Denisse Martinez, a freshman at the University of Utah, has a vision for making the average gym experience more social and inclusive, and she is pursuing it with her startup, Alchemist, with help from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
Martinez found that in a typical gym experience there can be a lack of member engagement, feelings of intimidation, low motivation, and limited access to healthy food options. Alchemist will help break the cycle of a transactional gym experience by focusing on building community, reaching health goals, and conquering fears around the gym experience.
“Some people need a side space in the gym where there are fewer people to be able to build confidence to be in the bigger spaces,” Martinez said. “I found that a lot of older people feel intimidated in big spaces with lots of young people; they feel like they don’t belong. I want to create a welcoming and diverse space for all.”
Alchemist will also focus on creating a place for people to hang out and spend time in outside of working out. Martinez envisions a place where people meet others, and instead of talking over machines and taking up space, they can go to an area created for homework, lunch, and conversation. She also hopes to include immersive experiences, like screens simulating a trail run or yoga between red rocks and a body-positive photo room, to motivate people to come back.
Denisse Martinez is working to create an inclusive and immersive gym experience.
“In most gyms, there’s no encouragement to take photos; people film their progress in the mirrors but are quick to turn off the camera when someone walks by,” Martinez said, “I don’t want that. I want people to be proud — take that picture! Post it, be motivated, and see where you have come.”
Martinez is working with the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute to develop her idea and grow her business. That support has included funding from Lassonde’s Get Seeded milestone grant program, which provides University of Utah students with grants to test and advance their business and product ideas.
One problem Martinez found with current gyms is high cancellation fees, even if you are not using the membership. This approach can become shameful or even embarrassing to some when they need to cancel a membership. Her approach for Alchemist would be to instead send a personal text message when they haven’t visited, give a coupon, or invite them to a free class.
Sometimes people are nervous to attend the gym alone, so Denisse is trying to capture the community experience when starting up her Alchemist brand. While Alchemist is not a facility yet, Martinez dreams it will become a reality through her hard work. Current plans involve building market validation, growing a social media following, and trying to create a brand around her vision. She is driven and excited to continue to build her experience and hopes students and community members will get to experience it themselves.
