You can also see DietBet in the news, blog posts about DietBet, and access our Press Releases.
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MEDIA KIT
Get basic company information, fact sheets, company bios, and images in this section.
Media Contact:
Alison Weick
alison@dietbet.com
212-343-8238 x112
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DietBet Company Backgrounder
Overview
DietBet makes losing weight fun. Its 4-week contests motivate players to lose 4% of their starting weight by offering them a healthy dose of friendly competition. That and the lure of taking other people's money.
DietBet blends three proven motivators: the thrill of winning money, the aversion to losing money, and the support that comes from losing weight as part of a group effort.
Research at Harvard, UPenn, and Cornell has shown that financial incentives can be effective in helping people lose weight.
It's the kick in the pants many people need to jumpstart healthy lifestyle changes.
Why DietBet?
- Players are five times more likely to succeed in their diet. Don't take our word for it, see the research
- It's easy. DietBet makes setting up a 4-week weight-loss game a breeze.
- It's fun. We've gamified dieting the way Nike+ has gamified running. Track your progress and taunt, gloat, and talk smack to your rivals as you vanquish them for bragging rights.
- It's social. Research shows that it's easier to lose weight when you're part a group effort.
- It's not winner-take-all. You don't need to be the first to cross the finish line. Everyone who arrives at their target weight by the end of 4 weeks winds up winning.
- It's healthy. It encourages people to rethink their nutrition and fitness choices. And with no advantage to exceeding your goal, DietBet promotes steady, sustainable weight loss.
- It's motivational. Many people find that dietbetting is the only way they can lose weight.
DietBet's Founder & CEO
Jamie Rosen, Founder & CEO, dropped out of Harvard Business School to start his first internet business, Comet Systems, which he sold in 2004 for $33.5 million. At Comet, he invented the company's flagship product, which received Adweek's "Best Marketing Technology of the Year" award in 1999. That same year he was profiled as CNBC's "Entrepreneur of the Week."
Prior to Comet, Rosen was a toy inventor and today he has 10 pending and issued patents. In 2007, he sold several of his patents, covering location-based games, to Yahoo! He graduated from Harvard College in 1992 and is married with three children.
Headquarters
New York City
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DietBet Fact Sheet
DietBet is a social dieting game that uses friendly competition and money to motivate people to lose weight in 4-week contests.
Quick Facts
- Getting Started. You can set up a game with friends or join an open game that is being hosted by DietBet.
- Inviting Players. Organizers and players may use DietBet's free invitation engine to invite players by email and Facebook.
- Official Weigh-Ins. Players submit an official weigh-in on Day 1 and Day 28. Our standard weigh-in procedure requires that players provide two photos in accordance with our guidelines. DietBet referees will review and approve all weight submissions confidentially.
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Privacy. Players may choose to hide their weight so that other players and spectators would see only that player's relative weight loss or gain.
- Self-Reporting. Players are encouraged to post their weights during the game via the website or mobile app. Self-reported weigh-ins are for reference purposes only—to update the game's leaderboard and enable you to see a chart of your progress. Only official data from the initial and final weigh-ins are used to determine who has won.
- Rules. DietBet provides its players with a comprehensive dietbetting ruleset. The rules specify everything from what to wear at weigh-ins ("airport-security attire") to what happens if no one reaches the 4% goal.
- Mobile App. Players may use the DietBet iPhone app to post comments, weight or upload photos during the game.
- Daily Carrot Newsletter. During the game players receive the Daily Carrot, with fun motivational tips and suggestions, written by our team of comedy writers at Harvard.
- DietBet's Business Model. DietBet takes a cut of the pot to cover transaction fees, overhead, customer service, and our technology expenses. We also make money from advertising and affiliate marketing.
- Safe Weight-Loss. There is no advantage to crossing the finish line first or for losing the most weight, as in The Biggest Loser television show. All players who reach their weight goal are deemed "winners" and end up splitting the pot equally, regardless of who came in first or lost the most. This is designed to disincentivize players from going overboard.
- Bonus Stakes. In addition to betting for money, players may play for non-monetary "Bonus Stakes". These are defined by the Organizer and may include perks like extra vacation days for the winners or free training sessions at a gym, or may include anti-perks like losers must clean the office refrigerator or cook dinner for the winners.
- Global. DietBet supports imperial and metric system units and can be played anywhere in the world.
- Not Gambling. DietBetting is not gambling because it's skill-based. Betting requires wagering on an event that is outside the bettor's influence or control. In DietBet, players bet on themselves and the determining factor is their weight, which is (at least in theory) under their influence or control.
- Private. DietBet is a privately held company backed by private investors.
