Michele Mehl

My company, Excy, is a product of my own personal fitness woes over a 20-year career working with disruptive technology startups. A busy work schedule and family history of heart disease got me thinking about a better, more convenient way to exercise for a healthier quality of life. I recruited (business partner) Mike Rector to begin prototyping a portable stationary exercise bike, one that promoted the same quality of exercises offered at a gym or a spin class, but portable enough to use anywhere.

Just as we were in that phase, I  broke my leg. Emergency surgery led to a rod, 10 screws, and a plate to hold it all together, as well as a blood clot. Two additional surgeries followed, leaving me in a boot for five months and with a crooked leg for life. To say my morale was low would be an understatement. Yet during the non-weight-bearing months, Mike and I both embraced the injury to rapidly innovate our design. I worked with my physical therapist in the clinic to recover, yet at home was able to keep my upper body strength and burn over 450 calories in an hour using Excy’s upper body ergometer features. When my insurance would no longer pay for PT, I continued to manage my leg’s rehab with Excy recumbent bike movements at home. I had an entire rehab facility at my disposal!

After months of physical therapy and relying on caretakers, I got just a small glimpse into the plight of those living with injury, disability, and disease. It was an eye-opening experience that led to a new dialogue with potential customers, which inspired us to help those who fall outside of the traditional fitness mould gain unprecedented access to a new way of staying healthy and strong.

Today, I use Excy 5 to 6 days a week for 20 minutes upper and lower body high-intensity interval training and to keep my injured leg in motion to maintain strength and mobility.