Elevating Wellness By Digital Coaching Solutions with Anita Habeich

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You want tech and tacos, Tacos and tech you know we got tacos and tech is on smash border green guacamole keeper countins counting beans Contador quentan frijoles found us trying to raise some queso la vida San Diego school of rappy rapping fire tortillas round jalapenos in these modern times a crappy beer and coffee my coding yoga posse fold the body origami we be surfing coronado eating tacos El gordo, the taco stand in pesto lucha libre and sombrero got a shout out to cost angels by the ocean Watch the sunset la Hoya shores Entrepreneurs trying to get funded When San Diego Startup Week is popping in the summer Oceanside, the Tijuana esti be full of hustlers from couch surfing to penthouses right on the beach. Tech leaders who who believe stars are within reach we interview and founders who be shooting for the Moon SDTechOS with your host, Neil Bloom. Come on.

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Welcome to the Tacos and Tech podcast where we discover cutting edge San Diego technologies and the builders making it happen. I'm your host, Neil Blum, San Diego's tech ambassador. And together you're going to put a face to the name of today's tech leaders with our own blend of local lifestyle.

Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party.

Thanks to our friends at Cox Business for being an instrumental resource to our startup and tech community here in San Diego. As a partner in San Diego Startup Week, quick pitch and top tech awards, Cox Business has helped our ecosystem grow into the community it is today.

And welcome back to the Tacos in Tech podcast. I'm your host, Neal Bloom and I am thrilled to be joined by Anita Habisch, Vice President of Marketing programs at Parasports. Hey, Anita, thanks for being on the podcast.

Hi, Neil. Thanks so much for having me on.

Yeah, it's so great to connect with you here. Want to get to know your story a little bit, but I want to. Can you give us a quick overview of what Pair Sports is?

Oh, sure, yeah. So Pair Sports was founded on the concept of democratizing access to world class personal trainers. Not everyone in the world has $150 an hour or whatever it may be to have that sort of personal training experience. So we used a digital model to give people access to world class Adaptive audio training. Pear created an award winning app for that. In the last five years, however, the company has really pivoted to become a B2B software platform company that powers other brands with our smart digital coaching tools and content.

Hmm. Oh, interesting. All right, well, we're excited to dive into that story and the pivots that have come along the way of that as well. But I want to get to know a little bit of your background. How did you end up here at Pear and in sunny San Diego?

Yeah, Gosh. Isn't San Diego such a special place? And I feel so fortunate to be here. Well, I was born and raised in Phoenix and I always loved sports and activity. I ended up running cross country and track on the United States Air Force Academy teams. I probably had more of an intense experience there during my two years than any other two year period in my life. And I reference that because it does kind of come full circle in our story about Pear. I ended up stopping out at the Academy and going to Stanford and graduating there and that introduced me to Silicon Valley. Always loved technology and studied engineering, but knew that I liked to be in direct contact with the consumer as well. After having an east coast experience at the Wharton School, I took my newly minted MBA and ended up here in San Diego with an entrepreneurial experience at Jabra. So I was part of that founding team that I was the first marketing hire. We grew it to 150 million. And, and the important story behind that is that's where I initially met Bob Allison, who is the co founder and CEO of Pear Sports. He is the managing director of Innovate Partners. And Innovate came in and funded Jabra that was then subsequently purchased by GN Netcom. So that was a real San Diego success story. I'm happy to tell you that a lot of the basic elements of that brand that we established originally here in San Diego still hold true. You know, they still follow the brand colors and the names. Free Speak was the first Bluetooth headset that was introduced, patented at Jabra. And that form factor is still very much present in their product line today. But the reason why I harp on that is that here I am now at Pair Sports, back on one of Bob's company teams doing what I really love, which is focusing on health and wellness for people. Those early days running in college and stuff, feels like it's all led me back to where I am now and I'm really, really enjoying this ride.

Oh, that's really cool. So many different things to pull out from that One, you must have been glued to your TV during the Olympics. First of all, I'm sure totally amazing performance, especially on the track side, man. But also kind of this tech mafia that we love to talk about, which is people, you know, having success previously and coming back together to do more. There's a lot of stories, I'm sure, from Jabra, from that people going on to do the next thing for sure.

And, you know, we still keep in touch with one another. So our cfo, I just talked to him this past week. He just had shoulder surgery. So he, I think, was bored and unable to do other things and started calling all of his old Jabra friends. But you're right, he has his own little company now that's focused on Hawaiian consumer products. And while we all still stay in contact, that entrepreneurial spirit lives on and begets other cool opportunities in the San Diego area.

