There are over 13M men in the US who struggle with their weight, and this demographic is currently being underserved by the majority of health and weight loss programs. Lyle is the app that fills this gap through its AI-powered service that helps men reach their health and weight loss goals. Lyle’s proprietary technology simulates conversations with a real dietitian to introduce accountability as well as offer personalized meal plans based on the user’s goals and health needs. With a few clicks and integrations, the app enables users to conveniently order groceries for the week through third-party vendors like Shipt and Instacart to ensure they are hitting their dietary goals.
AlleyWatch sat down with Philip Kasumu about how his personal experience in the fitness and bodybuilding realm inspired him to create an app to promote health and wellness tailored to each man.
Tell us about the product or service that Lyle offers.
Lyle is an app that uses AI technology to help men reach their health and weight loss goals. The AI technology allows users to feel like they are communicating with a real dietitian to get answers to their specific questions providing guidance, motivation, and accountability. Lyle also gives men meal plans that match their dietary preferences, along with recipes and nutritional facts. Users have the convenience of ordering their groceries for the week that match with their meal plan saving them time and energy. We use 3rd party vendors such as Shipt and Instacart.
How is Lyle different?
Lyle is superior to all of the other common weight loss apps currently on the market. We do not have our users count calories, track their food or points. We use AI technology to allow them to ask personal questions and get responses that they would receive from a dietitian. This makes it an easy, affordable, consistent and convenient way for users to get help with their diet without doing much work. Lyle is also different in that we provide meal plans and recipes that match the lifestyle and preferences of the specific user to help them reach their goals. Lastly, we offer grocery delivery to users so that they can get everything they need on their meal plan without having to get lost in a grocery store!
What market does Lyle target and how big is it?
Lyle targets Men specifically because the majority of health and weight loss programs are geared towards women. Our market includes men aged 25-40, who are working, healthy, but trying to lose weight. There are currently over 13M men in the US who struggle with their weight. This is a $20B market.
Lyle targets Men specifically because the majority of health and weight loss programs are geared towards women. Our market includes men aged 25-40, who are working, healthy, but trying to lose weight. There are currently over 13M men in the US who struggle with their weight. This is a $20B market
Why focus on only men?
Currently, the weight loss and health market attributes 70% of its attention on women! The vast majority of men just don’t feel comfortable signing up for a program that has a female association.
What is the business model?
Lyle is a subscription-based model. For $14.99 per month, men will receive daily motivation, accountability, and advice as well as weekly meal plans. Lyle offers the grocery delivery option, but that is an additional cost the user for whatever they order. This is just phase 1. We have multiple revenue streams on our product roadmap as we continue to build Lyle.
What inspired the start of Lyle?
When we look for information about men’s health, or men trying to lose weight we see men with extremely muscular exteriors and the classic “six-pack” look. What the general guy doesn’t always understand is that that look does not always mean healthy and to get to that level you need to adopt sometimes unsustainable dietary changes. I used to be a bodybuilder so I know what it takes to get to that level. Having been in the industry and experienced the misguidance and the lies told by brands in order to sell products/programs that promised unrealistic results, I wanted to create a brand that men could trust and rely on.
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
Within the next six months, we hope to have 7K paid users getting healthier and losing weight on Lyle. We also plan to hit the $100K MRR mark.
What is the one piece of startup advice that you never got?
Everything takes longer than you think.
If you could be put in touch with anyone in the New York community who would it be and why?
Kevin P. Ryan, Co-founder and Chairman of MongoDB. Kevin has created a number of successful companies, mega companies in fact. So I’d love to learn what his method is as it seems to be working. We’d also love for him to invest too but that goes without saying.
Why did you launch in New York?
New York is filled with men that want to be healthy, but let their jobs, relationships, lack of time and money get the best of them. This app is perfect for the typical New Yorker who doesn’t have time to see a dietitian or think about what meals to make himself.
Where is your favorite fall destination in the city?
Bryant Park, it’s pretty magical over there.
