KUWAIT: At the Arabian Business StartUps awards for 2017, the co-founder of the health and fitness app GymNadz, Nadya Jaghbir, emerged as the winner of the People's Choice Award for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2017, voted by readers from the Gulf region among 50 other startups nominated to the award.

Nominated for its contributions to entrepreneurship, the spirit of innovation, pursuit and achievement of excellence in business, GymNadz has gained great success since its launch in February 2016, achieving over 500K downloads on both Apple and Android stores, and promoting fitness and health programs against a growing obesity epidemic in the region.

Commenting on the award, Jaghbir said: "We are extremely proud to have been voted by independent readers to win this prestigious award, a seal of success to our ongoing endeavors to change mindsets on health and nutrition in the region and make a positive difference in the lives of the community."

GymNadz was founded with a vision to reach out to the largest number of women possible and motivate them to move more and lead a healthier lifestyle. Co-founder Nadya Jaghbir, a fitness and personal trainer by profession and passion, aimed at sharing her experience in fitness and nutrition with women in the Arab world and promote for a more active lifestyle in a culture increasingly driven by a sedentary lifestyle and a focus on excess eating.

Jaghbir added: "To achieve our vision, we created the health and fitness app to facilitate reaching out to women, and be easily accessible through their smartphones in the comfort of their homes. A crucial element which differentiates the app is the interactive platform that allows members to customize their programs based on their physical abilities and objectives, monitor performance and learn at their own pace about nutrition. We are not creating a stereotyped transformation of a body, we are educating women on leading a healthier and more active lifestyle on the long-term."

Continuously updating its content, interface and features, the bilingual (English and Arabic) app has recently been featured on the Apple store as a recommended application in its category, a step that recognizes both demand and content of the GymNadz app. The app has also been ranked among leading grossing applications in several countries in the Middle East.

Jaghbir concluded: "Our inspiration behind GymNadz is the empowerment of women to overcome challenges they may face, such as lack of time, guidance, knowledge and a need for a support system. And we want to achieve that at an international level. We are therefore constantly upgrading the app, introducing new features and nurturing a community of women to cheer each other up in their journey to a healthier lifestyle."

The Arabian Business StartUp Awards were introduced in 2013 to celebrate the entrepreneurs that have made an impact on the business landscape of the Middle East. From the Young Entrepreneur of the Year through to the Startup Company of the Year, the awards seek to give the innovators who are building new businesses in the region a platform to have their achievements recognized and rewarded in their industry.