Yeah. Something else interesting about San Diego. We don't always talk about the consumer brands that we build here. A lot of our big brands are like Qualcomm, which is kind of a chip inside your phone. Right. But you've gotten the chance to work on some consumer brands here in town. What's that feeling like? Is there a specific group, people who only work on consumer. And that's kind of. You're kind of pulling to that?

Well, I think there is that strong consumer packaged goods for people who really want that. On the tech side, however, and that's more along the path that I followed. There's an appreciation for understanding who your target market is and who those Personas are and really locking into those. And that is a skill set. But the real appreciation is on the product side. You know, how do you differentiate yourself? How do you make your product unique and how do you tap into what those unique needs are for your customer set? And technology allows you to do that in such a cool way. There's so many different aspects of tech that we can use to plug in and solve a problem for a consumer. So, yeah, with Jabra and then with Altec Lansing and some of the others, you know, it was a unique opportunity. In fact, right now I'm wearing headphones that we designed at Altec Lansing specifically for women. So again, another opportunity to take kind of a technology spin and address the unique needs and fit requirements, et cetera, for. For a population that's really cool.

So take us through kind of your. Besides knowing Bob, and when he was obviously starting Pear, I'm sure he gave you a heads up. What was it like for you to take the leap and say, all right, I'm ready to join back in, join the team again.

Yeah. So I was at Altech and doing other busy things in my life. Well, I had children and took a little break for that, as many of us moms do. And so I didn't join Pear until it was two years ago now. He, you know, tapped me at the point where Pear was very seriously making that pivot to B2B and really beginning to reposition the company, the solutions and the brand. And that's what we're in the process of doing right now.

Got it. So take us through that. Take us through kind of Pear's evolution. And what did the customer tell you that told you, you know, to go towards the B2B side?

Well, it's very interesting when you look at recent developments and I'm really talking about the pandemic and COVID 19, we've seen the plethora of digital apps out there increase tremendously. The amount of downloads has increased like 46%, according to Ursa. What that means is that we're probably looking at a hybrid kind of fitness and wellness model in the future where people do want to return to the gym and the studio, but they also want to have a solution that's readily accessible to them wherever they may be, if they choose to work out at home or during travel, whatever. So we're finding that lots of companies and brands out there and communities need to expand their offerings beyond just the four walls of their facilities. There's a lot of competition, as you know. You have to hand it to Peloton and Hydro and many of the others that are coming out with some really cool hardware, but also content solutions. But oftentimes what we're hearing is that people are almost lost. Like, where do I start? There's so much out there to choose from. So what Pear is doing is really addressing what should I do and did it work and what should I be doing next and what am I ready for? So with the acquisition of performance lab in 2020, PEAR is now on the verge of really launching our AI program builder, which is an artificial intelligence based program builder that will be able to push content out based on an individual's unique biometric data and their goals. So you're no longer left just searching through a huge catalog of content options, but instead we can actually prescribe a fitness training program for you. So that's where we're going. And with these recent developments in our, you know, public health system, really, we think it's time for a Prescription of fitness. Lots of information out there about the benefits of that fitness has on our overall health, our well being, our mental health. And it's something that is really overlooked and we think it's time to change that. And we kind of want to own that space, that prescription of fitness.

So take us through what it looks like for say, a company that wants to engage with this. Like, what's the experience like?

Awesome. So one of the things that I wanted to talk about because it's kind of cool and focuses back on San Diego is a recent contract that we were provided by afWorks. And afWorks is an incubator with the United States Air Force that has contracted with PEAR and to provide a scalable physical fitness solution for warrior moms. So it's really cool. It's relevant to kind of what's going on in our world today. Lots of focus on women and the unique positive benefits that they bring to the military. And there's also lots of demands on women. For example, once a female airman has a child within 12 months, they're expected to take the PFT or the physical fitness test and pass it. And if you've had, you know, a complicated pregnancy or whatever may have happened during the course of, you know, pregnancy and childbirth, the Air Force is making these requirements but not providing tools. So there was a base, Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, that had a classroom based environment. It was very successful, very popular within the Air Force, but limited because, you know, it's in the classroom. Right. And then the people who were running it were not completely dedicated to it and they could be restationed and, you know, have other commitments. So they have asked PEAR to develop a scalable, you know, solution for warrior moms. And it's called Prep. It's based on the program that started at Dyess. So that's postpartum rehabilitation and reintegration exercise program. Not the name I would have given it, but it's popular, people know about it. And so we are just kicking that off. And that's an example of what it looks like to take a platform like the PEAR Health and Wellness Platform and tune it towards a particular target market and be able to create a really hyper personalized solution.

