In 2019, childhood friends Piero Linares and Ulises Olaves made an unusual career break that would define their next chapter.
Both were firmly established in professional roles—Linares worked in finance and business development at a major Peruvian conglomerate after training as an industrial engineer, while Olaves, a systems engineer, had been building financial software as a product manager.
Despite their secure positions, the pair decided to step away from traditional career paths and pursue a concept outside their experience: nutrition technology.
At the time, there was no guarantee their idea would succeed, only a shared belief that it could work.
The Early Vision Behind Fitia’s First Version
Their idea eventually became Fitia, an AI-driven calorie tracking and meal planning platform. The initial version was simple by design.
Olaves envisioned a system that could calculate daily calorie needs and recommend meals based on user goals such as fat loss or muscle gain.
The first product, released as a basic iOS app, lacked many of the features now associated with modern nutrition platforms.
There was no large food database or recipe library—just straightforward meal suggestions generated from a simple algorithm.
How Fitia Evolved Into a Full Nutrition Ecosystem
Over time, Fitia developed into a much more complex platform. Users can now record meals in multiple ways, including photo recognition, voice input, barcode scanning, text search, or manual entry.
The system tracks calories along with macronutrients and micronutrients to provide a more detailed nutritional overview.
The app also integrates AI-based meal planning, personalized recipes, automated grocery lists, and even delivery services through Instacart integration.
A 24/7 AI nutrition assistant supports users continuously, while the system adjusts recommendations based on progress and behavior.
According to the founders, every food entry is reviewed by nutrition specialists, and the database—containing nearly two million items—can be filtered by country to reflect regional diets and habits.
Linares has emphasized that personalization is central to the product’s philosophy, arguing that dietary preferences are essential for long-term consistency.
Rapid Growth Across Latin America and Global Recognition
After launching in Peru, Fitia quickly expanded beyond its home market as user demand grew organically through word of mouth.
The app spread to countries including Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, eventually scaling to more than a dozen Spanish-speaking markets.
A major milestone came in 2021 when the company joined the Y Combinator accelerator program and secured seed funding from U.S. investors—an uncommon achievement for startups originating in Latin America.
Today, Fitia operates across roughly fifteen countries, with strong user bases in Mexico, Spain, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru.
Company-reported data, supported by Sensor Tower analytics, suggests the app has outperformed established competitors such as MyFitnessPal, Lose It, Cronometer, and MacroFactor in downloads and revenue rankings in several Spanish-speaking markets.
Fitia also claims more than 10 million global users and maintains a 4.9-star rating across major app platforms.
Entry Into the Competitive U.S. Nutrition App Market
In 2024, Fitia began targeting English-speaking users, particularly in the United States—a market significantly larger and more competitive than its previous regions.
The move represents a major shift in scale and expectations for the company, especially given the dominance of long-established health and fitness apps.
To support expansion, the startup has leaned heavily on influencer partnerships and social media marketing campaigns, strategies that helped fuel its early growth in Latin America.
At the same time, Fitia has introduced a community-driven feature resembling social forums, allowing users to share progress, ask nutrition questions, and engage with others.
The goal is to improve long-term retention in a category where user drop-off is common.
A Startup Still Evolving in a High-Stakes Market
Despite its growth, Fitia’s founders say development is ongoing, with continued updates driven by user feedback and changing fitness trends.
The company is focused on refining its existing tools while adding new features aimed at strengthening personalization and engagement.
As Fitia pushes deeper into global markets, its trajectory will depend on whether it can maintain momentum in one of the most crowded segments of the digital health industry—where competition is intense and user loyalty is difficult to secure.
