ABOUT US

Sometimes we could all use a little extra motivation to exercise. While you’d think that the allures of better health and a leaner body would be enough to kick us into action, the reality of the matter is that they’re not. In fact, behavioral economists have a scientific explanation for this called "hyperbolic discounting".

In practice, hyperbolic discounting means that humans discount the value of a reward that occurs far into the future, preferring instead a more immediate reward even if its absolute value is less. For example, if I gave Harry the option to receive $10 today or $20 in a month, he’d probably choose $10 today even though it’s financially wiser for him to get $20 in a month. Hyperbolic discounting is the reason why better health and a leaner body down the road are not compelling enough to make us exercise today.

So we’ve created a system that gives you more immediate rewards for your exercise. Our hope is to foster a more active lifestyle in each of us, and in turn play a small role in improving the health of our users.

Go exercise. Get rewarded. You earnd it.

The Team

Andres Moran

I could probably go into an explanation of my work experience and educational background, but I’ll let my LinkedIn profile do that instead.

On a more personal level, I live in the West Village of Manhattan with my wonderful wife Nia and our hyperactive yellow lab named Moby. Nia and I just got married on April 23, 2010 on the island of Curacao, which is a Dutch island just north of Venezuela. As for personality, I’d describe myself as someone who likes to make people laugh and who doesn’t sweat the small stuff in life. I also love indie music. This may all sound cliché (and it is), but it does best describe me. To be less cliché, in 2002 I spent ten months backpacking through Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Burma and Indonesia. What an awesome experience!

You can follow me on twitter: @dremoran

Harry Kautzman II

I live in sunny Seattle with my wife Jeanette and the antithesis of Andres dog, Oscar the wonder pug. When I'm not busy geeking out I like to get outside and take in the areas bounty by camping, hiking, biking and kayaking. When the weather isn't conducive to being outside I head into the bowling alley with buds to soak up some suds and toss a few strikes (averaging 183 this season). And for my own cliché, what tech loving Seattleite would be complete without an appreciation of the java bean. Double Tall Americano with a little honey please.

You can find the boring details about me on my LinkedIn profile and get a feel for me @hrrkii.

Grant Kidd

I spent my childhood living around the globe as a Navy "brat" until I finally settled in Seattle at the turn of the millenium. I live in the little-known district of Magnolia with my girlfriend Deborah, Salinger the Anxious, and Kitty Kat Kat.

When I'm not coding up some new device to track on Earndit, Seattle provides me with a plethora of options to occupy my time. On the nice days I like to hit the trials (on some mountain over yonder) or check out the cool parks in the area. I'm also determined to learn how to sail sometime soon. When the weather turns cold or wet I'm known to geeking out with board games. I also pretend to be a photographer from time to time.

If you enjoy radio silence, follow me on twitter @humbleice. You can also find my professional creds on Linkedin.

Rich Hirsch

I live in NYC, with my wife, Jill, and son Graham. I've spent most of my career in marketing in the health and fitness world (Bally Total Fitness, Atkins Nutritionals, Health Club Media Network, etc.) and really enjoy being a part of "The Earndit Crew".

I enjoy running and biking in Central Park (using my Garmin Forerunner to get my Earndit points!), coaching my son's soccer team, cooking (as I get hungry after all that activity), as well as enjoying all that NYC has to offer. I also like being by the beach, as my picture can attest. On Earndit, I've redeemed for RailRiders, Vitacost, Sleevecandy, Bonobos, and Peeled Snacks, among other rewards; and look forward to many other redemptions in the future.

Advisors

Rasmus Lerdorf

I am mostly known for having gotten the PHP project off the ground in 1995 and I have contributed to a number of other open source projects over the years. I was born in Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland, grew up in Denmark and Canada and have a Systems Design engineering degree from the University of Waterloo.

I spend most of my life in front of a computer or on a plane going to conferences. The only way I can motivate myself to get out for a run every day is to combine my geek interests with my running through sites like Earndit and Slowgeek. I am @rasmus on Twitter.

Jesse Schwartzman

I live in Brooklyn, NY but grew up in a small sleepy town in Connecticut. I enjoy all things food, spending my weekends outdoors, and all types of cross training. I have competed in many New York City Road Runner races and run two half marathons. I believe in the importance of combining exercise with sound nutrition principles to achieve optimal fitness.

I will give you the tools you need to not only maximize points and earning power, but also to achieve your personal goals and fitness potential!

John Washam

I live in the greater Seattle area with my wife Suzy. I enjoy making espresso-based beverages (daily), blogging at StartupNextDoor, and stay busy maintaining a corral of startups that I run under ReadyPrompt, LLC.

I like to travel. But unlike most folks in the Pacific northwest, I'm not a very active or outdoorsy person. As a former Army sergeant, I've sweated enough. I'm not a power user of Earndit - I earn my points on a treadmill, and I'm proud of that. So make sure you wave as you pass me by on the leaderboard.

Check me out on LinkedIn and follow my misadventures on Twitter as @startupnextdoor.