From Weight Room to Startup: The Unexpected Origin of YumEats

By Canaan Kimball ’26

Our business partnership began in an unexpected place: the weight room of Lehigh University's football program. As a student-athlete, I often found myself in conversation with Eric Markovcy , the team's strength coach, before and after workouts. During one of those discussions, Eric described the significant feeding challenges his two sons experienced, one with autism and the other born prematurely.

This conversation planted the seed for Screenwise Eating LLC & YumEats, an app designed to help families navigate the challenges of mealtime with children who have eating difficulties. Driven by a passion for entrepreneurship and problem-solving, I immediately saw an opportunity to make a difference. Together, Eric and I began brainstorming solutions, blending the champion mindset we had developed on the football field with our determination to improve the lives of families like Eric's.

YumEats is more than just an app; it's a mission. We aim to transform mealtime for families struggling with feeding challenges. The app incentivizes children to take healthy bites by integrating engaging rewards like videos, audiobooks, and social stories. A progression system gradually increases the number of bites needed for rewards, helping children develop healthier eating habits while reducing screen dependence. YumEats also tracks key eating metrics, providing parents with valuable insights into their child's progress.

Building YumEats has been a team effort. Eric and I brought on Evan Mazor , a talented software developer and current Lehigh sophomore, to help bring our vision to life. With Evan's technical expertise, we've made significant strides in app development, laying the foundation for a tool that could revolutionize mealtimes for families around the world.

The venture has also garnered substantial support. We received funding from the Baker Institute through Eureka! pitch nights and were honored with the 2023-2024 Joan F. & John M. Thalheimer Award.?

As participants in the Lehigh Ventures Lab, we've benefited from mentorship and resources to accelerate our progress. Our ongoing Kickstarter campaign aims to raise the funds needed to publicly launch YumEats in early 2025.

It's been an incredible journey on the field too: this year, we were part of a Lehigh football program that achieved remarkable success, including winning the Patriot League Championship and advancing to the second round of the Division I FCS playoffs.?

It is that same determination to overcome adversity and achieve greatness that has become a cornerstone of our work with YumEats.

Scientific validation is critical to our journey. An ongoing study with @Lehigh University Autism Services seeks to evaluate the app's effectiveness, with the goal of producing positive results that demonstrate its impact. This research underscores YumEats' commitment to evidence-based solutions.

As we work tirelessly to bring YumEats to market, we embody the champion mindset that has defined our journey from the weight room to the startup world. We've built a team, secured funding, and navigated challenges with the same grit and determination that led us to success on the football field.?

Now, we're ready to tackle our biggest challenge yet: helping families worldwide overcome the paralysis of eating challenges and create positive, stress-free mealtime experiences.

With a shared vision and the support of our community, we are well on our way to achieving our dream. YumEats isn't just an app; it's a testament to the power of resilience, teamwork, and a champion mindset to make a lasting impact.