In a world where obesity is killing thousands of people a day in the world, it's almost joyous to hear that there are startups and app builders out there trying to use any means necessary to create the simplest apps to defeat life-threatening lifestyles and habits.

The folks at Bodeefit,one of the BizSpark teams I met at SXSW, has actually created a solution that is supposed to take away that mental barrier of not wanting to work out, and they are banking on the ease and simplicity of the Windows 8 (and formerly Metro) interface. And they are doing it fully committed to be in bootstrapping mode.

This blog post was written by Douglas Crets, Community Manager, Microsoft BizSpark

Blake Miller, co-founder of Bodeefit, says that in about thirty days the team will come out with a Windows Phone version of their new lifestyle and fitness app, which uses crossfit and paleo diet fundamentals to help people get off their butts during their work week and get in some cross-training. 

The main hurdle was just convincing people that they can do it. The Windows UI made it easier for the team.

"The way that the UI worked out and played was easy," says Miller. "We limit [each workout] to two or three movements. There’s not a ton you have to do. And the way the UI displayed it…it doesn’t look that intimidating. It’s very clean, it doesn’t look like there is a lot you have to do."

The cross-fit app will eventually be on the phone, and when it is, aspects of the paleo diet and recipes that you can surf while shopping will be introduced, as well. Miller didn't say how long it will take to the get the Windows Phone app as fully capable as the Windows 8 app, but from talking to him it seemed like the team works very quickly. In fact, they seem to be wedded to the lean startup model, purposefully not seeking out investors because they want to make their money by generating revenue from consumers. 

"We are purposefully trying to bootstrap this. We are investors as it is, we invested our resources to get it to market. The capital we put in is just the resources on our bench," says Miller. This is gutsy, or its necessity. It's apparently very hard for startups / app builders to get anything more than angel investing, given this ongoing rumor about a Series A Crunch, which is keeping serious Series A rounds from making it to the market. 

This is even more gutsy when you consider what Miller says to investors with whom he just happens to have casual conversations. Their "addressable market" is gigantic.

"We are going after the entire fitness market. It’s a pie in the sky kind of answer, but this is great for entrepreneurs on the road all the time," says Miller. Though, I think that the market for fitness apps on the phone is bigger than just entrepreneurs on the road. That's a hint, though, about how this app was generated. It came from personal experience, and usually the hardest problems find their best solutions because the entrepreneur personally experiences them.

Miller says that in his work with Microsoft BizSpark, he's found it easier to work on the challenges of building a great app.

"You guys sponsored our accelerator program. We [also] understood and saw the vision [of the App Marketplace], and we could own an entire section in a branded store. Business wise, we looked at it that way. We saw it in terms of downloads," says Miller.

Felienne Hermans is proof that it’s possible to start a successful company while still a student. 

Two years ago, Netherlands-based Felienne started applying her research on spreadsheets to build Infotron. And now the company is not only generating revenue, it can count among its customers impressive names such as PWC, ING and KLM.  The concept is brilliantly simple but powerful: Infotron analyses Excel spreadsheets so that companies can reduce the risk and cost that hidden errors can cause.

Like many successful start-ups, Infotron combines the vital ingredients of: a great idea; a strong team; and making the most of networking and useful contacts.  Infotron’s story started with Felienne’s PhD project at Delft University, co-sponsored by Microsoft and Avanade.  Felienne chose to focus her research on ways in which use of spreadsheets can be improved. Says Felienne, “It is estimated that 88% of spreadsheets contain an error, yet they support strategic decisions in over 90 per cent of businesses.”

Here's a slide share of Hermans' PhD work, which she applied in the building of her startup, Infotron. 

Felienne – who has been experimenting with computer technology since she was eight – developed software that analyses spreadsheets and then, most importantly, visualises the dependencies within those spreadsheets.  In essence, the software (which is built on the Microsoft stack) makes hard-to-find errors visible and easier for enterprises to then address.

The response to her idea was immediate.  “As part of my PhD, I created a prototype for Rabobank and they loved it so much they said they wanted to buy it, as soon as possible!  So, I talked to my supervising professor, who has himself been an entrepreneur and could see the business potential.  We decided to create a company, together with another professor at the university, with myself as the majority shareholder.  The university doesn’t have the software rights, but the agreement is that we will fund an additional PhD research student, again focused on spreadsheet development.”

Since then, Infotron has gone from strength to strength, attracting some of the biggest brand names in Europe and earning Felienne around 100,000 Euros in just two years: not bad for a student!  “It has sometimes been a struggle juggling my PhD workload with growing a business, but I just finished my PHD, four months ahead of schedule.  So, it’s possible.”

Felienne attributes some of Infotron’s early success to the support received from Microsoft.  “The local team has been very supportive.  We are part of BizSpark, so we benefit from free access to technology, but Microsoft has also given us technical and business advice, helped with market visibility and making useful connections.  For instance, we were named as one of the top ten BizSpark companies in the Netherlands and invited to events, including ‘speed-dating’ with potential customers.  That one event led to current discussions with a major pharmaceutical company, which has become our biggest client.”

So what’s next for Infotron? The company is about to appoint a CEO, someone with many years’ experience and who Felienne feels will have the expertise to work with increasingly high-profile customers. Felienne has decided that while she has enjoyed the past two years, her heart lies with research, so she is about to become assistant professor for her department at Delft University. She is also passionate about helping other females explore the potential that science and technology has to offer.

So what’s next for Infotron?  The company is about to appoint a CEO, someone with many years’ experience and who Felienne feels will have the expertise to work with an increasingly high-profile customers.  Felienne has decided that while she has enjoyed the past two years, her heart lies with research, so she is about to become assistant professor for her department at Delft University.  She is also passionate about helping other females explore the potential that science and technology has to offer.  

You can get the whole overview here:

Every week we show you something that was amazing in TechCocktail., one of our partners. Here's this week's example, a talk on humility by David Crenshaw, a business coach. 

We have friends who are into the mobile experience. When we were in Austin, we saw this dude shooting video and interviewing mobile developers about their take on the mobile space.

The video that came out of that explores the future of mobile in the absence of "the next big app" and also captures the energy of SXSW. Here's a blog post written by Appboy's Director of Marketing Cezary Pietrzak that puts the video into context. 

Appboy at SxSW 2013 + The Future of Mobile Apps from Appboy on Vimeo.

Here's a paragraph from the video:

This year, Appboy took over SxSW with a camera in hand and a simple mission: to learn about the future of mobile apps. We spoke with leading mobile entrepreneurs, including Ryan Holmes (HootSuite), Adam Goldstein (Hipmunk) and Brett Martin (Sonar), to get their perspectives on what is working and what isn't. We found that even though mobile lost the spotlight at the festival, there was plenty of excitement about the category and plenty of opportunity for disruption. We also found that the rules of the game had changed, with many mobile apps shifting their attention to user engagement and building lasting relationships with their customers. See what these entrepreneurs had to say and experience the energy of SxSW, from downtown Austin and Salt Lick's famous BBQ to Grumpy Cat and grilled cheese sandwiches at the GroupMe Grill, to the epic parties of Foursquare, WSJ and Made in NY:Austin.