The app, MoveMe, was created by a team in the Entrepreneurship MBA program at the . The idea is pretty simple — like a sports version of Match.com or eHarmony, the app matches people with others who share their schedule, interests and level of fitness. 

“It’s not just pairing you with anyone,” said co-founder Eric Reskin. “It’s pairing you with the most compatible partner to help achieve your goals.” 

Reskin and partner Andy Ortegon came up with the idea after surveying about 100 people around Louisville about pain points that might keep them from getting a good workout. They found that most people needed a buddy for accountability, but had trouble finding others who were compatible. 

The team developed their product and business plan in the Entrepreneurship MBA program, which walks students through launching a startup step-by-step. They’re given guidance, legal services and practice pitching to investors. 

“By the time many of our students graduate, they already have investors lined up, too,” said Dr. Van Clouse, chair of the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship. “They know what investors look for, they know how to pitch to investors and they and they’re designing their businesses to enable them to raise money to support their dreams.” 

Teams also compete for funding at competitions. MoveMe, for example, won Kentucky’s statewide 2016  competition, and took home $25,000 to continue work on their app and company — which Reskin says they certainly plan to do. 

“MoveMe started just as an academic thing, but we really fell in love with the idea,” he said. “And we tried day after day to find someone to tell us we’re idiots and we need to stop, but it hasn’t happened yet. So, we’re going to continue and now we get to really focus on the true development of the app and the business itself.” 

Check out more about the app: 

Finals for the Idea State U competition, sponsored by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s Office of Entrepreneurship in partnership with the Kentucky Innovation Network, were held April 22-23 in Lexington. The win marked the seventh time that a UofL College of Business team placed first for its business plan at the competition.

“We have always done really well at Idea State U and have come away placing in the competition every year,” said Van Clouse, entrepreneurship director of the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business. “We won the business plan division seven times and the business concept/business model division six times since 2009. We have an outstanding program for entrepreneurship here at the University of Louisville partly because we create unique partnerships on and off campus to support our student teams.”

The MoveMe app matches users with potential workout partners based on fitness activities, levels and goals. The team will continue to work with the Kentucky Innovation Network, which has 13 offices across the state to help entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The competition this year had a record 51 entrants from 18 Kentucky colleges and universities.

Here are all UofL’s victories at Idea State U:

• 2009 Business Plan Division 1^st place PackStream, Business Concept Division 1^st place Fenix Group.
• 2010 Business Plan Division 1^st place CALMsenior, Business Concept Division 1^st place Cuddle Clones.
• 2011 Business Plan Division 1^st place Cuddle Clones, Business Concept Division 1^st place KY Chia.
• 2012 Business Plan Division 1^st place KY Chia, Business Concept Division 1^st place VOC Diagnostics.
• 2013 Business Concept Division 1^st place PDM Pharmaceuticals.
• 2014 Business Plan Division 1^st place Trifecta Cooking Equipment, Business Concept Division 1^st place Cypress MD (now Inscope Medical Solutions).
• 2015 Business Plan Division 1^st place Engagely.
• 2016 Business Plan Division 1^st place MoveMe.