Launched by Natalia and Dragoș Cotruș with the firm mission of revolutionizing how Romanians approach health and the process of reaching optimal weight, the fit-tech platform Ikanos has helped over 2200 clients achieve healthy, sustainable, and long-term weight loss in its first two years of operation. In the two years since its launch, the development of Ikanos has involved total investments exceeding 200,000 Euros. The founders estimate a turnover of 90,000 Euros at the end of the second year of operation.
Natalia and Dragoș Cotruș (in opening pcture), the founders of the Ikanos platform, are two entrepreneurs from Timișoara, with over 15 years of experience in the financial and IT fields. In October 2021, leveraging the changes brought about by the pandemic in the consumption behaviour of Romanians, they launched the e-health platform Ikanos.
According to the latest report published by the World Health Organization, nearly 60% of people in Romania are overweight, and the majority of those who follow a weight loss program fail to maintain their optimal weight in the long term. Therefore, from its launch, Ikanos stands out with a holistic and flexible approach to achieving optimal weight, based on the mind-body alliance.
More specifically, Ikanos emphasizes the building of healthy habits and provides extensive support in the process of personal transformation and achieving weight loss goals without imposing dietary restrictions. The Ikanos algorithm customizes the process based on the client's profile, taking into account scientific studies and data regarding nutrition and psychology.
"The idea for the Ikanos project came naturally after realizing the significant gap between what it means to lose weight sustainably and healthily, and the multitude of incorrect, false, or simply exaggerated information from mainstream sources. We decided to create Ikanos to provide a trustworthy, accurate resource accessible to anyone who wants to lose weight and understand how the mind-body alliance works in this context. Ikanos is entirely based on science and scientific studies. We saw a need to position ourselves in the low-tech zone, emphasizing the quality of services and empathetic communication with those embarking on the Ikanos journey, whose goal is a healthy, long-term lifestyle," stated Natalia Cotruș, co-founder of the fit-tech platform Ikanos.
Doubling the Number of Clients in 2023
Compared to the same period last year, in the first 9 months of 2023, the Ikanos platform has doubled its number of clients, reaching nearly 1500 individuals who have followed the sustainable weight loss programs offered by Ikanos.
The target audience of Ikanos is predominantly educated, both male and female, of all ages. Currently, the platform caters to adults actively seeking to lose weight, with an average goal of losing 17 kilograms.
"We have a retention rate of 55% after the first month, whereas the industry average is somewhere around 12%. This validates our commitment to providing effective, science-based solutions for those looking to improve their health and achieve their weight loss goals in a sustainable and healthy manner. People come to us after several unsuccessful attempts to reach or maintain an ideal weight and aim to lose an average of 17 kilograms. They choose Ikanos for the integrated approach, based on activating the mind-body alliance, but especially for the component of building a system of healthy habits," adds Dragoș Cotruș, co-founder of Ikanos.
Following the upward trend, entrepreneurs Natalia and Dragoș Cotruș, the founders of Ikanos, estimate a turnover of approximately 90,000 euros for this year, which is 2.8 times higher than in 2022.
About IKANOS
The fit-tech platform Ikanos was founded by Natalia and Dragoș Cotruș in the autumn of 2021, combining nutrition coaching with emotional management and technology to support permanent lifestyle changes.
The platform is delivered through an intuitive, easy-to-use mobile application integrated into daily life. What sets IKANOS apart from other platforms is its holistic approach. While weight loss essentially involves maintaining a caloric deficit, the IKANOS fit-tech platform emphasizes the mind-body alliance, the building of healthy habits, and provides extensive support in the process of personal transformation and achieving weight loss goals, without imposing dietary restrictions.
*This is a Press release.