BurnCal: Kunal Agrawal on Building the Google Maps for Fitness with AI
What happens when an IIT Bombay computer scientist with an obsession for cycling is forced into 45 days of bedrest? For Kunal Agrawal, it was the spark that ignited BurnCal. Kunal is the Co-founder of an AI-based home fitness platform that aims to be the "Google Maps for Fitness"—guiding you through every rep, correcting your form in real-time, and handholding you from your current state to your fitness destination without the prohibitive cost of a full-time human personal trainer.
Kunal's pedigree is elite. With an All India Rank of 20 in IIT-JEE, he graduated from IIT Bombay and spent years at Samsung and Rahm Robotics building complex AI and graphic solutions. But it was a harrowing road accident in Bangalore that brought him back to his hometown of Ahmedabad and forced him to re-evaluate his path. "I was on bedrest for 45 days," Kunal recalls. "It gave me ample time to think about where I wanted to take my career. I knew I didn't want to join the family textile business; I wanted to apply my tech degree to something I was passionate about: fitness."
The 'Google Maps' of Fitness
Just as Google Maps doesn't just show you a destination but guides you through every turn, BurnCal aims to navigate your fitness journey. "Many people know they want to be fit, but they don't know the path," Kunal explains. "We provide the navigational instructions—course correcting you when your form is wrong and ensuring you reach your goals efficiently."
The Shameless Art of Networking
Kunal didn't start with an idea; he started with a search for people. He attended a startup scaling event in Ahmedabad—admitting he didn't belong there as he didn't even have a startup yet. After the event, he "shamelessly" approached the speakers. Only one responded to his text: Anik Agrawal. That meeting led to two months of intensive ideation with two other co-founders, Chetan and Vichar.
"We sat together for two months without a fixed agenda," says Kunal. "We analyzed the drone industry, robotics, and education. Ultimately, we chose fitness because all four of us were obsessed with it. My co-founder Chetan even managed to lose weight during the lockdown—a feat most of us failed at!" This shared passion became the bedrock of BurnCal.
Motion Understanding: The AI Trainer
The core problem BurnCal solves is the "human cost" of personal training. A human trainer can only be in one place at a time, making their services expensive. BurnCal's solution is a Motion Understanding Engine. By using the camera on your smartphone or tablet, their AI analyzes your movement in real-time, counts your reps, and corrects your posture.
To prove the concept, they built a prototype focused on a single exercise: bodyweight squats. "Over 1,500 people tried our squat challenge prototype," Kunal shares. "The most common feedback was: 'When are you adding more exercises?' That's how we knew we had something people wanted." The system allows a single human trainer to manage dozens of clients asynchronously, as the AI handles the minute-by-minute supervision during the workout.
Kunal's Lessons for Tech Founders
- Run After Co-founders, Not Ideas: Ideas will iterate, but co-founders are the foundation. Find people whose wavelengths match yours.
- Build Fast, Iterate Faster: Don't spend two years building in a vacuum. Kunal thought the squat challenge would take 15 days; it took 3 months. Get a version out to users as soon as possible.
- Embrace Uncertainty: In a job, inputs and outputs are defined. In a startup, everything is a hypothesis. You have to be comfortable not knowing everything.
The Road to Scale
BurnCal has already received validation from the Government of India, winning grants from MeitY and NIDHI-EIR. These grants have provided the financial stability to build their Proof of Concept (POC) while they engage with institutional investors. Kunal is currently focused on adding more exercises to the motion engine and building a comprehensive fitness assessment tool—a "CIBIL score" for your body's strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Early Traction Highlights
- 1,500+ Users: Tested the initial AI Squat Challenge prototype.
- Government Backed: Recipients of MeitY and NIDHI-EIR grants.
- Deep Tech: Proprietary computer vision algorithms for real-time motion analysis.
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Kunal's advice is simple: Just start. If you have the savings, dive in. If not, give it two hours a day as a side project. But most importantly, talk to your users. "Do not be deterred by criticism or overly enthusiastic about compliments," he warns. "Every startup is a hypothesis that only you can test by being out there in the market."
Kunal's Rapid Fire Choices
Vision vs. Execution: Execution.
Quality vs. Quantity: Quality.
Short-term vs. Long-term: Short-term goals (to reach the long-term).
Bootstrap vs. External Funding: External funding (for scale).
About the Guest
Kunal Agrawal is the Co-founder of BurnCal. An IIT Bombay graduate with an AIR 20 in JEE, he has a deep background in computer science and engineering. Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, he worked on cutting-edge AI and graphics solutions at Samsung and Rahm Robotics. Kunal is an avid cyclist and fitness enthusiast, once riding over 300 kilometers from Bangalore to Pondicherry.
BurnCal is an Ahmedabad-based fitness technology startup that leverages computer vision and AI to provide personalized home workouts. By automating the supervision and correction aspects of personal training, BurnCal makes high-quality fitness coaching accessible and affordable for a global audience.