It's great timing with August being National Breastfeeding Month.

Yes. Yeah.

So really good timing with a rollout like that.

Good point. Another thing where Congress has mandated breastfeeding rooms on each base for moms. You know, all the good intention is there. And some of the more progressive bases have those. Many of them don't yet. So again, this is just an opportunity. And honestly, the support, Neil, comes from the top. The chief master sergeant of the Air Force, Chief Bass, is female and has supported this program and been behind it. And we're starting to see just a lot of movement to support females in the military and specifically with breastfeeding, with their pregnancy journey as well as the postpartum and making sure that we don't lose this really valuable set of talent because they can't pass a physical fitness test, you know, and everyone wants to feel strong, everyone wants to get back to active duty and contributing. So we just have to provide them with the tools. This is a cool digital way to do it. It's scalable. You don't have to hire a lot of, you know, well trained staff and people can do it no matter where they're based. It works globally as long as you've got Internet.

Yeah, that's exciting. Congrats on that. Take us through, you know where, besides this kind of deployment and engagement coming out, like what's on the horizon over the next year for Pear as you embark on this kind of B2B path?

Yeah, thanks. So I think the most exciting thing is the launch of what we call next gen. And that is our AI program builder. So that's not a product that we are shipping yet, but you'll hear that announcement from us. You know, we've been fortunate enough to go from the little startup mode here in Solana beach to a much larger kind of emerging growth level of a company and we are able to support larger brands now. So you of course may be familiar. If you go to our website, you'll see TRX and Samsung as some of the brands we've been able to support in the past. We're also working with the likes of UnitedHealthcare right now. So there's some exciting things that we can't talk about in great detail yet, but they're coming right down the road and they kind of fit in with the discussion that we've just had about precision, health and wellness.

That's awesome. Well, we're excited to watch you guys grow and hopefully participate as well in any of our companies. Yeah, you know, I know you guys are obviously based in a few different places in Southern California, but one being Solano Beach. Pretty nice spot to be especially close to some taco locations, some favorites that have been on the show, but we got to know Anita, what's your favorite taco spot?

Yay. Tech and tacos. So, yeah, I'll keep it in the neighborhood, then one of my favorites, and it's really popular right now because it's popular with the racetrack crowd, and Del Mar is racing now, so, you know, you're gonna have to expect to wait, but it's called Tony's Jacal. That's J, A C, A L. And it's a neighborhood joint here in Solana Beach's Little Mexico. There's actually a section that's formally named that Tony's makes the best turkey tacos. So that's my favorite taco for our Solana beach group right here.

Okay. We love it. That's a new one to our taco database.

Oh, good.

Right there. Right over near Fidel's, right? Is that part of that area?

Yep.

Okay, awesome. So kind of off Stevens and in between, like, Loma Santa Fe and Via de la Valle.

You've got it.

Yeah, it's a good little hidden spot over there. For sure.

It is. And both of those spots are really good.

So there's Rudy's right there, too.

Right there is. So if you can't get into one, you just go right to the other.

Yeah, totally. No, it's a great spot. And then Brigantine down the road for. For some drinks.

Yeah. Taco Tuesdays at Brigantine, and you can watch the races. So. Yeah, there you go.

And. And you guys are. Are you guys right on Seadros?

We're right on Seadros. Yeah. We're. It's. We're kind of hidden. You know, we're sort of really taking that B2B approach. We're upstairs, but it's great to be able to. You know, we do a lot of walking meetings, for example, just, you know, for your audience in general, think about ways to get yourself outside, away from, you know, our cramped indoor quarters. And if you've got a meeting that you can do while taking a stroll, even better. Walking a few minutes a day can make a difference. So those are the kinds of messages that we're trying to get out to folks with the PEAR platform.

I love it. If only we could record our podcast.

While walking, but there you go.

Yeah, we'll get out now, and we'll go all go out and get tacos sometime soon. Anita, it was great to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much for being on.

Thank you. My pleasure, Neil.

And we'll talk to you soon. Thanks.

All right, take care.

Thanks for joining us on the Tacos and tech podcast with Neil Blum. Thanks again to Cox Business for helping make this possible by expanding the reach of the San Diego tech ecosystem. Big shout out to School of Rap for our rad intro music. And thanks as well to Nest Podcast Network where we are recording live inside their studio at Nest Co working in Bankers Hill. You can find Neil Bloom on Twitter eelbloom as well as Fresh brewed Tech and Tacos and Tech Pod on Twitter too.

You know we got it.

Hey.

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