Angel Mendoza ’26 and Matt Martinez ’26 are gym guys. But equipment breakdowns and long wait times for popular machines kept them from getting the most out of their workouts.
They’re not alone in their discouragement. Industry data suggests that well over 30% of gym-goers cancel their memberships each year. That’s at least partially due to dissatisfaction with the available equipment, Mendoza says. “We wanted to find a solution.”
Mendoza and Martinez spoke with gym managers, who reported that they lacked solid data on equipment usage. In response, the two mechanical engineering majors developed OnSight, a sensor analytics platform to improve gym management and organization.
“We use noninvasive sensor technology to tell the gym operators what’s happening in their facility so they can make data-backed decisions,” explains Mendoza, CEO of OnSight. “We put privacy first, so we don’t use cameras. We use radar to track movement.”
The OnSight dashboard provides “a heat map of an entire facility,” he says. “You can see peak usage hours for every machine and a list of most-used versus least-used equipment. We give managers buying and selling suggestions too.”
The data from OnSight helps gym managers know when to schedule manufacturer-recommended maintenance to avoid equipment breakdowns. And it provides guidance on the ideal placement for machines.
Mendoza and Martinez, OnSight’s chief operating officer, hope to provide benefits to gym-goers too. A QR-code system allows users to report equipment malfunctions. In future iterations, the co-founders plan to create a platform that allows members to see equipment availability in real time and identify the optimal time to visit the gym based on their workout plans.
In a pilot launch, OnSight implemented its sensor technology at Cheetah Gym in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. Mendoza and Martinez landed that contract thanks to the new Manufacturing Fund at The Garage, Northwestern’s student startup hub. The fund provides student teams with awards of up to $25,000 to cover critical production expenses, including prototyping, tooling and minimum order quantities required for initial manufacturing runs.
“We were ready to sign a contract with Cheetah Gym, but we didn’t have the funds to actually fulfill that order … because we had to buy all the hardware and sensors,” Mendoza says. “Once we received the Manufacturing Fund award, we were able to sign that contract and fulfill that order, and since then, the company’s been on an upswing.”
In mid-March, OnSight won the Innovation Alley Pitch Fest at the Health & Fitness Association conference in San Diego, beating out 15 other startups for the top prize. This past summer the OnSight co-founders also participated in The Garage’s Jumpstart Pre-Accelerator program.
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