Future

• Future is a personal training service that connects users with real-life human trainer who "build personalized workout plans and message users throughout the day to make sure they are doing them."
• Future appears to only be available on IOS, but the company does note that they have Android support on their roadmap. The service is compatible with Iphone, Ipad, Ipod Touch and Apple Watch.
• Future charges users $150 per month, which translates to around $5 per day. According to the company, this is a bargain when compared to the $150 per hour paid to personal trainers.
• On the Apple Store, Future has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. This rating is the average rating from 310 user ratings.
• Users choose one of the goals highlighted above so that they can be matched to a coach that fits their fitness goals.
• Future's beta tests were impressive with 95% of users sticking with the service for 3 months and 85% of users continuing with their training sessions for 6 months.
• Future's potential is evident in the investor backing the service attracted including an "$8.5 million Series A funding led by Kleiner Perkins with partner Mamoon Hamid joining the board, building on its $3 million seed." Other investment backers of the service include Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger, Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, and Caffeinated Capital.

How Future Works

• A new user's journey starts when a user visits the Future website and selects from a list of exercise goals so as to be matched to a coach on the platform. The fitness goals available on the website are: get leaner, get stronger, get active again, reduce pain or injury, improve cardio or speed, and improve sports performance.
• Throughout the onboarding process, Future uses the money spent by users to offer what feels like a luxury app experience. After signup, users can then pick from a number of expert trainers that are matched to their needs.
• Users can then do a 15-minute video chat with their selected trainer to get acquainted and create a workout plan. Future then sends a welcome kit to users that comprises of an Apple Watch and a water bottle.  
• The trainer will then deliver a week’s worth of personalized daily routines that come with video instructions for each exercise. The app will then "provide audio cues (and optional music) to guide users through the workouts while the trainer chimes in with personalized pointers and motivation via pre-recorded voice clips."
• The trainers also proactively check in with users to ensure they are going to the gym and following the workouts. The Apple Watch is used to track a user's progress and identify any patterns of procrastination or flaking out.
• From available information, it appears Future connects users to external fitness experts that have years of experience in the fitness industry.

Additional Information

• A potential competitor to Future was identified in research as FitMyTime.