Building the Ultimate Fitness App: The Story Behind HYBRD

HYBRD is an innovative start-up founded in 2024, designed to address a growing gap in the fitness tracking market. The company’s core product is a mobile app aimed at hybrid athletes—those who combine both cardio and strength training in their workout regimens. In short, HYBRD can be considered the "Strava for elite athletes," but it does much more. It integrates data from leading wearables, makes weightlifting tracking simple with AI, and ultimately creates a holistic view of an athlete's performance. HYBRD enables athletes to measure their training load, monitor progress, and even compete with friends in an entirely new way.

In a fitness world where existing products focus on one aspect of training—either strength or cardio—HYBRD bridges that gap. The founders themselves, who are hybrid athletes, were frustrated with having to juggle various tools to track different types of exercise. They wanted a unified solution that could offer comprehensive insights into their overall fitness journey. Thus, the birth of HYBRD.

How Did the Idea for HYBRD Come About?

The idea for HYBRD was born out of personal frustration. The founders were avid athletes with diverse training backgrounds, including ultra-marathons, triathlons, and rowing. Yet, they found that the tools available to track their performance were limited, often requiring them to use multiple apps to track different types of workouts. Whether it was running, cycling, rowing, or weightlifting, each activity had a dedicated app, leaving hybrid athletes overwhelmed with disconnected data.

Three of the HYBRD founders had previously worked at WHOOP, a well-known company in the fitness technology space, while another was a member of the US national rowing team. Together, they realized there was a need for a more cohesive, all-in-one platform. They understood first-hand the struggles faced by athletes who require a comprehensive view of their fitness data, including strength and cardio training combined.

In this context, the goal of HYBRD was clear: to build an integrated platform that could cater to hybrid athletes like themselves. Their focus was on combining strength training with cardiovascular workouts, ultimately providing a single solution for fitness tracking.

How Does HYBRD Solve the Problem for Hybrid Athletes?

Before HYBRD, athletes who engaged in both cardio and strength training had to rely on multiple apps or tools to track their progress. For example, they might use Strava or Garmin for their running or cycling stats, while relying on other apps like Hevy or Strong to log their weightlifting routines. This fragmented approach made it difficult to keep an eye on their overall fitness and created a gap in tracking progress.

HYBRD integrates seamlessly with all leading wearables, such as Garmin and WHOOP, to pull in essential data about runs, rides, and other cardio workouts. But the real differentiator is its ability to track weightlifting effortlessly. Using AI, HYBRD makes it easy to log strength workouts, either by entering the data manually or uploading a picture of a training journal, a whiteboard from a CrossFit gym, or even a screenshot from another app.

The app then synthesizes this data to give athletes a holistic view of their physical performance, combining both strength and cardio elements into one dashboard. It also normalizes the data by age, gender, and weight, providing a comprehensive score that athletes can use to gauge their progress. This single score functions similarly to a chess Elo score and allows users to compete with others in a meaningful way.

In the coming weeks, HYBRD plans to add even more features, such as detailed analyses and additional social elements that will help athletes engage with their friends in new ways.

What Makes HYBRD Different from Other Fitness Apps?

The key distinguishing factor of HYBRD is its focus on hybrid athletes—those who train in multiple disciplines, combining strength and endurance training. While existing fitness apps tend to focus on one area (such as cardio with Strava or strength with apps like Strong), HYBRD unites both in a single platform, offering an integrated and comprehensive solution for tracking overall fitness.

HYBRD’s AI-powered weightlifting logger is another standout feature. Rather than requiring users to manually enter every detail of their strength training sessions, HYBRD allows for quick and easy input by taking a picture of a training journal or a whiteboard, simplifying the process and saving valuable time. Additionally, its use of wearable data integration helps athletes keep all their metrics in one place, without the need to switch between different apps or tools.

For hybrid athletes, this unified approach is revolutionary. It eliminates the frustration of juggling separate tools and provides a clear picture of one’s overall fitness, making it easier to track progress and compare results.

Who Are the Founders of HYBRD?

HYBRD was founded by four individuals, each with significant experience in the fitness tech industry, product development, and athletic performance. The team includes ex-WHOOP employees, a former member of the US national rowing team, and a mix of triathletes and ultra-marathoners, all of whom are hybrid athletes themselves.

Ben Katz, Co-Founder and CEO, has an extensive background in product and growth at WHOOP. He’s an avid hybrid athlete himself, having completed a 50k ultramarathon and an Ironman 70.3. Ben’s passion for fitness led him to create HYBRD, a product he felt was missing in the market.

Matt Ruiters, Co-Founder and CTO, previously worked at AWS, focusing on billing and global resiliency. His technical expertise has been critical in building the robust platform that powers HYBRD. Matt is also a triathlete and surfer, with a deep passion for fitness.

Caroline "Shoe" Shoemaker, Co-Founder and Head of Analytics, has worked with WHOOP and Appex, where she managed the analytics team and oversaw a fitness app portfolio. Now focused on building HYBRD, Caroline is training for an Ironman in 2025.

Mats Terwiesch, Co-Founder and Product Lead, has a background in fitness tech, having worked at WHOOP and in mobile app development. Mats is also a former member of the US national rowing team, bringing a wealth of sports science knowledge to the company.

Together, the team has combined their knowledge of product development, fitness technology, and personal athletic experience to create a platform that meets the needs of hybrid athletes.

How Will HYBRD Impact the Future of Fitness Tracking?

The introduction of HYBRD could represent a significant shift in the fitness tracking landscape. As hybrid athletes become more common, there is a growing need for a product that can support multi-disciplinary training. HYBRD’s ability to integrate both cardio and strength training data into a single platform is groundbreaking.

As the app evolves, with the addition of more features such as competitive social elements and deeper performance analysis, it will likely set new standards in fitness tracking. It could become the go-to app for athletes who want to take their training to the next level, allowing them to track their progress more efficiently and connect with like-minded individuals.

Additionally, HYBRD's AI-powered system promises to streamline the data collection process, reducing the time athletes spend inputting their workout details. This will not only save time but also improve the accuracy and consistency of the data being tracked.

In the long term, as the app adds more advanced features and data-driven insights, it could become an essential tool for athletes at all levels—from weekend warriors to elite competitors—looking to optimize their training and performance.

What Does the Future Hold for HYBRD?

Looking ahead, HYBRD has exciting plans to further refine and enhance its product. The team is focused on developing more detailed analytical tools, allowing users to gain deeper insights into their training. They also plan to expand the social aspects of the app, creating new ways for athletes to compete, motivate each other, and share their progress.

The founders are also committed to making HYBRD accessible to as many hybrid athletes as possible. Whether you're training for a triathlon, ultramarathon, or simply aiming to improve your strength and endurance, HYBRD promises to be the ultimate tool for monitoring progress, understanding training loads, and pushing past your limits.

In a crowded fitness market, HYBRD stands out by offering something unique and valuable for hybrid athletes. As the platform continues to grow, its impact on the fitness industry is likely to be significant, helping athletes unlock their full potential and achieve new personal bests.