Solving a Problem the Founders Encountered

As with many entrepreneurs, Mendoza and Martinez were determined to solve a problem they had experienced themselves. Dedicated gym-goers, the two often visited facilities with poor equipment selection, overcrowding, and broken equipment.

“A lot of our friends would stop going to the gym because it was too stressful to deal with,” Mendoza recalls.

They interviewed operators, concluding that decisions were being made without adequate information to guide them. As mechanical engineering students at Northwestern University, Mendoza and Martinez had the skills to build a solution. After developing their system of sensors and data analytics, they launched OnSight but lacked the operating capital to fulfill an order.

A new program at Northwestern gave them the startup money they needed. Mendoza and Martinez were awarded $25,000 from the school’s Manufacturing Fund at The Garage, a new entrepreneurial center for students. This enabled them to purchase the materials required to create 140 components to outfit an entire gym.

The Winning Pitch

Mendoza described OnSight’s value proposition during his presentation in this way: “Gym operators make million-dollar equipment decisions completely in the dark. They don’t know which machines get used, which are about to break, or whether their floor layout is costing them members. Staff argue over which pieces of equipment should stay or go, and managers lack the means to justify decisions to their superiors—all while spending excessive amounts of money on maintenance and losing unhappy members.

“OnSight uses wall-mounted sensors to accurately track movement across the gym floor, process the usage, and tell gym operators exactly what’s going on in a central dashboard. This helps them make data-backed decisions, it makes maintenance efficient and improves the member experience—ultimately leading to savings on maintenance costs and increased member retention.”

Martinez says that the company’s technology can be installed after hours. The next day, the sensors will track every zone, allowing operators to see a heatmap of the floor, as well as machine utilization, and then receive usage-based maintenance recommendations from the data collected.

“Our platform also includes a full maintenance ticketing CMMS (computerized maintenance management system), which allows you to cut the booking hassle and record all past repair jobs, as well as a QR code system for members to report issues around the gym,” Martinez says.

A Platform for Emerging Brands

“OnSight represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking company we aim to elevate through Innovation Alley and Pitch Fest,” says HFA Director of Trade Shows Luke Ablondi. “We’re proud to provide a platform for emerging brands to gain visibility, connect them with industry leaders, and accelerate their growth.”

SweatWorks Founder and Chairman Mo Iqbal says: “The future of fitness will be shaped by bold founders solving real operational and consumer challenges with smarter technology. Innovation Alley and Pitch Fest create visibility for those companies at a pivotal stage of growth, and OnSight is a great example of that potential in action. SweatWorks was proud to partner with HFA to help elevate innovators and reinforce the importance of innovation across the industry.”

The next Pitch Fest event will take place at The HFA Show 2027, March 10-12, 2027, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.