San Francisco-based Netpulse, which offers software to fitness clubs that connects fitness devices and apps to gym equipment, has raised $18.6 million in a new round of funding led by Nokia Growth Partners and with participation from August Capital, Javelin Venture Partners, DFJ Frontier and Docomo Capital. Nokia Growth Partners' John Gardner will join the Netpulse board as part of the deal.
In a statement the company said it plans to use the funds for new integrations and to further build out its product platform.
At the end of July 2012, Netpulse announced $15.6 million in funding led by August Capital with contributions from Javelin Venture Partners, DFJ Frontier, and Parkview Ventures. The company has raised a total of just under $40 million in funding to date.
Netpulse has partnered with eight of the top nine commercial manufacturers, which make up 83 percent of the fitness equipment currently installed at fitness clubs. Netpulse's software is in thousands of clubs in more than 30 countries, including Equinox, Crunch Fitness, Gold’s Gym, Retro Fitness, university gyms, corporate fitness centers and YMCAs.
“Netpulse technology has created an opportunity for clubs to engage with their members in ways previously not possible," Bryan Arp, Co-Founder and CEO of Netpulse said in a statement. “Our platform provides club operators with a turnkey solution to participate in the industry’s digital transformation. Clubs are now able to provide new services to increase engagement and generate new sources of revenue by reaching the members via mobile and connected products.”
NetPulse’s platform, called NetPulseOne, is integrated with several apps and fitness trackers, including devices from Fitbit, the MapMyFitness platform, and the MyFitnessPal platform. NetPulse also was integrated with Aetna's CarePass before the health insurance company shut it down. Netpulse, through its acquisition of Virtual Active, previously worked with Rock Health graduate BitGym on connecting virtual workout experiences to fitness equipment.
