A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting startups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – FITNESS AND WELLNESS
- SuperMonkey, an app-based platform providing video tutorials and remote fitness consultation, received $7M in a Series B funding round led by Ventech and The Arena Capital. Link
- ZenRez, an online platform to book fitness studios at last minute, has raised $6M in Series A funding round led by ARTIS Ventures, Summit Action, Transmedia Capital, Nucleus Adventure Capital, Precursor Ventures, and C2 Ventures. Link
- Mission 360, an online platform providing remote physical and mental training via video, has raised $250K in an Angel funding round from undisclosed investors. Link
- Fitso, a mobile app to track fitness activities and to connect with coaches, has raised $200K in angel funding from a group of individual investors. Link
- Strava, an online social network for athletes, closed an undisclosed Series D financing round led by Go4it, Sequoia Capital, Madrone Capital and Jackson Square Ventures. Link
- Urban Sports Club, an online marketplace for sports and fitness activities, received an undisclosed amount of funding from Holtzbrinck Ventures and Rocket Internet Link
- Fitraq, a web platform to discover gyms and health centers, secured an undisclosed amount of funding from individual investors Aparup Sengupta and Devendra Reddy. Link
- FastTrack enters smart wearable segment with the launch of Reflex fitness band. Link
- Nokia plans to rebrand Withings’ product line as Nokia. Link
- Adidas to allow third-party hardware manufacturers to use the Runtastic platform. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Aaptiv (2016, NYC) – An app-based platform providing audio fitness content by professional trainers for workout guidance.
Bitome (2016, Boston) – Bitome developed a wearable device that can track hydration levels using magnetic resonance.
LEADER BOARD – FITNESS AND WELLNESS
Physical Health – Monitoring
Jawbone (SF,1999, $1B) – Fitness wrist-band with algorithm for activity and sleep tracking. Backed by KPCB, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital and 21 other investors.
Codoon (Chengdu, 2011, $90M) – Smart Wearables and fitness social network for users. Backed by Shenzhen Capital Group, SIG China, SBCVC, CITIC Capital, Focus Media, FountainVest Partners and Shanda Group.
Fitbit (SF, 2007, IPO) – Wireless wearable sensors to track person’s activities. Went public in 2015.
Physical Health – Aggregators
ClassPass (NYC, 2011, $84M) – Membership programs for fitness classes across multiple gyms. Backed by SV Angel, Mayfield, Charles River Ventures and 15 other investors.
Quancheng Relian (Beijing, 2014, $17M) – O2O mobile app for booking of gyms and fitness centers with subscription passes. Backed by Legend Capital and Matrix Partners China.
Physical Health – Remote Coaching Solutions
Hotbody (Beijing, 2014, $27M) – Fitness community and an app to remotely consult professional coaches. Backed byHupu, Meridian Capital China, Greenwoods Investments and The Arena Capital.
Grokker (San Jose, 2012, $22.5M) – On-demand Videos for Cooking and Fitness Classes. Backed by First Round Capital, SV Angel, Khosla Ventures, Correlation Ventures, InterWest Partners, Comcast Venture and Aspect Ventures.
Sportq (Shanghai, 2012, $10M) – Mobile app based platform for fitness enthusiasts to consult professional coaches. Backed by SIG China and Small Ville Financial Advisor.
Physical Health – Exercise Devices
Peloton cycle (NYC, 2012, $119M) – Fitness bike with access to live and on-demand classes. Backed by Tugboat Ventures, Tiger Global Management, True Ventures, Grace Beauty, Brand Foundry Ventures and Catterton.
Interactive Fitness (Sunnyvale, 2009, $41M) – Bikes for indoor cycling with gamification. Backed by Silicon Valley Bank, Sierra Ventures, Physic Ventures and Enterprise Partners Venture Capital
Physical Health – Social Platform
Strava (SF, 2009, $35M) – Strava is the social network for athletes. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Sigma Partners, Jackson Square Ventures and Go4It.
Joyrun (Guangzhou, 2014, $18M) – Social networking application for jogging. Backed by Innovation Works, Qihoo 360 and The Arena Capital.
Physical Health – Information Portal
Keep (Beijing, 2014, $37M) – Video-based workout guide and progress monitoring tool. Backed by GGV Capital, Morningside Group, Ventech China, Bertelsmann Asia Investment Fund.
Healthination (NYC, 2005, $14M) – Health and wellness video provider. Backed by Intel Capital and MK Capital.
Health Guru (NYC, 2007, $9M, Acq.) – Health education portal with online health video content. Acquired by Kitara Media in 2013.
Physical Health – Tools for Fitness Centers
Mindbody (San Luis Obispo, 2001, IPO) – Marketplace booking and business management SaaS for wellness centres. Went public in 2015.
Netpulse (SF, 2009, $52M) – Member engagement SaaS platform for fitness clubs. Backed by Javelin Venture Partners, Nokia Growth Partners, August Capital, Frontier Venture Capital, Bally Fitness, DOCOMO Innovations and DFJ Frontier.
Physical Health – Commerce
Nu3 (Berlin, 2011, $7M) – Online retail platform for health & fitness related products. Backed by Lakestar, Project A Ventures, Alternative Strategic Investments and Black River Ventures.
Lighterliving (Cambridge, 2004, $3M) – Products & Information to manage body changes. Backed by Flybridge Capital Partners.
Hyperwear (Austin, 2007, $2.5M) – Consumer products in fitness and wellness market. Backed by Baylor, CTAN and Concho Valley Angel Network.
Physical Health – App Studio
Azumio (2011, Palo Alto, $3M) – Developer of mobile applications for healthcare. Backed by Accel Partners, Founders Fund, Felicis Ventures and Western Technology Investment.
Mental Health- Sleep Management
Hello (SF, 2012, $32M) – Sleep behaviour tracking. Backed by Temasek and Forward Partners.
Mental Health- Stress Management
Headspace ( LA, 2010, $39M) – Guided meditation sessions and mindfulness training. Backed by Allen & Company, WME Entertainment, Advancit Capital, Broadway Video, Deerfield, Breyer Capital.
Interaxon (Toronto, 2009, $18M) – Brain Sensing headband ‘Muse’ to help in meditation. Backed by Felicis Ventures, ff Venture Capital, Horizons Ventures, A-Grade Investments, OMERS Ventures, Build Ventures, Mindfull Investors, TownsgateMedia, and Flextronics Lab IX.
Happify ( NYC, 2011, $14M) – Platform for improved mental & emotional health through gamification. Backed by Founder Collective, b-to-v Partners, Mangrove Capital Partners and Bridge Builders Collaborative.
Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
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