Meet Eric Levitan: Founder + CEO of Vivo

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Levitan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
As a leader, if you put employees first in your business and create a culture of engagement, everything else takes care of itself. A company full of engaged employees will take better care of customers, sell more, build higher quality software, be more innovative, etc, etc. It’s shocking to me that more companies don’t focus on this.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Vivo is a virtual small group exercise program designed for adults 55 and over that is unique in the increasingly popular digital fitness market. While most digital fitness programs are either video on demand or live streamed classes where you are an anonymous participant, Vivo is an interactive program where a trainer is able to personalize the workout for everyone, correct form and adjust the exercises to accommodate pain or injuries. Vivo also creates a community of participants, providing social engagement and support to encourage participation. Vivo also measures progress through periodic assessments to make sure that everyone is focused on getting stronger and improving function.

Strength training for older adults is a largely ignored but hugely important need. Most older adults experience a 30% loss in muscle mass between ages 50–70, resulting in increased risk of injury, negative health outcomes, disease and even death, all of which can be prevented and managed with strength training.

Vivo started as an in person program but the pandemic forced a pivot to deliver this as an online program. In the past year, thanks to a New York Times article mentioning Vivo, we’ve actually seen over 100 members sign up for the program now with retention over a 90% so far. Most importantly, since we’re measuring progress, we are seeing almost a 30% gain in lower body and upper body strength and endurance. This is translating to improved function of activities of daily living, better sleep, losing weight, and a general higher quality of life.

One of the biggest challenges that we’ve encountered is it can often be a challenge to convince an older adult to engage in a strength training program, and even harder to do an online fitness program. Something pretty amazing has happened to help address this. Adult children are doing this with their aging parents as a way to help keep their parents healthy. Not only is this encouraging these older adults to exercise, stay strong and independent, but it’s improving their relationships at the same time. It’s pretty amazing to watch.

As we see the impact of this program and how important it has become to our current members, it’s impossible not to think about the impact this could have globally. As an online program, there are no geographic boundaries to who Vivo can reach. This program could make a significant difference in the lives of older adults all over the world, which would in turn have a real impact on healthcare costs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a big fan of the East Side BeltLine. I’d start there for lunch. I’d get either dumplings from Gu’s or a cheesesteak from Fred’s, which is the best cheesesteak in the city (I’m from Philly so I know what I’m talking about here). From there, I’d walk over to Lady Bird for a cocktail or 2 and sit outside. Then rent bikes next store and take a leisurely ride down to Ponce City Market, admiring the art along the way. Once at PCM, get another cocktail at Biltong Bar and some popcorn with biltong as a snack. Then continue the ride and ride through Piedmont Park and explore. On the way back, stop for a beer at New Realm and sit on the patio. Then continue back and return the bike. No trip to Atlanta would be complete without BBQ, so then go to Fox Brothers BBQ for dinner.

Other itinerary items – brewery hopping on the Westside – Steady Hand and Scofflaw, in particular, followed by great Mexican at either Bone Garden Cantina or Nuevo Laredo. If you wanted a little nicer, hit up the Optimist, and if you wanted even nicer and a truly special meal, it’s hard to top Bacchanalia. Cap off the evening with a beer and some blues at the Northside Tavern, Atlanta’s great dive bar.

No trip to Atlanta would be complete in my mind without taking in a concert. Heading to Terminal West for a show is a must (when concerts come back, that is), or head downtown to the Tabernacle and hit up Sidebar for the after party. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a shoutout to Doug Calahan, my longtime friend (since college) and former business partner. Without Doug, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be a part of a startup that ultimately led me down the path that I’m on now. Doug founded Argo Systems, a software company in the television industry. When Argo was still very young and very small, Doug asked me to join him in helping him run the company. I had never had a position like that before, and to that point all of my experience was fairly “corporate”. What I learned from joining Argo and helping to grow a small business to eventual sale was invaluable. I learned the value of corporate culture, what good customer service really means, how to sell, and leading with integrity. It also provided me with the freedom and the confidence to pursue something that I knew was going to be difficult but ultimately would be worth it. I owe so much to Doug.

Website: www.teamvivo.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/teamvivofitness

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-vivo

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/teamvivofitness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamvivo

Image Credits
Chris Rank Studios