Ibn Silvera-Wallace and Jaylen Sanders are two Hampton University sophomores who are breaking barriers in the health, fitness and tech industry. The 19-year-old dynamic duo has co-founded Trained to Glory (TTG), a mobile social fitness app that matches users and personal trainers to achieve fitness goals.
Wallace and Sanders have worked diligently to develop TTG from a concept into a full-fledged fitness movement. However, such a journey did not take place overnight. Wallace and Sanders met during freshman year, when they initially started their college careers as walk-ons for the University football team. “Jaylen and I had the same aspirations of going to the NFL,” Wallace said, “and we vowed to push each other athletically. We became workout partners.”
Wallace, majoring in Public Relations, learned the skills of branding and developed an interest in pursuing entrepreneurship. As a Computer Science major, Sanders developed a passion for coding and studied the changing trends in mobile applications.“I wanted to do something where I could be in control of my money and establish change in my community,” Sanders said. “Coding was always easy for me to learn and I’ve always wanted to break into the mobile app industry.”Together, the future tech moguls conceived the idea for TTG in the summer of 2015, when they decided to start their venture together and combat inactivity and unhealthy lifestyles. TTG’s slogan is “Commit to the Lifestyle.”Over the course of the summer, Wallace and Sanders laid the groundwork for TTG by gathering accurate data. They conducted over 200 interviews with personal trainers and their clients to understand the potential value TTG would have to consumers.
During their research, they discovered that women between ages 25 and 50 are cautious about their bodies and seek consistent exercise partners. Wallace and Sanders were determined to make TTG the solution to this problem, and returned to Hampton University for sophomore year to grow their brand on a broader scale.“The mission of Trained to Glory is to empower the powerless and innovate the underestimated while sparking community progress,” Wallace said. “Once the app gains consistent user retention, the company will relocate to Silicon Valley.”
Based on TTG’s uniqueness, the app has a high chance of success. Users will be able to access the “Matching” feature, which will connect them to personal trainers in areas of running, weight training, basketball, cycling, soccer, dance, paintball, tennis and much more. Users will also be able to book sessions, purchase workout write-ups and obtain diet plans from TTG certified trainers in the nearby area.“TTG is solving my problem,” Sanders said. “I’ve always wanted to find the best trainers and have fun while doing it.”
The strongest advantage TTG brings is the “Commitment” feature, which allows users to RSVP to a workout session or athletic event via social media. Along with the mobile application, Wallace and Sanders plan to launch a line of fitness apparel which will display the TTG logo. “Americans spend 40 to 50 billion dollars on fitness apparel,” Wallace said. “There is a new look to fashion. We want to bring that fashion edge to the fitness world so people can look cool working out.”
Wallace and Sanders plan to release the beta version of the TTG mobile application on March 11, and will launch the official product after receiving feedback. The app will be available in the app store and on Google Play, and users can visit the TTG website at http://www.trainedtoglory.com/ .