AI Coaching for Lasting Weight Loss: Simple’s Mike Prytkov

Interview with Mike Prytkov, CEO of Simple, on AI-driven coaching for sustainable weight loss and healthy habits with 20M+ installs worldwide.

Key Takeaways

AI coaching can effectively support sustainable weight loss by personalizing plans and providing real-time motivation.
Accessibility to quality health coaching is a major barrier that Simple addresses through its digital platform.
Gamification and daily engagement features help improve user retention and long-term adherence.
Combining digital tools with medical treatments like GLP-1 drugs enhances weight loss success.
A holistic approach addressing diet, exercise, and behavior change is critical for lasting health improvements.

What the video covers

Mike Prytkov, co-founder and CEO of Simple, discusses the evolution of their app from an intermittent fasting tool to a comprehensive AI coaching platform.
Simple supports over 17 million users globally, credited with over 13 million pounds lost and 350,000+ five-star reviews.
The app delivers personalized daily plans, prompts, and real-time support to help users build sustainable weight loss habits.
Simple is based in Cyprus, where a supportive tech community and government initiatives foster growth in digital health.
The app targets accessibility issues by providing affordable, personalized coaching compared to traditional expensive health advisors.
Simple emphasizes a holistic approach combining nutrition, exercise, and behavioral change to improve long-term outcomes.
User retention is strong, with some users engaging daily for over a year, aided by gamification features like streaks.
The primary user base is women over 40, mainly from the United States and other English-speaking countries.
Simple integrates with current weight loss trends, including users combining the app with GLP-1 drugs for obesity management.
The app aims to make dieting engaging and frictionless, similar to a game, to motivate users with busy lives.

Chapters

What makes Simple’s weight loss app different from other dieting solutions?

Simple combines science-based guidance with AI coaching to deliver personalized daily plans and real-time support, making weight loss sustainable and accessible.

How does Simple ensure long-term user engagement?

The app uses gamification techniques like streaks and makes the experience fun and frictionless, encouraging users to stay engaged daily despite busy lifestyles.

Can Simple be used alongside weight loss medications?

Yes, many users combine Simple with GLP-1 drugs, and the app supports this by helping users change behavior and maintain satiety, enhancing overall weight loss outcomes.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

Welcome to the Healthcare Technology Report, a leading information source on healthcare technology companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Mike Pritkov, co-founder and CEO of Simple, a digital health company helping millions of people achieve long-term weight loss and healthier eating habits. Mike is an experienced leader in scaling mobile-first health platforms. Under his leadership, Simple has grown from an intermittent fasting tool into a comprehensive app that combines science-based guidance with AI coaching.

Speaker A

experienced leader in scaling mobile first health platforms. And under his leadership, Simple has grown from an intermittent fasting tool into a comprehensive app that combines science-based guidance with AI coaching.

Speaker A

The app now supports more than 17 million users worldwide, credited with over 13 million pounds lost and more than 350,000 five-star reviews. With its AI coach, AO, Simple delivers daily plans, personalized prompts, and real-time support to help users build sustainable habits. I'm your host, R.J. Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Speaker A

sustainable habits. I'm your host, R.J. Lumba, we hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

Speaker A

Mike, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today. It's a delight to be with you.

Speaker A

Thanks for having me. So, we have a lot to cover. You run a really interesting company, something relevant to probably everyone on the planet. But first off, you're based in Cyprus. We don't typically talk to companies, tech companies in particular

Speaker A

Thanks for having me. So, we have a lot to cover. You run a really interesting company, something relevant to probably everyone on the planet. But first off, you're based in Cyprus. We don't typically talk to companies, tech companies in particular,

Speaker A

small island. Everybody knows each other and the community is very friendly and helpful. So, it's really good to be there and the Cypress government is doing a lot of things to help the community and tech grow on the island,

Speaker A

out of Cyprus. So tell us a little bit about the tech community there.

Speaker A

really, really great place. Fantastic. Now, switching over into the app. So, let's tell folks what Simple does and to set the context. You've got a lot of users.

Speaker A

It's an amazing tech community. I first actually got familiar with Cyprus around, I would say, eight years ago when I moved to my previous company there. It's a small island. Everybody knows each other, and the community is very friendly and helpful. So, it's really good to be there, and the Cyprus government is doing a lot of things to help the community and tech grow on the island,

Speaker A

can actually follow. When we first started, we uh frame these ideas having the best coach around you that will help you with your weight loss and how it goes. And back those days when we started, we don't see any companies who

Speaker A

which is really cool. And the weather is nice, which is great actually, especially for the kids. When I first moved there, my son was just a year old, so he was growing up in Cyprus, and then my daughter was growing up in Cyprus as well. So,

Speaker A

simple. So there's a myriad of solutions out there regarding health particularly dieting. It could be a consumer product.

