Наталя Хандусенко Startup 13 March 2025, 14:41

Health Coach in your pocket: a couple from Kyiv launched a healthy eating app. How Eated works, with which you don't need to count calories and you can even eat cake

Ray and Irina Astafichev launched the Eated app. It's not a "slimming" app, but an assistant for those who want to be healthier and understand their body better. Ray is an experienced product manager, and Irina is a health coach and nutritionist. So the couple combined their expertise in a family project and launched an app that aims to make a healthy lifestyle simple, accessible, and enjoyable, so that people don't wait for the first signs of illness, but can act proactively.

And although Eated is currently out of the MVP stage, it is already being used in the US and Canada. The startup has already attracted its first investments, is expanding its team, and has opened new vacancies.

About the founders

Iryna Astaficheva is a professional health coach and nutritionist with more than 5,000 hours of consultations.

Ray Astafichev is a professional Product Manager who has participated in the launch of over 30 products, some of which have grown to $100 million in revenue.

The idea for the Eated app was born in 2021, but its implementation had to be postponed until last year due to a full-scale invasion.

“Once upon a time, somewhere in the middle of 2021, Ira woke me up in the middle of the night. She had an idea that we needed to make our own product — and she tried to explain it to me. But — I was sleepy and maybe a little skeptical — I said it wouldn't work, and went back to sleep,” says Ray. But Ira didn't give up so easily, and from the fifth time that same night she managed to convey her idea, and in the end — the couple started working on creating their own application.

To test whether their idea would be useful for people, the Astafichevs conducted interviews with target audiences in the US, UK, and Canada. They began implementing the project in the fall of 2021.

“But a few weeks before our release, the war started. The team that worked on Eated was laid off, we didn’t have the money to pay them, so that’s where we parted ways,” notes Iryna.

About a year later, the couple was able to return to the product, creating it virtually from scratch a second time: they found new technical co-founders and launched the MVP on the App Store in mid-2024.

Eated is a mobile app that helps you form healthy eating habits.

As the founders themselves say: Eated is a Health Coach in your pocket that will explain how your body works. Everything is built through a scientific approach. In fact, Ray took all the knowledge of his nutritionist wife and put it into one app.

The Astafichevs believe that the principle of "Add, not subtract" works best, and they also believe that there is always a place for cake in the diet.

"We are often used to limiting ourselves in everything, convinced that it is beneficial. But statistically, strict restrictive diets are ineffective - because after going on a diet for a year, 45% of people return to their previous weight, another approximately 45% gain more weight than before the diet, and only 10% of people can maintain their new weight," the founders explain.

Eated offers the following features:

First, you don't need to count calories. You can record your food using the Plate Method and the Palm Method, proven ways to achieve a healthy balanced diet.
guide tips on how to do it;
health advocate with daily tasks,
as well as daily educational videos and articles.

"We're going to have a huge update in a few months. So, as they say, stay tuned," says Ray.

Currently, Eated is only available on iOS and is exiting the MVP stage. 40% of users are from Ukraine, the rest from the US and Canada, and some are also from the EU.

The startup is planning a phase of rapid growth, so they are expanding the team and currently have 6 vacancies open.

The team currently includes two technical co-founders, whose names are not yet disclosed, three iOS engineers who work part-time. And, of course, the founders themselves: Ray is in charge of product and marketing, and Iryna is responsible for the expert part and helps in other areas.

“We’re almost out of MVP mode, refining features that should help create an even stronger competitive advantage, so it’s time to get ready,” says Ray.

The startup is currently looking for a Senior iOS Engineer, Product Designer, Creative Marketing Manager, SMM Manager, User Acquisition Manager, and PR Manager. You can learn more about the vacancies at the link .

"We are looking for people who are not only mature, but also independent - given how we plan our development, this responsibility for our results is very important - and if something is not working - the ability to report it in time so that together we can find a solution," the founders add.

In March, the startup attracted its first investment.

The application was developed with the founders' own funds. But at one point, Ray and Iryna realized that they were growing slowly, so they started thinking about additional funding. And this month, they attracted the first investment from the Burner fund, founded by the IT company Boosta.

“Monetization is standard for products of this type — it’s a subscription. In the future, we will test other models, time will tell what is optimal,” says Ray.

There are several paid subscription options: $5 per week, $10 per month, and $120 per year. However, the price will increase in the future as the product develops.

“You can take a trial for 3 days, and then charge for an annual subscription (but now it is limited and with a 50% discount),” adds the founder.

Plans are in place to build an ecosystem of Preventive Healthcare products.

“The plans for the future are to develop Eated, promote balanced nutrition and healthy habits, and eventually start working on new products,” says Iryna.

The Astafichevs plan to build an entire ecosystem of Preventive Healthcare products. They believe that health is not about reacting to problems, but about preventing them. They also believe that the right habits formed today determine the quality of life in 10, 15, and more years.

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