Jennifer Strout

Founder & CEO

At age 4, I was given my first computer from my grandfather, I used one to teach myself math at age 5, to write my first screenplay at age 10, to develop my first webpage at age 12, to code a novel program at age 20, and to patent my first invention this past summer.
 
From over a decade of work experience as a counselor in the mental health field to gaining hands-on experience as a personal trainer in the fitness industry, I understand the human condition and how both mental health and physical health are inextricably intertwined.
 
After the birth of my second son, despite my best efforts, I was still unable to find a local gym that suited the needs of both myself and my children. The one gym that I did attend for a few months took 45 minutes to drive to in traffic and between the drive and getting my kids settled at the childcare there (which they HATED), I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours just for a 40 minute class. I loved the class though- I loved how engaging the instructor was. But I just couldn’t keep up with the logistics surrounding the class. 

While I liked the convenience and flexibility of at-home solutions, they lacked either the human connection data, or both.  I honestly felt like I was watching VHS videos like I used to back in the 90s - I never knew if I was doing the exercises correctly and so I couldn’t tell if I was ever going to get the promised results. To me, watching videos on YouTube was no different, even decades later. I wondered, why should I have to choose between partial, inadequate solutions?  

Also, prior to having my first son I used to teach aerobics and yoga classes at the gym and the pool. So from the trainer's perspective I felt that the industry lacked any competitive technology. How could one reasonably live-stream a class while still providing feedback to multiple users at once? I could not even effectively focus on numerous people speaking during a video conference, and at least that technology highlighted who was speaking at the time, whereas fitness instructors did not even have any way to know who to focus on when providing virtual solutions.
 
Therefore, I am both the consumer and the end-user of our solution.

Jennifer Strout, MA
Founder, CEO, & President

Jennifer is the inventor of MotivateU’s disruptive, patent-pending technology. With a master's degree in counseling, 300+ college credits, and more than 18 years of research experience, Jennifer leads her team towards leveraging technology and innovation to enable businesses and individuals to efficiently and effectively achieve their goals. Jennifer is a Petri & Pillar VC’s Founder Frequency Cohort 2 Alumna. 

Raman Lakshmanan, PhD
Development

With a PhD in Computer Science from Oakland University, Raman's experience includes being a founder, director, chief R&D officer, EVP, and CTO. He is a full stack engineer who has led teams developing machine learning, enterprise mobile apps, and proprietary cloud-based technology platforms. Raman has been awarded 3 patents and has 1 patent-pending, as well as 3 successful exits.

Robert Sparno, MA
​Operations & BOD

Rob contributes his corporate development and product management skills to the MotivateU management team with more than 40 years of industry experience. Rob has extensive experience building early-stage companies including effectively leveraging his strategic alliances, analytics, and marketing skills to launch mobile computing tools, web-based wellness solutions, and cloud based software and services. ​

Luke Getto, MSEE, MBA
​Engineering & BOD

​Luke brings more than 15 years of engineering and project/product management experience to the team, in addition to being awarded one patent and having another patent-pending. He has managed international teams of direct and contract employees, and he has directly shaped corporate strategy with executive and board level involvement. 

Ava Cook, BA
Human Resources

Ava has extensive experience in the area of human resources and operations. An AmeriCorps alumna, she has been in the position to employ varied schools of thought and to impact change. Her work has included advocating for SMBs and nonprofits failing to be heard—more specifically, leading and developing teams while managing complex projects and turnarounds for high growth, startup, and cultural service organizations.

Interested in joining the team?

CONTACT HR