Speaker A

really, really great place.

Speaker A

Yeah, that's right. Because if you think about this, there is the accessibility problem. So yeah, some people would be able to afford themselves to get with the best coaches, best health advisors, but in reality majority is not in that

Speaker A

Fantastic. Now, switching over into the app. So, let's tell folks what Simple does and to set the context. You've got a lot of users.

Speaker A

book you read. So you need a kind of a holistic approach that will help from the different perspectives. So uh that's why we built what we are building that we build it in a way which is simple.

Speaker A

Yeah. Right. We've got more than 20 million installs.

Speaker A

diet. People have a hard time sticking to a diet. But maybe could you shed some light on how many people actually stay with the app and continue using it all the way through to effective sustained outcomes?

Speaker A

Yeah. So, a lot of users and a lot of history for the past six years. And at Simple, we effectively give people a weight loss plan that they can actually follow. When we first started, we framed these ideas having the best coach around you that will help you with your weight loss and how it goes. And back those days when we started, we didn't see any companies who

Speaker A

today. It's a article published in the woman's world magazine the news about this and the lady Karen she lost 176 pounds within a year using simple and uh she specifically was focused on the intermittent fasting part of the

Speaker A

are in the nutritional and dieting space who are actually focusing on the personalization and making the program very specific for each individual. So we thought that this is the right thing to do, and with that idea, we started working on

Speaker A

combination with the help of our coach. So a lot of people are using the product daily and we recently introduced STS into the product around a year ago and we already have users for more than 365 days of

Speaker A

Simple. So there's a myriad of solutions out there regarding health, particularly dieting. It could be a consumer product.

Speaker A

Yeah, I think about this in the parallel. So if we think about the work versus results or impact. So if you think about the calorie counters, you need to put a lot of work into it. So you need to precisely log everything and

Speaker A

It could be an app. It takes many forms. It could be simple YouTube channels. And you found that there wasn't a solution that was able to really customize according to the person. Is that correct?

Speaker A

really engaging. We all know that it's hard and for for someone it's really really hard work they need to do. And uh all the people have their normal lives.

Speaker A

Yeah, that's right. Because if you think about this, there is the accessibility problem. So yeah, some people would be able to afford themselves to get with the best coaches, best health advisors, but in reality, the majority is not in that

Speaker A

like a game. I think the good example of what Dualingo done in the language learning I think we are sort of thinking in the same direction right now. Is there any overlap with your users also taking a weight loss drug such as ampic?

Speaker A

place, and they need something that would give them their solution on a high level and would understand their each individual life circumstances, preferences, etc., and would be able to help them sustainably. You will not get it from one YouTube video or one

Speaker A

already knows that this is not a long-term solution. So whether people are on the drugs for the rest of their lives or they're actually all drugs helping them to kick off this first process and then they're actually trying

Speaker A

book you read. So you need a kind of a holistic approach that will help from different perspectives. So that's why we built what we are building, that we built it in a way which is simple.

Speaker A

are actually working on the programs to help people to make it more effective and efficient to introduce more focus on the exercises more focus on the protein to keep their muscles intact. So all those things. Yeah. So it's good

Speaker A

That's why it's called Simple, and we are giving it with a holistic approach. So with these over 20 million installs, I imagine there's some variation on continued usage. A percentage of those just drop off just as you would a normal

Speaker A

Europe. Majorly our users are coming from the states. So our sweet spot is women over 40. In the States around 70% of our users are coming from the states now and the rest are from the other English-sp speakaking countries or

Speaker A

diet. People have a hard time sticking to a diet. But maybe you could shed some light on how many people actually stay with the app and continue using it all the way through to effective sustained outcomes?

Speaker A

I guess it's both because uh we named like this for a reason. And we think that this is sort of our mission to make the experience simple and to make their uh weight loss and their journey to health simple because right now it's not

Speaker A

We've run a study specifically on that matter of what the results of people who use Simple for a long period of time are, and the results are quite amazing. I can share with you the one that I just got

Speaker A

people need something very specific for them. We are different. We have different triggers. We have different life circumstances. we have different amount of time that we are able to dedicate towards this goal. So this is the one thing. The other thing is

Speaker A

today. It's an article published in Woman's World magazine, the news about this, and the lady Karen, she lost 176 pounds within a year using Simple, and she specifically was focused on the intermittent fasting part of the

Speaker A

What is the most you think helpful part to the solution? We mentioned intermittent fasting. Is that the first thing you would try? Say it's a 168 type of fasting calculation 186 like what do you first go to?

