for GymPact.

Check out the interview below to find out what Yifan has to say:

Yifan, let us start with an introduction to yourself for our readers.

I'm a Harvard College 2010 grad.  I've always been interested in entrepreneurship, having interned with Boston VC Flybridge Capital Partners and founding fashion nonprofit Styleta.org as a student.


What was the inspiration behind starting GymPact? Do you have a story or incident that you want to share with us?

I was an economics major, and my last behavioral economics class at Harvard gave me the opportunity to study concepts like loss aversion (fear or loss is a much stronger motivator than rewards) and apply them to real problems.  My co-founder and fellow Harvard grad Geoff Oberhofer and I came up with the idea for GymPact based on these behavioral economics concepts.

























































As a start-up what were some of the difficulties that you faced in getting GymPact up and running, from the point that you got the idea?

Geoff and I were both non-technical when we started the company, so we ran pilots with local gyms to test the concept.  We then self-taught ourselves Photoshop in my case and iOS development in Geoff's case to put together a minimum viable iPhone app.


How has GymPact been received by the market? How many new clients are you signing up each month?

We've had over 40,000 signups since our launch on Jan 1st.


What was the biggest compliment that you received after you started GymPact?

One of our users wrote a review on the app store that said, "GymPact has completely changed my life" and that we've helped him lose 15 pounds.  We love the feedback from users that say we've helped them lose 40 pounds, or get back to the gym after 2 years, or helped them gain 12 pounds of muscle.  Those real behavior changes and results are the reasons why we created GymPact, and it's the best compliment we can receive.


How did you promote the site initially? Do you think that word of mouth played an important role?

We strategically launched on Jan 1st to take advantage of New Year's Resolutions.  We launched with a big PR push and a Countdown to Launch social media giveaway.  This, in addition to our innovative idea, really sparked word of mouth and we've been growing from word of mouth from our users ever since.













































































What differentiates GymPact from other exercise regimen promoting websites like Nexercise and Earndit?

We offer real cash rewards for exercising, rather than badges, prizes or discounts.  Also, we use negative motivation (money on the line!) to create real behavior change.  GymPact is the only app that can say we are 86% effective at getting you to the gym when you commit to it.


How are the users who successfully stick to their Pact actually paid? I did see that you mentioned that the amount can be cashed out “like via PayPal”. But can the money be transferred to the users bank account using any other mode?

Users accumulate their rewards in their GymPact account, and they can withdraw rewards via Paypal.  Since Paypal can transfer money to a bank account and send a paper check, and they're international, there's not been any reason to integrate another payout method!


What are your future plans for GymPact. Do you plan to integrate any new functionality into GymPact?

Yes, we are launching our Android app soon, and integrating running, cycling and taking steps as ways to do GymPact workouts.


What advice would you like to give to budding Start-Ups?

Start a company that you're passionate about - it's a long road, and you want to love the journey.  Also, test your hypotheses and de-risk as many areas as you can, as quickly as you can.  This will help you not only build a strong business and find your market, it will also help you in seeking funding.



Thank you Yifan for taking the time for this interview, GymPact is one of the most creative motivators for a healthy lifestyle. We wish you and GymPact the very best for the future.

You can read more about GymPact at:

GymPact