Funding and Training provided via New Jersey Innovation Fellows Program
Loraina London-Calderon has always been passionate about nutrition and wellness. Growing up, she noticed many nutritional disparities within her family that led to health issues, particularly with her grandmother, who needed regular dialysis treatment due to kidney failure. Determined to make a difference, she envisioned a tool that would help families understand their nutritional intake and prevent similar health problems. This vision led to the creation of MyFitPlate.
A member of the inaugural New Jersey Innovation Fellows (NJIF) cohort, MyFitPlate is a cutting-edge health and wellness application that allows users to track their caloric intake and support each other in achieving fitness goals. The app’s standout feature is an AI camera designed to scan food and provide nutritional analysis, making it easier for users to manage their diets. Loraina shared, “I decided that if I could create a resource or a tool that could help the people in my family from going through something similar or just to like to help them understand how much they’re eating on a day to day that that would be a win for me and ultimately a win for everyone who is going through something similar.”
Co-founded by Loraina, Peter Andrews, and Rashmi Naik, MyFitPlate is in its early stages of development. The team is currently focused on customer discovery to validate their assumptions and refine the app’s features. Peter, who brings a wealth of experience in scientific development and a strong business acumen, elaborates on the AI camera’s functionality, stating, “Hopefully, the final iteration will be a camera that can just take a snapshot, identify the main components of your meal, and try to give you a good estimate of how much you’re actually eating and the breakdown of micro and macronutrients.”
The team has recently been accepted into the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) I-Corps program, which has provided rigorous customer discovery training and additional grants for development. This program has been crucial in helping the team understand the market and refine their business model. With the help of the program and customer feedback, they are continuously adapting their approach to ensure the app meets actual user needs.
Support from the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) through the NJIF program has been invaluable. Peter mentioned that the MyFitPlate team has learned a lot from the synchronous learning sessions (monthly classes focused on different topics geared toward startups) and found the connections with other startups extremely useful.
Looking back on their success with the programs and accelerators the team have partaken in, Loraina offers advice for new innovators: “Having a solid action plan before entering such programs is crucial. This includes customer discovery interviews and development plans.” The trio have come a long way from their initial idea and have pivoted their business model to reflect that. MyFitPlate is poised to make a significant impact on how people manage their nutrition. With a strong team, supportive community, and a clear vision, they are well on their way to revolutionizing health and wellness technology. By participating and collaborating with the NJIF program, NJII plays a significant role in the acceleration of startups and small businesses throughout New Jersey. Startups like MyFitPlate and AnataMed, another NJIF cohort discussed in a previous blog, showcase why it’s important to grant opportunities to first-time business owners and creative thinkers. If you want to learn more about how NJII assists in the development of emerging startups and projects, you can view our Entrepreneurship Division webpage