FitVion X Dr. Marc Pietropaoli - Vintro Case Study - Referral

01 June 2020

Background

Faruk is an MD located in Turkey who recently founded a new venture FitVon. FitVon is “a social way to a healthier life” and is a new social media platform with AI-Based personalized lifestyle and fitness recommendations.FitVon released an app in late April 2020. As they look to expand into the U.S. market, they were in search of further partners for networking, mentorship, and investment. Given Faruk’s 5,000+ mile distance from the US, Vintro created a cheaper, more efficient, and faster introduction option than what is traditionally available. Faruk connected with Dr. Marc Pietropaoli, CEO of Victory Sports Orthopedics in Skaneateles, New York. Dr. Pietropaoli takes a holistic approach to surgery and recovery with his patients, and has an extensive personal and professional network as well, making him a great fit to work with Faruk as he works to enter the U.S. market.

Faruk's Pitch Video

Dr. Marc Pietropaoli's Review For Faruk

Reviews on the Vintro platform consist of reviewers answering 3 questions for about 1 min each. Reviewers can choose to respond either by video or by voice recording. Below are the audio files and text transcripts of Dr. Pietropaoli’s review of FitVon for Faruk.

What did you like from the pitch?

Text Transcript: "I like that fact the owner is a physician and is very invested in this so I think he is going to work hard toward his goal. It's free but I have some questions about how it's going to make its money. It's personalized which I think is a good thing, it's not a one size fits all which is always good. It sounds like the early results from the dieticians and nutritionists has been favorable, but I would like to see that and have testimonials from the dieticians. Overall, it's a great idea, age-old problem, weight loss, nutrition, etc, but it's a hard market to get into and be sustainable."

What issues did you see?

Text transcript: "Some of the issues that I saw are that yes it may be a ‘first mover’ in that it has all the features that apparently no other app has, although I don't know that for sure, but there are about 320,000 health and fitness apps out there so far so how are you going to differentiate yourself from the others and again weight loss, diet, nutrition, is a very difficult market to be sustainable in and to dominate. I know you only had a short time to do the pitch but I'd like to know more and I think I can probably help more. Great idea, obviously. My questions are: it seems like it's a very populated area and how do you dominate that, get into it, and be sustainable."

What next steps should they take?

Text transcript: "I think you want to emphasize that you’re a physician and hopefully this is medical and science-based, I think that helps. I think stressing the personalized thing is important, it's not one size fits all. Maybe some testimonials from the dieticians and or any users who have already utilized it. I think even though again you say you are the first mover in this field, how do you differentiate yourself from the other 320,000 apps out there trying to accomplish similar or same things? Again, great idea, tremendous if you can make it super easy for people to lose weight and keep it off and stay motivated that's always important but no one really knows that secret sauce from what I’ve seen so far. So, what's your secret sauce, how are you going to do that?"

The Outcome

After interacting on Vintro, the two exchanged contact information through the Vintro app and made plans to speak further over the phone and eventually in person. After the two were introduced with Faruk’s Vintro, we reached out for feedback on the user experience from both parties.

In the pandemic era, it is difficult to find the right investor or have the opportunity to attend events for the correct introductions and network. Vintro is digitalizing the introduction and investment process. It makes the process faster and easier. Vintro not only matches you with the optimal reviewers, but the dedicated Vintro team is also there to help you with the whole process. They help you to optimize your Video Pitch, highlight the most important aspects of your product, and tell you what investors seek. After the suggestions of the team, we connected with Dr. Marc Pietropaoli. He was very keen to support FitVon and gave us valuable insights on moving forward with our product. The speed of communication is worth mentioning, it is fast and efficient. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be a member of the Vintro community.

Faruk Yilmaz, MD, Founder of FitVon

I truly enjoyed receiving a Vintro from Dr. Faruk. My Vintro experience was very personal, easy, and efficient. I consider the experience a ‘win-win’ for both Faruk and myself – he received actionable feedback and advice, while I had the great opportunity to be exposed to an excellent idea. The fluid interaction was effective and opened a clear path for future dialogue between the two of us. It is a pleasure to work with bright entrepreneurs like Dr. Faruk and put my professional knowledge to great use. We both look forward to continuing our relationship in person, which would not be possible without Vintro.

Marc P. Pietropaoli, MD, Leading Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgeon, President & CEO of Victory Sports Medicine & Orthopedics