Newswise — Office workers who are fed up with sitting down can now discreetly work out at their desks thanks to University of Chicago alumnus Arnav Dalmia’s invention, Cubii. A smart under-the-desk elliptical, Cubii was recently promoted during Chicago Ideas Week.
Dalmia, ‘13, got the idea as an undergraduate when he requested a standing desk while interning for a large corporation. His request was denied.
“Afterwards, I always had the idea in the back of my mind that there must be something out there to help people stay active in the workplace,” he said.
He, Shivani Jain, ’13, and Ryota Sekine, ’13, are the founders of Fitness Cubed, which produces Cubii. The product became fully realized only after the three friends had graduated and were working full-time. But the idea germinated while they were still undergraduates who attended Chicago Ideas Week, a conference promoting innovation where they learned from and were inspired by CIW speakers.
As fourth-years, they presented the idea for the New Venture Challenge, a competition run by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the UChicago Booth School of Business. The competition is designed to help students turn ideas for non-profit and profitable ventures into viable businesses and showcase those ideas to potential investors. For the competition, the three friends presented the idea of a discreet under-the-desk exercise machine for offices that was quiet, small, and portable. The idea won second place.
They did not immediately pursue the idea. Instead, they took full-time jobs after graduating.
Accidental entrepreneurs
“We always called ourselves accidental entrepreneurs,” Dalmia said. “I’ve always had this bug inside me to create something from scratch. I think that bug caught on with all of us and we decided to quit our jobs and focus on creating Cubii.”
As the idea gained traction and strong encouragement from family, friends, and professionals, they developed prototypes and presented them at incubator programs such as the Polsky Accelerator, 1871, and Healthbox. These programs helped refine their marketing strategy and develop the final prototype of Cubii.
All three founders then were still working full-time. Jain was the first to quit.
“I thought, OK, it’s time that I start giving this a shot. I saw that the idea had some potential and wanted to see where it took me.”
She quit in June 2014 to give her full attention to the Kickstarter campaign. Her confidence was rewarded. The campaign, which garnered 1,070 backers and raised nearly $300,000 in July 2014, put them on the radar. It was one of the year’s most funded campaigns in Chicago.
For Dalmia, however, the money raised was secondary. His main Kickstarter objective was to see if people liked Cubii and if they were willing to pay for it.
“I find 1,000 people supporting our campaign more valuable than one person writing a check for 300,000 dollars,” he said.
Trial and error
Even after the Kickstarter success, getting Cubii off the ground still involved trial and error.
“Often, our prototypes didn’t work the way we had planned,” said Sekine, the team product manager. He is responsible for working with the people who help build all aspects of Cubii, including mechanical and electrical engineering, software development, industry certifications, and shipping to customers.
“For example, we intended for Cubii to make no noise, but one of our prototypes squeaked every time the wheels made contact with the metal base. We fixed this problem right at the factory by adding a thin mat on the base. The lesson here is that plans change along the way as you experiment, and we have to be flexible and swift with decisions.”
The biggest surprise in developing Cubii was the amount of time, effort, money, and resources needed to bring the product to life. The partners came to realize that the Kickstarter funding was inadequate for launching a sustainable business. They started approaching and raising money from angel investors.
From UChicago they received help from Booth professors, who drew upon a broad network to help them get connected with industry professionals and who also coached them on presentations, business plan competitions, and investor pitches. Career Advancement introduced them to interested alumni who mentored them in building a team, navigating hiring, and other start-up details. A few alumni became investors themselves.
“It came down to us being proactive and trying to leverage the resources of the university,” said Dalmia. “And even today, even though it’s been two years since we graduated, we can still meet with members of the university to brainstorm how to launch the Cubii.”Launching Cubii
Currently they are focused on launching the Cubii.
“It’s like your baby is coming to life,” said Dalmia. “We are partnering with Chicago Ideas Week to get it out there.” Early next year, the trio plans to start working on the next product and launch it by the end of 2016.
“We didn’t think that Cubii would have so many applications,” said Jain. “We have been approached by schools buying it for children, senior citizens and nursing facilities, and a rehab hospital. It’s exciting to see people find potential in Cubii, and seeing people use it.”
Said Sekine, “I'm excited about creating a brand that would become loved by millions of people around the world. I would be extremely happy if users of our products can pursue more active, healthier lives, and ultimately become advocates of healthier lifestyle in their family and community.” — Erin Fuller
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