29. MAGIC AI

Just Started Award Shortlisted

For the company which, despite being in business for only one year, has already demonstrated impressive growth, success, or disruption in its field.

Startups 100: Just Started Award

Founder: Varun Bhanot and Sunil Jindal

Year founded: 2022
Website: magic.fit

Mirror mirror, on the wall, who’s the fittest of them all? With an AI-powered personal trainer living in your looking glass, you’ll soon be told if the answer is you or not.

MAGIC AI, founded in 2022 by Varun Bhanot and Sunil Jindal, is reshaping home fitness with an AI personal trainer that gives hyper-personalised workouts, delivered by world-class athletes. 

Where Peleton had the stationary bike, MAGIC AI has the intelligent wall mirror. It takes up a lot less space in your home, and is a lot less likely to end up as a depository for coat hangers and good intentions.

The tech in the magic mirror – sorry, intelligent wall mirror – is quite extraordinary. MAGIC AI’s groundbreaking ReflectAI technology allows the intelligent hologram mirror to analyse movements in real-time. Users are guided by holographic athletes, while an embedded camera corrects exercise form, counts your reps, and provides live feedback on progress.

MAGIC’s founders state that their aim is to democratise access to personal training. That said, let’s not hide the headline cost – with the cheapest mirror package beginning from £1,400 (at a discount), this is a step up from the £10 Argos value mirror you might otherwise be checking your weight-lifting form in. 

Still, that cost starts getting a lot more compelling when it’s approached from a monthly, Klarna-powered repayment schedule of £39 per month (less than plenty of gym memberships). 

And, when you consider that the cost of a session with a personal trainer could run closer to £100, the MAGIC AI premise starts looking a whole lot more affordable and convenient. It also addresses gym intimidation and the sheer misery of doing crossfit in the park in the January rain – a couple of other key barriers to personal training.

Let’s talk about those AI-powered personal trainers, though. Fancy having an arms and back strength session led by former England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook? Or breaking a sweat while improving your dance moves under the tutelage of Strictly star Katya Jones?

All this and more is possible through the intelligent wall mirror, with the unwavering attention of the Reflect AI assistant giving you continuous feedback on your form and progress.

MAGIC AI’s journey to success has been marked by impressive milestones. It raised £2 million from two venture capital funds and secured investments from prominent figures in companies that include Spotify, Stripe, Tough Mudder, and Virgin, as well as celebrity athletes. 

This funding has allowed the MAGIC AI team to develop their AI form-tracking technology, enabling the tracking of over 250 exercises with live feedback and rep-counting. 

Over the next five years, MAGIC AI has high hopes for expansion into new territories – including the US and Asia. It also wants to add a roster of even more celebrity athletes to complement their current offerings. 

MAGIC AI has the potential to redefine the way we approach home fitness and training. If looking in the mirror wasn’t enough motivation to push out five more reps, then a mirror that directly tells you to dig deep could be everything you need.