London-based Fiit announced that it has secured $3.2 million (£2.4 million) in funding for its app-based fitness coaching service with an accompanying wearable tracker. The round was led by London-based Connect Ventures, with participation from JamJar, Rooks Nest Ventures, and Westminster Capital.
“Traditional gyms and studios have limitations for most people because they haven’t successfully broken down the barriers to regular exercise and don’t easily fit into people’s busy lives,” Fiit cofounder Daniel Shellard said in a statement. “Boutique studios are expensive and elitist. At Fiit we are focussed on the future of fitness, and plan to make it addictive by combining the motivation of a world class studio experience with the convenience of a home workout powered by the fitness stars people follow.”
The child of ex-Google employees and the founders of web personalization service Qubit, Fiit aims to bring personal and social fitness to the living room. The app connects to a user’s television, allowing them to sign up for strength, cardio, or other focused workouts with a host of trainers at their convenience.
At the same time, a connected tracker monitors users’ workout to display stats and progress directly on the screen alongside encouraging messages. In addition, the service allows users to view the progress and fitness ratings of their friends on live leaderboards to promote competition and increase daily motivation.
“Fiit combines the intensity of boutique fitness classes with the convenience of an on-demand platform, motivation from real-time feedback and social competition to create an experience that surpasses [anything currently available],” Sitar Teli, partner at Connect Venture, said in a release. “This is Connect’s first investment in the fitness space and we think it represents the future of home fitness.”
In the release, Fiit also noted that the diverse expertise of its new backers “brings a wealth of knowledge and experience across a number of consumer brands, entertainment, media, and technology.” These backers include executives from video game streaming platform Twitch and fitness apparel company GymShark.
Fiit is currently accepting early signups that include a Fiit Tracker, three months subscription, and “Fiit founder” status.
The company said it is set to launch early next year, although it’s hardly alone when it comes to digital workouts. Recently, Gold’s Gym expanded beyond its brick-and-mortar gyms with a coach-driven workout app, while just last week sports apparel company ASICS announced the launch of its on-demand workout app with trainer-led audio, ASICS Studio.
