Why Dan Fradin thinks his startup is worth fighting for

I recently partnered with a Brit who joked that things are going so quickly and easily in the last three months for my startup that I must have the “Midas touch.” Ha! I thought. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

My journey hasn’t been quick or easy. I’ve had so many ups and downs, highs and lows. Doors slammed in my face. Emails, voicemails unanswered. I’ve wanted to quit. I’ve wanted to cry. (And, truth be told, I did both at least once.)

Turning a passion for boxing workouts into a business.

I’ve wanted to forgot about my many all-nighters and countless presentations. All the times that I thought I was almost there, just to be slammed back to reality harder than Neo’s first jump in The Matrix.
The highs are amazing but the lows are a desolate desert without description.
But, I couldn’t forget about all of my savings that I’ve put into my idea and dream. Plus, I couldn’t forget about the amazing encouragement I’ve gotten from friends and family. I’ve continued to forge ahead and am finally on the cusp of crowdfunding something really cool!

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It started for me in 2009 when I had an idea to quantify my punching-bag workout. I’ve been hitting a bag for over 20 years but I never really knew if I was getting better. There were things on the market to measure a single punch, or there’s those punching games at the local bars (which are always crazy popular), but nothing for a workout.

A tech-driven solution.

After researching online, I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I thought about building something for myself. I thought it would be really fun and could reinvigorate my heavy-bag training. Because I use my elbows, knees, feet, hands, etc., I didn’t want to have the sensors all over me. It just would be too much.
So, I came up with the idea for a wrap that would go around an existing bag and the sensors in there could send data to an app. It was all off-the-shelf technology but no one had put it all together before.
I called it Impact Wrap.
Ultimately, I went to seasoned patent lawyers to get my IP secured, got a proof-of-concept prototype, high-end artwork, found an initial partner and then began trying to find investors. Turns out you need a fully working wrap and app — and those are expensive.
After getting laid off at my job, I cashed in my 401(k) and dove all-in. Now, I have both the wrap and app almost to a complete demo.
I’m a couple of months away from either a Kickstarter or Indigogo campaign. My new partner has been amazing for bringing renewed energy, and we are getting all of the material together for our first crowdfunding project. There are so many things and we want them to be just right.
I know this will be the beginning of another long journey as we try to build an international company right here in Pennsylvania.
Fingers crossed, my next jump is better than Neo’s.