Speaker A

product, and this worked really, really well for her, and she's extremely happy for us. This is important because we are incorporating multiple areas in one product. So we are combining intermittent fasting, dieting, and exercises and all of that in the

Speaker A

want to better understand the problem and to give them a better solution. So intermittent fasting was the kind of a first step for us. So the product incorporates this still but uh we learned that it's doesn't work for

Speaker A

combination with the help of our coach. So a lot of people are using the product daily, and we recently introduced STS into the product around a year ago, and we already have users for more than 365 days of

Speaker A

exercises. So there might be some very low impact exercises like workouts on the chair for example very good for a lot of people or walking for example but then we have a whole workouts uh with some weights as well and we are kind of

Speaker A

daily streaks. So things are going well.

Speaker A

Mhm. I'm curious with a kind of a BTOC app as you're building the company. I mean you could get an MVP out there with you know somewhat minimal investment.

Speaker A

So the gamification helps. I know my kids use Snap, and they want to keep their streaks going. So yeah, every day it's like a touchpoint with the app.

Speaker A

you take that approach of being very maybe efficient and resourceful in the beginning? I think you have brought in capital and how you use that capital. So maybe if you could just tell us a little bit about building this company up to

Speaker A

Yeah, I think about this in parallel. So if we think about the work versus results or impact. So if you think about the calorie counters, you need to put a lot of work into it. So you need to precisely log everything, and

Speaker A

fast iterations and how actually to move fast and how actually to build things and iterate with them and figure out what the right solution would be. our first uh main investor PA they were also co-ounders of the slow health which uh

Speaker A

then the results, it depends. But we want to build it as simple as possible, as frictionless as possible, and literally to make it similar to a game, to make it fun and engaging because games are engaging. Dieting is not

Speaker A

and how to actually build something very impactful for customers So I think uh combining both of those gives a good combination of speed and the product sense help to iterate faster and get this product market fit. I think the

Speaker A

really engaging. We all know that it's hard, and for someone, it's really, really hard work they need to do. And all the people have their normal lives.

Speaker A

track something to give them insights to give them program to give them everything and then not to over complicate things. This is really challenging. This is the critical parts of the business. So as I mentioned we try to at the beginning to start small

Speaker A

They have kids, they have families, they have work. And when we're asking them like you need to contribute the time to some apps, you know that's hard. So we need to make them feel that it is motivating, that it is engaging, and this is

Speaker A

quite efficient for us. We got only maybe 10 million of equity investments and with that last year we end up with more than 100 million of revenue. So by uh the current market valuation that's quite a great efficiency on the capital.

Speaker A

like a game. I think the good example of what Duolingo has done in language learning, I think we are sort of thinking in the same direction right now. Is there any overlap with your users also taking a weight loss drug such as Ozempic?

Speaker A

Excellent. I guess one question as we head into the tail end of the conversation is given that this is your second time, you know, building a company, what do you pay most attention to when you're assembling your team? Is

Speaker A

Definitely. The recent study says that almost 15% of people who are dieting in the States have tried the GLP-1 drugs. So it's a huge number of people, and it's very helpful, especially with obesity, which is really good. What everybody

Speaker A

Our main office right now at Cyprus. So, we have our full business is around 180 people. 70 is at Cyprus and uh we have like a dozen people in London. We have a few people in Canada in the states and

Speaker A

already knows is that this is not a long-term solution. So whether people are on the drugs for the rest of their lives or they're actually using drugs to help them kick off this first process, and then they're actually trying

Speaker A

trying to build something that would work right now and then we don't know. For that, I expect people to be consistent, to be able to consistently deliver results, and to have sort of a long-term vision. I'm really proud that

Speaker A

to change their behavior around the food, and definitely when they don't want to eat that much and they are having normal satiety levels, it's easier to change behavior. So people are using drugs together with Simple, and we

Speaker A

So, it's like maybe 80% of everyone who we started with are still with us. So I think this is the great achievement for us and this is the kind of long-term vision and long-term culture that uh we are trying to build.

Speaker A

are actually working on the programs to help people to make it more effective and efficient, to introduce more focus on the exercises, more focus on the protein to keep their muscles intact. So all those things.

Speaker A

I think that I would say that this is my lovely wife who I've married for more than 12 years already. And uh I think what is critical here that she gave me a leadership example of quietly operating our family and I think that leadership

Speaker A

Yeah. So it's good progress in the market.

Speaker A

Excellent. Last question. Can you tell us about a charity cause or other endeavor that you're passionate about? I think for us definitely on building simple the most important thing is to make health and weight loss accessible for everyone. So it would not be tied to

Speaker A

Referring back to the installs and the sheer volume of it. Are these consumers or these users? I assume they're across the world. I'm curious about your exposure in the US and Western

Speaker A

doesn't really matter. of the matter is that their health better and their life would be better. So this is the most important.

Speaker A

Europe.

Speaker A

Thanks. Thank you. [Music]

Topics:AI coachingweight lossdigital healthSimple appintermittent fastingbehavioral changehealth technologyuser retentionGLP-1 drugspersonalized nutrition

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