The fitness and sports training industry is constantly evolving, yet the shortage of advanced training equipment that is not traditional fitness equipment is creating a significant gap in the market. While treadmills and weight machines are common and effective for increasing strength, they can't help athletes and fitness enthusiasts measure and improve vital performance metrics such as agility, reflexes, and stamina.

This gap in the market represents an opportunity for innovation, especially for those who want to improve athletic performance in a more subtle and measurable way. Moreover, existing tools for tracking and improving athletic performance lack the ability to provide athletes with the detailed, real-time data they need to fine-tune their training. The lack of a comprehensive tool that can project, track, and analyze movements in a way that informs athletes about their appearance, speed, reaction time, and accuracy highlights a major shortcoming in sports technology.

This limitation not only affects athletes' ability to make informed decisions about their training, but also limits their ability to achieve optimal performance levels. As the demand for sports technology grows in India, the need for a tool that addresses these specific training aspects becomes more evident, indicating the huge opportunity in the fitness sector.

To bridge this gap, Chahil Patel and Hitarth Parikh started an Ahmedabad-based start-up called Hyperlab, and they built Helios, which helps athletes and fitness enthusiasts measure strength, reflexes and stamina using a laser pointer.

The founders

Hyperlab is a start-up by Shark Tank India, founded by Hitarth Parikh and Chahi Patel in January 2022. He is an industrial designer focused on integrating technology and sport at the grassroots level. Prior to founding Hyperlab, Parikh worked as a product designer at Studio Carbon, but left the company in May 2021.

On the other hand, Chahal Patel, the current head of research and development at Hyperlab, holds an engineering degree in Information Technology, Electronics and Communication. He was previously associated with Studio Carbon as Head of Research and Development. Hyperlab's journey began when Hitarth Parikh teamed up with technology professional Chahil Patel to innovate in the fitness space in 2021. Their collaboration is driven by Parikh's personal experience in sports and the recognized gap in the market for advanced fitness equipment that can measure agility, reflexes and stamina beyond traditional gym equipment.

What is hyperlab?

Hyperlab is a start-up focused on developing cutting-edge sports technology. Its flagship product, Helios, is a smart robot designed to improve athletic performance by projecting laser points for athletes to follow, thereby tracking and analyzing their movement patterns. This data-driven approach helps athletes improve their form, speed, reaction time, and accuracy.

Helios has the ability to provide comprehensive datasets on an athlete's performance, offering insights on agility, stamina, and reflexes. It is a significant improvement over existing fitness equipment, as well as it focuses primarily on strength development. Helios's distinguishing selling point compared to competitors like Blazepod is its large datasets, which make the product a more comprehensive training tool.

Local manufacturing

The approach to manufacture the startup's flagship product, Helios, entirely in India stems from a strategic decision to avoid the complexities and uncertainties of a global supply chain. The company wants to ensure smooth manufacturing processes, fast market response time, and a sustainable business model that supports local industries and maintains strict control over the supply chain. Hyperlabs manufactures mechanical parts in Ahmedabad, while electronic components such as stepper motors, lidar systems, laser units and controller units are assembled at its unit in Gandhinagar.

LIDAR technology is crucial for accurately tracking athletes' movements, while laser systems project clear and consistent laser points needed for agility and reflex training. The controller units, the brain of the operation, control the operation of the device and process the data. By manufacturing these components in India, Hyperlab is able to maintain the highest standards of quality control, ensuring that every Helios device meets its stringent performance standards. The decision to avoid importing parts is driven by several key considerations.

First, it allows Hyperlab to gain full control over its supply chain, mitigating the risks of delays and disruptions associated with international logistics. Secondly, since each component can be closely monitored and tested to meet the exact requirements of the startup, local manufacturing enables Hyperlab to ensure the highest level of quality assurance.

Additionally, by supporting the local economy, Hyperlab is not only driving the growth of Indian businesses, but also promoting innovation and job opportunities in the tech and manufacturing sectors. Finally, this approach gives Hyperlab the flexibility to quickly iterate on product improvements and respond to customer feedback.

Business modelBusiness model

Hyperlab works on a B2B model by partnering with institutions such as gymnasiums, fitness centres and sports clubs. We are also exploring a partnership with the Sports Authority of India. For institutional customers, Helios is priced between Rs 30,000 and Rs 45,000, while individual customers can buy it for Rs 45,000. Currently, Hyperlab is bootstrapped and featured in Shark Tank India Season 3.

Future plans

Hyperlab aims to sell at least 3,000 devices by the end of 2024 and is developing specific devices for swimming, football and cricket to suit the specific dimensions of the sport. The team's goal is to build a comprehensive product line that will solidify Hyperlab's foothold in the sports technology market. While the startup primarily competes with the US-based BlazePod, Hyperlab's Helios stands out because it provides the ability to provide more advanced data for athletic training.

According to a Statista report, the total revenue in the Health & Fitness market in India is expected to reach $19.24 million in 2022. It is expected to grow at an annual rate of 11.57% (CAGR 2022-2027), contributing to the expected market volume. $31.97 million by 2027.